It’s summertime in the Landes. Looking to cure their boredom, fifteen-year-old footballers Loris and Thomas (Simon Boutin and Matthieu Lucci) by engaging in what they assume will be some largely harmless trouble-making.
When they end up stealing the mobile phone of their coach (Samuel Theis), they discover clandestine photos of young naked footballers in the shower. Loris seems to be the main subject of this voyeurism. Cut to the quick, the teenager goes to his trainer’s place to seek revenge… and things get way, way out of hand.
An edgy twenty-one-minute thriller from French writer-director Laurent Lunetta (who worked as the art director on the acclaimed Stranger by the Lake), Play It Like a Man is a riveting short work that isn’t afraid to tackle taboo subjects.
In this funny, bittersweet romantic comedy from Sweden, perpetual list-maker Anton falls in love with David, but things start to go awry when Anton realizes that his dreams in life might be in direct opposition to David’s. ‘Top 3’ is now available on Dekkoo!
Nathan, a conservative English teacher, tells his best friend Zach about a one-night stand with a hot Latin man who loves to talk dirty in this short comedy. Watch ‘Dirty Talk’ now on Dekkoo!
Over the course of forty-eight hours during a music festival, a recovering drug addict attempts to rekindle his relationship; but with little money, he is forced to engage in a dangerous deal with a former lover-turned-drug-pusher to fund the weekend. Stream ‘The Low End’ on Dekkoo!
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Coming next week: “THE LOVE CHILD OF LADY BIRD AND NAPOLEON DYNAMITE” — Terry Mesnard, FRESH TOMATO REVIEW
Writer-director Andrew Ahn’s remarkably assured feature-length debut is a portrait of forbidden sexual awakening set in the nocturnal world of spas and karaoke bars in Los Angeles’ Koreatown.
David Cho (Joe Seo, who won the Special Jury Award at Sundance for his breakthrough performance), a timid 18-year-old living with his financially-struggling immigrant parents, chances upon a secret spot for cruising when he takes a part-time job at an allmale spa, and begins to realize hidden inner desires that threaten his life as a dutiful son and student.
Effervescent and atmospheric, this one-of-a-kind coming-of-age story makes the steamy spa a liminal place between dream and reality, and desire and disillusionment.
“Spa Night is an intensely personal film,” said Ahn. “I knew very early in the screenwriting process that I had to draw from my own life experiences in order to find the honesty I wanted to show on screen. As the son of Korean-American immigrants, I have felt the conflict between my parents’ expectations and my own personal desires. In Spa Night, I wanted to explore what it means to be a part of a Korean-American family. As Spa Night progressed into production, the film became even more personal for me. We shot on location in Koreatown, Los Angeles — at restaurants I have eaten at, spas I have visited, and streets I have walked down. As I directed scenes, I saw my family in this fictional family I had created.”
“My main character David speaks in a mix of Korean and English to his parents, the same mix I use when I speak to my parents. With Spa Night, I want to open up American independent cinema to include stories about immigrant communities told in languages other than English. It is important that our cinema culture reflect the diversity of the American experience. By telling this story, I am attempting to validate the immigrant experience and acknowledge my parents’ sacrifice to leave their home country and start a new life in America. Spa Night is my way of fulfilling my parents’ hopes and dreams.”
Watch the trailer for Spa Night below. The film is now available on Dekkoo.
A gay sauna, not unlike the legendary Continental Baths, is the meeting place for a ragtag group of strangers looking for anonymous sex – and perhaps a friendly smile – in this compassionate new comedy-drama. Everyone at Copa 181 is looking to escape from their mundane reality. Falling under its seductive spell, they learn that family is where you find it. ‘Copa 181’ is available to stream now on Dekkoo!
The 15 year old footballers Loris and Thomas are bored, and steal their trainer’s mobile phone, where they discover photos of young footballers naked in the shower. Loris decided to use the pictures as a revenge. Stream ‘Play it Like a Man’ now on Dekkoo!
Kumar, a bachelor in his thirties leaves his corporate job in Kochi to become a graphic novelist. He embarks on a new life as an Uber driver in Kochi while working on his graphic novel titled ‘Pixelia’. One day a transgender named Mandakini gets into his cab and that day changes Kumar’s life forever. ‘Pixelia’ is available to stream now on Dekkoo!
In The Language of Love, seventeen-year-old Charlie (Kim Ho) struggles to find the words to be true to himself… and his best friend.
Written and performed by Kim Ho and directed by Laura Scrivano, The Language of Love is a wry, sensitive and moving account of a young man coming to terms with his sexuality and facing a life-changing decision.
The film was written by Kim, under the mentorship of leading Australian playwright Tommy Murphy and was created as part of The Voices Project from the Australian Theatre for Young People.
