Category: Adolescence

A swimmer’s relationship with his coach causes family problems – and an arranged marriage – in the coming-of-age drama Beyto

Beyto (Burak Ates) is a young man whose family are Turkish immigrants living in Switzerland. A dutiful student and an attractive and popular rising star at his local swimming club, he strives to make them proud, but his family’s stringent views about homosexuality means he has to keep a whole portion of his life and his identity secret.

Just as Beyto begins to discover first love with his coach, Mike (Dimitri Stapfer), his parents get word from friends who spotted him at Gay Pride Parade and become desperate to shut down any rumors that he’s gay.

Shocked and ashamed by Beyto’s budding relationship with another man, his parents lure their son to their home village in Anatolia and start arranging his wedding to Seher (Ecem Aydin), a female friend from his childhood. Suddenly, Beyto finds himself at the center of an unbearable love triangle.

A subtle, sensuous and moving love story, Beyto examines the drama of family tradition and integration, expressing the dilemmas of its characters while never losing sight of their humanity and love for one another.

Watch the trailer for Beyto below. The film is now available on Dekkoo.

Now Available: French director André Téchiné’s acclaimed coming-of-age drama ‘Being 17’

From André Téchiné, the renowned writer-director behind the queer classic Wild Reeds, comes Being 17, a moving exploration of unexpected adolescent love.

Damien and Thomas (Kacey Mottet Klein and Corentin Fila) are teens from very different backgrounds who go to the same school… and are constantly fighting. Damien is the gawky son of a doctor and a military pilot stationed abroad. He can’t seem to stop staring at Thomas, the handsome bi-racial son of local farmers who reacts with hostility to Damien’s longing.

Damien’s mother Marianne (Sandrine Kiberlain) is treating Thomas’s ailing mother at the farm, a snowy two-hour ride outside of town. When she needs to be admitted to the hospital, Marianne quite naturally offers to take Thomas into their home for a temporary stay. Forced to live together under one roof, the two boys must work through their hostility, emerging attraction and complicated desires.

Co-written by Celine Sciamma, the award-winning filmmaker behind Tomboy, Petite Maman and Portrait of a Lady on Fire, Being 17 is a critically-acclaimed coming-of-age gem that accurately captures both youthful friction and attraction.

Watch the trailer for Being 17 below. The film is now available on Dekkoo.

Short Film Spotlight: Aadat

Filmed in Pakistan in a matter-of-fact style, Aadat is a bracing 13-minute short from writer-director Iqran Rasheed.

Aadat tells the story of a deeply closeted young man from a conservative Muslim family. Gripped with unrealized desires, he dares to hire an attractive young sex worker. The two spend time together alone in a room, cautiously getting closer while fully aware of the risks involved.

A devastating film about one perfectly normal young man who is looking to explore his sexuality in a forbidding Islamic country, Aadat is a sobering and heartbreaking reminder of the basic freedoms that are still not afforded to gay men in many parts of the world today.

Watch a short trailer for Aadat below. The film is now available on Dekkoo.

Ossan’s Love, a queer romantic comedy series from Hong Kong, comes to Dekkoo

Tin (Edan Lui) has been single his whole life. One day, he discovers that his boss secretly harbors romantic feelings and is even willing to leave his wife to be with him.

Tin confides this news to his friends, only to discover that his co-worker and flatmate, Muk is also deeply in love with him. Even though Tin has never ever thought about dating another man, he finds himself overwhelmed by his new popularity and slowly falling for the men who hold him dear.

Originally broadcast in Hong Kong, Ossan’s Love is a charming romantic series based on a Japanese drama of the same name. Both shows are notable as the first mainstream television series to feature gay love as a central storyline in their respective regions.

You can watch the full first season of Ossan’s Love now on Dekkoo!

Short Film Spotlight: Sleepover

An eight-minute short film from Swedish director Jimi Vall Peterson, Sleepover follows Emil and Adam, two seemingly straight young men who have been friends since junior high. After a night together at the movies, Emil decides he is going to crash at Adam’s apartment.

The two young men end up sharing a double bed. In the middle of the night, Emil awakens and his unspoken feelings for Adam start to become clear. But is he willing to test the boundaries of their friendship?

A simple, but well-executed short film Sleepover perfectly captures those youthful pangs of unrequited love.

Sleepover is now available on Dekkoo.

A married man falls for a much younger guy in the South Korean drama The Poet and the Boy

The Poet and the Boy follows an aimless, seemingly straight poet in his late 30s who has spent all his life on the same island, mostly living off the hard work and careful planning of his more responsible wife.

Spending most of his time daydreaming, he longs to express himself creatively, but his poetry lacks passion and depth – something that the other members of his writers group are quick to point out.

One day, the poet meets a teenage boy working at a donut shop and develops romantic feelings he has never had before. Suddenly, his life and work begins to improve. He’s finally found his muse while falling helplessly in love with another man for the first time. But when he discovers that his wife is pregnant, he is faced with a very difficult decision.

The feature-length debut of South Korean filmmaker Kim Yang-hee, The Poet and the Boy tackles marriage, creativity and longing in a refreshingly honest manner.

Watch the trailer for The Poet and the Boy below. The film is now available on Dekkoo.

A popular teen romance series gets the feature-length film treatment with Gameboys: The Movie

Young love is is never smooth, but when you add the pandemic into it, problems seem to pop up at every turn. Based on the popular “Boys Love” series, Gameboys: The Movie follows the story of two young gamers turned lovers as they try desperately to keep their relationship alive despite myriad obstacles.

Cairo (Elijah Canlas) has moved in with Gavreel (Kokoy de Santos). As their relationship is in a new and uncertain phase, Cairo is hesitant to do anything physical… no matter how much Gavreel tries to initiate it.

As the boys try to make the best of the situation, Gavreel’s ex-boyfriend, Terrence, shows up. And then Cairo’s gaming buddy, Wesley. And then Gavreel’s conservative Aunt Susan insists on staying for a few days. While the quartet of lovesick boys enjoy their time cooped up with one another, they have to tiptoe around Aunt Susan’s intolerant ways.

After defying distance, nosy friends and family and even COVID, will the two boys be able to prove that their love for one another is strong enough to withstand fate and circumstance?

Watch the trailer for Gameboys: The Movie below. This sexy and heartfelt new romance is now available on Dekkoo.