Category: Adolescence

Short Film Spotlight: Dust

A new 40-minute short film from the Netherlands, Dust follows Alko (Henk Jan Doornbosch), an average teen boy living in the Dutch countryside.

Alko’s thoughts are occupied with girls, carbide-shooting and his changing body. While he and his best friend Björn (Liam Feikens) are struggling with their emerging sexuality, the locals begin to suspect that Alko may be gay. This troubles him so much that he makes a decision he will come to regret.

Director Joren Molter examines toxic masculinity, the expectations put on young men to conform and the coming of age process between best friends in a small rural village community. Between agricultural weekend work and partying, dealing with other adolescent boys and girls, one kiss can make a big difference. The urge to fit in, to uphold image and peer pressure forces the boys to make choices that will greatly affect their friendship.

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

Two teens fall in love at a school retreat in the charming romance The Boy Foretold by the Stars

A heartwarming coming-of-age rom-com from the Philippines, The Boy Foretold by the Stars follows an openly gay teen looking for love.

Dominic Cruz (Adrian Lindayag) is an openly gay high school student from St. Francis Catholic School, an exclusive school for boys. He goes to Quiapo with one of his best friends, Timmy (John Leinard Ramos), to consult Baby R (Iyah Mina), a popular fortune teller renowned for her 99.5 percent accurate predictions regarding love.

During this visit, Baby R informs Dominic that he will meet his soul mate within a week, and gives him three signs to help him determine the identity of his match. Meanwhile, Luke Armada (Keann Johnson), a member of St. Francis’ basketball team, has just broken up with his girlfriend Karen (Rissey Reyes) and decides to participate in the “Journey of the Lord” retreat in an attempt to move on.

Dominic, who was coincidentally one of the volunteers for the retreat, is assigned as Luke’s sponsor and the two young men quickly become good friends. As the two get closer, Baby R’s three signs seem to present themselves. Is Dominic reading the signs correctly, or is it just wishful thinking?

One of the first mainstream gay romantic comedies from the Philippines, The Boy Foretold by the Stars was a crowd-pleasing hit locally, earning awards at film festivals. It’s also currently being adapted into a television series.

Watch the trailer for The Boy Foretold by the Stars below. The film is now available on Dekkoo.

New This Week – 7/22/22

Did you know that we have a weekly YouTube show called The Dekkoo Digest that discusses all the films added to Dekkoo that week. It’s a helpful guide to learn about the films we’re programming. Plus, our host Ross is cute as a button!

Check out the latest episode and be sure to visit out YouTube channel every Friday for new updates. Or, you can just check back here. We’ll be sure to link to them.

You Are My Sunshine celebrates the power of one gay couple’s life-long romance

Taking place in two alternating time periods – the 1970s and modern day – You Are My Sunshine follows long-term partners Tom and Joe (played as younger men by Steve Salt and Jack Knight and as older men by Ernest Vernon and Charles O’Neill).

Joe, a shy young man living with his conservative father and his sister in Britain, meets the playful and charismatic Tom through work in the 1970s. There is an instant connection between the two young men. Tom’s confident personality helps Joe to come out of his shell. Meanwhile, the sudden visibility of queer rights activists starts to disturb Joe’s family. Even in the present day, though Joe and Tom have been together for decades, Joe’s sister still harbors major resentments when it comes to her brother’s sexuality.

As the younger versions of Joe and Tom worry about their love being discovered, the older versions are dealing with health issues and family strife. Through two powerful characters, writer-director David Hastings offers a message of how love and acceptance can change even the hardest of hearts.

Watch the trailer for You Are My Sunshine below. The film is now available on Dekkoo.

New This Week – 7/15/22

When Paulo, a young pianist, meets Ilir, a bass player, they quickly fall in love. The pair soon end up living together, but when Ilir leaves town for a concert and ends up in jail, their relationship faces almost insurmountable obstacles. From prolific writer-director David Lambert, ‘Beyond the Walls’ is a heartbreaking examination of the thrills, sacrifices and disappointments of falling in love. Watch ‘Beyond the Walls’ on Dekkoo!

During a seaside vacation, ten-year-old Remi finds himself becoming increasingly fascinated by Stephane, the father of one of his friends. This confusing new feeling proves quite powerful. Nobody seems to know what Remi is going through…least of all his handsome new crush. ‘The Swimming Trunks’ is available to stream now on Dekkoo!

A conservative professor at a Christian college goes undercover, passing himself off as a gay man in order to stop the launch of a homeless shelter for LGBTQ youth in his small town. But as he gets closer to the local gay community, he sets out on a journey of truth and compassion, learning that life and love are not as black and white as he once thought. Stream ‘At the End of the Day’ now on Dekkoo!