Originally released in April 2013, The Language of Love has been widely acclaimed. The Advocate describes it as a film “to melt your heart.” It also earned two very big fans in Stephen Fry and Ellen DeGeneres. After seeing the film, both of them went out of their way to sing its praises on social media.
From writer-director-star Thiago Cazado, the creator behind the 2017 gay drama About Us, comes the unusual new romance Cousins, a controversial and supremely sexy new coming-of-age love story.
Young Lucas (Paulo Sousa) lives with his religious Aunt Lourdes (Juliana Zancanaro) in a quiet country town, where he dutifully helps her proselytize by playing biblical songs on his keyboard. His quiet life is soon agitated, however, when his aunt announces the arrival of another nephew named Mario (Thiago Cazado), who has just been released from jail. Forced to share a bedroom, these two cousins find their personalities clashing… until an unexpected attraction starts to bond them together.
The newest piece of work from a queer filmmaker on the rise, this new film is not afraid to push boundaries.
Watch the trailer for Cousins below. The film is now available on Dekkoo.
When Lucas and Mario, two young cousins who are only meeting for the first time, are forced to share a room in the home of their deeply religious aunt, they find their personalities clashing… until an unexpected attraction starts to bond them. ‘Cousins’ is now available to stream exclusively on Dekkoo!
After 5-years, Xavi’s boyfriend has left him. To ward off depression, Xavi resorts to self-help books which may not be a wise decision. Watch ‘My Reality’ now on Dekkoo!
Set in 1931, this visually sumptuous comedy-drama from director Peter Greenaway (The Cook, the Thief, His Wife and Her Lover) focuses on seminal filmmaker Sergei Eisenstein (Battleship Potemkin) during a location-scouting trip in Mexico – wherein a series of sensual and romantic events unfold that will alter the course of his life and career. Stream ‘Eisenstein in Guanajuato’ now on Dekkoo!
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Coming next week: A deeply moving human story of a gay teenager left to survive on his own in São Paulo.
Set in a 1970’s suburb of Tel Aviv, ‘Cupcakes‘ tells the tale of a group of friends who enter the Eurovision song contest representing Israel. It’s an extravagant, hilarious, heartwarming and unashamedly entertaining Eurovision parody that will have you dancing in your seat. Watch ‘Cupcakes’ now on Dekkoo!
Regarded as a First Amendment crusader by some and a smut peddler by others, Larry Flynt is nevertheless an important figure in American culture. While not specifically a gay film, this documentary is an important reminder of the need in our culture for rebels of every type to insure the freedoms all people deserve. Stream ‘Larry Flynt: The Right to be Left Alone’ now on Dekkoo!
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Coming next week: Two cousins find their personalities clashing…until an unexpected attraction starts to bond them together.
At only 30 years of age, Mexican writer-director Chucho E. Quintero already has three feature films under his belt. His first, Six Pack, was a high school coming-of-age drama; his second, Velociraptor, a dialog-driven gay sci-fi sex comedy. Now he brings us These Peculiar Days, in which eight high school friends celebrate their graduation by heading out to a cabin in the woods. That may sound like the set up for an Evil Dead-esque horror film, but the one thing you can always expect from Quintero is that he’ll defy your expectations.
An adolescent coming of age tale, These Peculiar Days follows this group of buddies as they gear up for a wild weekend to remember. Just before the trip, Isabel (Sofia Sylwin) breaks up with Roman (Gerardo Del Razo) when she finds out he’s been cheating on her with Oscar (Carlos Hendrick Huber). When Roman tags along to try to win her back, it turns this pleasant weekend into a ticking time bomb that will be set off by their unstoppable sexual impulses.
Soon, the lines between their sexuality begin to blur as allegiances and love affairs are quickly made and broken. An unabashedly erotic look at modern sexual fluidity between young adults from acclaimed writer-director, These Peculiar Days is both fresh and endlessly compelling.
When an oversexed party boy finds himself at odds with his quiet neighbor in the days leading up to Halloween, he discovers that their miscommunication may have deadly consequences when he accidentally invites the wrong man home for the night. Dekkoo Films presents ‘A Halloween Trick’ streaming now!
In ‘The Latent Image’ a young writer retreats to an isolated cabin to work on a mystery thriller. One night, a mysterious stranger arrives at his door needing help. Has he found the perfect inspiration for his story or is he about to find his darkest fantasies coming to life? Watch ‘The Latent Image’ now on Dekkoo!
Philippines, although a predominantly Catholic country, has openly embraced many LGBTQ members in their film, entertainment, politics, and business communities; however, tolerance differs from true equality. 25 years have passed since the first pride march took place in Manila, yet equal rights advancement is still a long journey to go for the LGBTQ community in the Philippines. Stream ‘Queer Asia – Philippines’ now on Dekkoo!
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Coming next week: “A “modern fairy tale” in two senses — it’s an exercise in make-believe, yes, but the “fairies” here are also very male and quite physical with one another.” – Variety
Discover great gay stories. 