Category: Adolescence

Short Film Spotlight: Far From Water

Prolific Brooklyn-based director Josh Cox adds to his growing collection of well-crafted queer indie shorts with the evocative 5-minute film Far From Water.

Jarid Dominguez and Lucas Nealon star in the film as two unnamed male friends who are enjoying a trip to the beach together.

From the very beginning, as soon as the pair start playfully stripping off their clothes to go swimming, the sexual tension is palpable.

When they end up sharing a furtive, short-lived make-out session in the dunes, it shakes their relationship to the core and forces them to examine what the future may have in store for them.

With minimal dialog and only a sliver of a running time, Cox is able to pack a whole lot of emotion into this observational coming-of-age tale. The characters may not say a whole lot, but the way they behave with one another – both before and after their romantic encounter – manages to speak volumes.

Watch a brief teaser for Far From Water below. The short film is now streaming on Dekkoo.

Mormon lovers R.J. and Chris reunite in the bittersweet second entry of ‘The Falls Trilogy’

The second entry in the romantic trilogy from writer-director Jon Garcia, The Falls: Testament of Love reunites lead actors Benjamin Farmer and Nick Ferrucci as former Mormon missionaries and doomed lovers R.J. and Chris.

Picking up five years after the events of The Falls, we learn that the young men’s lives have taken radically different paths. Just as they are beginning to put the past behind them and establish their adult lives, the death of a mutual friend brings them unexpectedly back together.

As old feelings of affection and regret are rekindled, R.J. and Chris must once again confront their seemingly impossible love. Will their reunion prove that the two are fated to be together… or will reality come crashing down on them once again?

Farmer and Ferrucci deliver remarkably natural performances once again in this bittersweet romantic drama that has a lot to say about religion, familial obligations, sexual repression and first love.

Watch the trailer for The Falls: Testament of Love below. The film, along with the original in the trilogy, are now streaming on Dekkoo. The third entry, The Falls: Covenant of Grace, will be available later this month.

Short Film Spotlight: Sacrament

Set in the 1950s, Sacrament stars Abel Benitez and Rin Iverson as Belford and Winston, two young men on a camping trip outside their rural, religious hometown.

As the story begins to unfold it becomes abundantly clear that two men are attracted to one another, something which is forbidden by their conservative community.

What soon follows is a dark night of the soul for Belford, as he enters into a terrifying, anxiety-induced nightmare and tries to reconcile his religious faith with what his heart truly desires.

Gorgeously shot in black and white, this provocative 9-minute short from writer-director Jack Hessler uses horror imagery and religious allegory to convey complicated feelings about sacrifice, religious intolerance and repressed desires.

Watch the trailer for Sacrament below. The short film is now streaming on Dekkoo.

‘Rosodium’ director Théodore Tomasz returns with the road trip romance ‘One Last Night of You’

Expanding on themes he explored in his debut feature Rosodium, French director Théodore Tomasz wastes no time establishing the high-concept premise that drives the action of his newest film One Last Night of You.

In a state of deep despair following a tragic loss, Evan (Lou-Andréas Robert) has been contemplating suicide. During a road trip to a particular cliff-side where he wishes to spend his final moments, his car breaks down. That’s when he meets Léo (Léo Simonot), a mysterious boy who offers to drive him to his destination.

Léo, who seems largely unfazed by Evan’s self-destructive plan, has a devil-may-care attitude that could indicate either danger or salvation. Their opposing attitudes cause a certain amount of friction that results in some unexpected romantic tension.

As the boys continue their journey, meeting interesting characters along the way, they’re forced to reckon with the traumas of the past, the conflicts of the present and the potential of their future – together or apart.

With his worldview suddenly reframed, Evan finds that he may have something – or someone – worth living for after all.

Tackling heavy themes with humor and heart, thanks in large part to the soulful performances of lead actors Lou-Andréas Robert and Léo Simonot, One Last Night of You is an achingly tender portrait of two young men in crisis who find the will to keep going with a little help from one another.

Watch the trailer for One Last Night of You below. The film is now streaming on Dekkoo. You can also watch director Théodore Tomasz’s first feature, Rosodium, available now.

The sexy and deeply romantic gay Mormon classic ‘The Falls’ returns to Dekkoo

R.J. and Chris (Nick Ferrucci and Benjamin Farmer) were both born and raised in the Mormon Church. Both boys have girlfriends, were Eagle Scouts at a young age and have perfect academic records. Now, it’s their turn to serve a mission and experience the Mormon rite of passage.

Unbeknownst to them, serving this mission will not only open the doors to strangers’ households – where they’re expected to preach the Gospel and possibly return with some converts to the Church – but will also open up some secrets in their own lives… and feelings that they’ve long kept buried.

Featuring two exceptional and deeply romantic performances from lead actors Nick Ferrucci and Benjamin Farmer, The Falls captures the lives of two young men struggling to make sense of the conflict between their religion and their desires. What they discover will present a challenge to both of their lives, but also offer an affirmation of the human spirit.

Originally released in 2012, The Falls is a beloved romantic indie drama that will resonate deeply with any LGBTQ+ viewers from conservative Christian backgrounds. The story doesn’t stop here, either. Writer-director Jon Garcia followed up with R.J. and Chris in two sequels – The Falls: Testament of Love in 2013 and The Falls: Covenant of Grace in 2016.

Watch the trailer for The Falls below and head over to Dekkoo to dive into the first film – streaming now. The complete trilogy will be available on Dekkoo later this month.

‘Ganymede’ is a clever and skillfully-crafted coming-out fable for queer horror fans

A metaphorical queer horror fable, Ganymede follows a high school athlete whose burgeoning sexual desires arrive with unexpectedly terrifying side-effects.

Jordan Doww stars in the film as Lee Fletcher. A wrestling star and third generation heir to the county commissioners seat, he’s a big deal in his small town.

When Lee develops a crush on an openly gay classmate named Kyle (Pablo Castelblanco), he finds himself stalked by a grotesque creature that emerges from the waters of his family’s lake – and literally inhabits his closet.

As the creature begins to infect Lee’s thoughts, he seeks Kyle’s advice. His parents catch them in an intimate moment that puts their relationship on the rocks and lands Lee in the office of the family’s extreme pastor, who blames Kyle and administers a dangerous treatment.

Tensions rise as the boys’ families butt heads over how to approach their children’s growing desires. Lee struggles with his attraction to Kyle and suffers escalating torment from the grotesque creature… until he is finally forced to confront an essential truth about himself.

Robin Lively, David Koechner and ‘Stranger Things’ alum Joe Chrest co-star in this clever and skillfully mounted parable from co-directors Sam Probst and Colby Holt, which uses classic horror tropes to illustrate some essential truths about coming out in a conservative environment.

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