A loner and a star athlete form an unlikely bond at their Irish boarding school in the uplifting Handsome Devil

With bright red hair, a smart mouth and a penchant for sexually-ambiguous pop music, Ned, played by Fionn O’Shea, has always been bait for the bullies at his rugby-obsessed Irish boarding school.

Determined to keep a low profile and weather another year with minimal abuse, Ned is pleasantly surprised when he develops a special friendship with his dashing new roommate Conor, played by Nicholas Galitzine, a rugby virtuoso who shouldn’t have trouble fitting in, but harbors a few big secrets. Ned encourages Conor’s passion for music, but when their pursuits start to take Conor’s focus away from rugby, their friendship is discouraged by the administration.

A funny and observant coming-of-age tale from Irish novelist and filmmaker John Butler, Handsome Devil offers a touching reminder about the importance of loyalty, bravery and making sure that your voice, no matter how different, is heard.

A true heart-warmer, Handsome Devil earned raves from critics when it debuted back in 2017. The Observer called it “a warm, reassuring hug of a film that should be shown to every confused kid trying to piece together their identity.” Film Ireland called it “a satisfying examination of masculinity… presenting an encouraging message for teenagers to not be bound by stereotypes if it feels unnatural to them.”

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

New This Week – 7/8/22

***A DEKKOO EXCLUSIVE***

A deeply emotional new romance from writer-director David Hastings, ‘You Are My Sunshine’ follows the lifelong relationship between Tom and Joe (played by Steve Salt and Jack Knight as young men and by Ernest Vernon and Charles O’Neill as the characters in their twilight years). The film follows them from their first meeting in the 1970s, when the world refuses to accept their love, through to their heartbreaking final days, decades later. ‘You Are My Sunshine’ is available now, exclusively on Dekkoo!

Roberto, a mature widower, and Félix, a young photographer, explore a complex attraction to each other. In the process, they face anxiety, their fear of abandonment, and the emotional paralysis that drowns them. Stream ‘Amphore’ now on Dekkoo!

Mateo is an intelligent boy who falls in love with Daniel, but when everyone reveals that relationship, Mateo is at a crossroads, and will have to decide between fighting his adversities, or giving up everything, until his life. Watch ‘Green Butterflies’ now on Dekkoo!

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Coming next week: Two young men – one a needy and lost man-boy, the other a guarded but lonely bartender – embark on a fun, intense relationship… only to see it threatened when one is imprisoned for drug possession.

New This Week – 7/1/22

Fionn O’Shea and Nicholas Galitzine star in this touching comedy about two boys at a strict Irish boarding school who are forced to share a room. Though one is a bullied loner and the other the star athlete of their rugby-obsessed school, they form an unlikely bond – until it’s tested by those around them. ‘Handsome Devil’ is available now on Dekkoo!

Examining a psychological clash between two queer men with differing backstories, writer-director C.J.Arellano’s clever new horror short follows a gay man who suspects that his coffee-loving boyfriend maybe a demon in disguise. Stream the short film ‘Griffica’ now on Dekkoo!

***EPISODES 25, 26, AND 27 NOW AVAILABLE!***

Scott, a mild-mannered gay writer in Los Angeles, gets wrapped up into a world of bad boys and their crime-filled past after being adopted as their “Daddy Scott”, whether he likes it or not. Watch the final episodes of ‘Bad Boy’ now!

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Coming next week: A brand-new release the tells the story of one gay couple’s love as it stands the test of time. 

Three teens enter a complicated love triangle in the queer high school classic Dare

Originally released in 2009, Dare is a romantic teen drama from director Adam Salky, based on his own acclaimed 2005 short film of the same name. Featuring an all-star cast, the film tells a captivating story about a group of high school seniors at the crossroads of their adult lives.

When a pompous young actor tells so-called “good girl” Alexa (Emmy Rossum) that she hasn’t really lived, she embarks on a bold journey that takes her into the arms of a mysterious bad boy Johnny (Zach Gilford). Envious, her shy best friend Ben (Ashley Springer) also dares to pursue Johnny, complicating Alexa’s romance and pushing the sexual and romantic boundaries among the three friends.

In addition to Emmy Rossum, Zach Gilford and Ashley Springer as the three leads, the cast of Dare also includes Ana Gasteyer, Sandra Bernhard, Alan Cumming and a young, pre-stardom Rooney Mara just before her A-list breakthrough in films like The Social Network and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

A critical hit at the time of its release, Newsday called Dare “one of the smartest and most honest teen movies in years.” The New York Times said the film is “at once more provocative and more contemplative than most of its big-screen counterparts.”

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