Category: Adolescence

‘Teenage Kicks’ navigates a sweat-soaked journey through the minefield of adolescence

In the final moments of his 17th year, Mik’s world will come crashing down.

His plans to run away and escape the hold of his migrant family have been brutally undone by the accidental death of his older brother. Only Mik knows the events that led to this tragedy – and as far as he can see there is only one person to blame: himself.

He’s suddenly torn between his desire to head north and start a new life with his best friend and secret crush Dan and the sense of obligation he has to his broken family. Can he fill the shoes of his adored sibling or is he somehow inherently toxic and destined to bring ruin upon everyone he loves?

Featuring exceptionally brave performances from lead actors Miles Szanto and Daniel Webber, Teenage Kicks is a bold and unflinching coming-of-age drama.

Directed by award-winning Australian filmmaker Craig Boreham, the film takes viewers on a sweat-soaked journey through the minefield of adolescence as Mik searches for a way through his guilt – and explosive sexual awakening – to find the man he’s meant to be.

Watch the trailer for Teenage Kicks below. The film is now streaming on Dekkoo.

Five filmmakers explore male sexuality and longing in the collection ‘Furious Desires’

The concept of desire is explored to the fullest in Furious Desires, a collection of five international short films exploring male sexuality and longing.

In Brazilian filmmaker Fabio Leal’s The Daytime Doorman, a man pushes past boundaries with someone who works in his apartment building. Also from Brazil, Ricky Mastro’s film Xavier and Miguel follows a teen who is ready to tell the world about the secret feelings he has for his best friend.

The Other Side, from Mexican director Rodrigo Alvarez Flores, chronicles the romance between two young men who will not let the border come between their love. Mexican filmmaker Denisse Quintero’s The Tiger’s Fight is centered around a homoerotic harvest ritual where village men are expected fight one another.

Finally, from Italian director Simone Bozzelli, Loris is Fine follows a naïve 20-year-old whose need for affection drives him to make some life-altering choices.

With all of the shorts combined together, this stylish and diverse collection runs a total of 91 minutes… and will surely leave you with some desires of your own.

Check out these select stills from each of the five featured short films below. Furious Desires is now streaming on Dekkoo.

The Tiger’s Fight
Xavier and Miguel
The Daytime Doorman
The Other Side
Loris is Fine

A sex-worker embarks on an unusual odyssey in the surreal erotic drama ‘Strapped’

The strikingly handsome Benjamin Bonenfant stars in the sexually-charged 2010 indie film Strapped as an unnamed hustler on an unusual odyssey.

Stunningly photographed by writer-director Joseph Graham, the film follows the young man during a routine trick that soon leads him through a series of life-changing encounters.

This amicable and sexually efficient rent boy begins to look at himself differently when he finds himself lost in a maze-like apartment building. On his journey through the building, he meets up with a variety of different clients. Sex is the commonality, but out of that commodity comes raw, unguarded emotions for all involved.

Witty, sexy, surreal and ultimately touching, Strapped offers up an unforgettable look into one young man’s moving journey toward understanding himself and the world around him.

Watch the trailer for Strapped below. Though it’s long been difficult to find, Strapped is now finally available to stream on Dekkoo! We also have an interview with director Joseph Graham where he discusses this provocative film, plus a making-of documentary available now.

Short Film Spotlight: I Get So Sad Sometimes

The debut short film from Filipino writer-director Trishtan Perez, I Get So Sad Sometimes is a sexually-charged drama about the isolation of youth.

Starring newcomers JC Santiago, Karl Louie Caminade and Russ Ligtas, the film follows a lonely high school boy who, unbeknownst to his family, is secretly spending a lot of time on the internet chatting with a mature man whose face he hasn’t seen.

Cleverly shot in a claustrophobic aspect ratio to capture the lead character’s sense of being boxed in, this provocative film offers up a keen observation of this modern generation’s ethos – expressed through an intimate and contemporary visual language focusing on the immediacy of online interaction and instant gratification.

One could also read the film as a stern warning of the dangers of the internet and social media as a surrogate to real life bonds.

Check out the poster for I Get So Sad Sometimes below. The full 20-minute short film is now streaming on Dekkoo.

Nico Greetham co-stars in the charming ’90s-set theater kid comedy ‘Dramarama’

It’s the end of the summer of 1994 and Gene (Nick Pugliese) is preparing for his high school drama friends’ final murder mystery slumber party!

The theatrical hostess, Rose (Anna Grace Barlow), will fly off to start college the next morning, followed by the earnest Claire (Megan Suri), charismatic Oscar (‘Love, Victor’ and ‘American Horror Story’ heartthrob Nico Greetham) and sarcastic Ally (Danielle Kay).

Before they head off to begin their separate lives, however, Gene wants to come out of the closet – but he’s terrified of what his sheltered Christian friends might think… especially Oscar.

The feature-length debut of prolific short film director and producer Jonathan Wysocki, Dramarama is like a perfect mix of The Breakfast Club and The Big Chill. Featuring winning performances from the pitch-perfect ensemble cast, the film offers up a nostalgic and deeply funny coming-of-age tale and a poignant love letter to drama nerds, late bloomers and the intense friendships that mark our youth.

Watch the trailer Dramarama below. The film is now streaming on Dekkoo.

Russell Tovey and Arinzé Kene release some long-simmering sexual tension in ‘The Pass’

Young adults Jason and Ade have been members of a famous London football club since they were eight years old. On the night before their first-ever Champions League match, they find themselves sharing a hotel room in Romania.

Though both of them should be sleeping, they’re over-excited. They skip, fight, mock each other, prepare their kit and even watch a teammate’s sex tape. And then, out of nowhere, one of them kisses the other.

In a sporting world where macho image is everything, the impact of this “pass” ends up reverberating through the next ten years of their lives – a decade of fame, failure, secrets, lies… and intense longing.

Based on a stage play of the same name by John Donnelly, The Pass is an intelligent and thought-provoking drama featuring exceptional performances from lead actors Arinzé Kene and Russell Tovey who commit wholeheartedly to the story’s simmering sexual tension.

Watch the trailer for The Pass below. The film is streaming now on Dekkoo!