Category: Adolescence

‘Velociraptor’ celebrates it’s 10th Anniversary this year on Dekkoo!

It’s the end of the world as you know it in director Chucho E. Quintero’s award-winning oddball indie Velociraptor – which is celebrating it’s 10-year anniversary this month on Dekkoo.

Set on the eve of an imminent apocalypse, the film offers up an unusual cross between Before Sunset and A Clockwork Orange while following two attractive young buddies from Mexico – one gay, the other “undecided” – as they wander the streets, awaiting their seemingly inevitable demise.

Deep in conversation, Alex and Diego (Pablo Mezz and Carlos Hendrick Huber) bond while sharing their fears and desires about sex and intimacy. Once they make their way to Alex’s bedroom, the true nature of their relationship is made clear.

The strength of their unbreakable friendship helps them test the limits of trust and loyalty while pushing one another into exciting new realms of sexual exploration. There isn’t much time left, after all – why not make the most of it?

A smartly written, heartfelt mix of comedy, drama, science fiction and romance, Velociraptor offers up a clever examination of what it means to be young man, exploring male friendship and desire in an entirely fresh way.

You can catch up on the pre-apocalyptic action of Velociraptor now on Dekkoo. We also have a trio of new special features available, including interviews with production designer Irina Miroslava and lead actor Carlos Hendrick Huber; and a conversation between director Chucho E. Quintero and filmmaker H.P. Mendoza. Watch the trailer below.

Short Film Spotlight: The Cure

Renal (Nikita Kochnev), a 17-year-old from Russia, is suffering at the hands of his abusive father (Aleksandr Dzuba), who feels his son does not live up to typical masculine ideals.

After a particularly violent incident, Uncle Dayan (Oleg Kamenshikov), his father’s well-meaning, but woefully ignorant brother, swoops in looking to save the day. In an effort to make a man out of Renal and prove his masculinity, he brings the shy, introverted teen to a small brothel where he can pay to lose his virginity.

Though he’d never dare say it out loud, Renal isn’t particularly interested in the sex workers that are offered to him.

A heartbreaking 12-minute drama from Ukraine-based director Taisia Deeva, The Cure features very little dialog, but manages to convey a lot of emotional subtext about growing up gay and struggling against the oppression of homophobia and toxic masculinity in modern-day Russia.

Watch a short teaser for The Cure below. The short film is now streaming on Dekkoo.

A troubled teen finds love in the emotional Canadian indie ‘Beneath the Skin’

Writer and co-director Aaron Ellis also stars in the sensitive gay indie Beneath the Skin as Joshua, a young man who is forced to move to Canada to live with his estranged father after his living situation falls apart.

Once there, Joshua meets Jay (Justin Liles), a local tattoo artist who fled the violent actions of his parents back home in Alabama.

Both young men, abandoned and lonely in their own way, find themselves falling for one another… until a pair of high school brats intrude on the boys’ growing relationship.

Originally released in 2015, this quiet, sensual romance is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year. Though it’s not a very well-known film, it won numerous awards at film festivals when it originally screened. It’s worth checking out if only for the two leads, who share a magical chemistry in the film – and will leave you both swooning and reaching for the tissues.

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

Two Hawaiian schoolboys fall in love in the heartwarming new romance ‘My Partner’

Two high school boys from seemingly different worlds fall in love in My Partner, a charming and colorful new gay romance from Hawaii.

Directed by Kanaka Maoli filmmaker Keli’i Grace and based on an original story by Lance D. Collins, the film explores the relationship between Edmar (played by Jayron Munoz), a high-achieving Filipino student, and Pili (played by Kaipo Dudoit), a Native Hawaiian student-athlete.

As they navigate budding young love and self-growth in Hawaii, their journey reflects the complexities of the area’s evolving cultural landscape.

Sexy, heartwarming and deeply romantic, My Partner breaks some new ground, offering up a unique take on love and identity and marking the first time that the wildly popular ‘Boys Love’ subgenre has been portrayed through a modern Hawaiian story.

Check out the poster for My Partner below. The film is now streaming on Dekkoo.

An Australian teen discovers his sexuality in the tender coming-of-age drama ‘Sunflower’

Set in the outer suburbs of Melbourne, Sunflower follows Leo (Liam Mollica), a seventeen-year-old who leads a seemingly typical life.

While he’s hanging out with his friends, bickering with his Italian family at the dinner table, going to school or making out with his new girlfriend Monique (Olivia Fildes), he’s also guarding a secret he’s been too afraid to confront – a hidden truth buried deep within.

As Leo grapples with his inner turmoil, he finds himself unexpectedly drawn to his best friend Boof (Luke J. Morgan) and a quiet, introverted boy at school named Tom (Daniel Halmarick). These newfound feelings force Leo to confront his true desires and bring him closer to accepting his identity.

Everything changes after a high school gathering when rumors about Leo’s sexuality begin to circulate – shattering his once stable world. Faced with the fear of rejection from those closest to him, Leo must navigate the uncertain waters of acceptance and love.

A masterfully-crafted feature-length debut from Australian writer-director Gabriel Carrubba, Sunflower is a vibrant, sexy and deeply affecting portrait of one young man who finds hope – and himself – in the face of adversity.

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

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.