Category: Adolescence

‘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.

Prepare to be smitten with the charming new coming-of-age comedy ‘Big Boys’

A teen boy’s unexpected crush leads to a weekend of self-discovery in Big Boys, a relentlessly charming and deeply relatable new coming-of-age comedy from writer-director Corey Sherman.

Isaac Krasner stars as Jamie, a young man who finds his dream camping trip ruined, before it even begins, when he learns that his cousin will be bringing along her new boyfriend.

His initial jealousy of Dan, the boyfriend in question (played by David Johnson III), quickly turns into a friendship, however, as the pair bond over their love of cooking and games. It also doesn’t hurt that they both happen to be ‘big boys.’

As the weekend progresses, Jamie wants nothing more than to spend more time with Dan. As his burgeoning crush gets him into awkward scrapes and arguments, Jamie finally begins to come to terms with who he is – and who he desires.

The winner of last year’s Audience Award at Outfest Los Angeles, Big Boys is a hilarious and heartwarming crowd-pleaser. We can’t recommend it more highly.

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

Short Film Spotlight: The Touching

A hidden secret borne of mutual self-discovery hides behind the bedroom door of brothers David and Marek (Herman Tajovský and Krystof Brand).

Though it all starts out as relatively innocent experimentation, Marek starts to feel that their curiosity has crossed the limits of brotherly love. When he begins to distance himself, the younger David struggles to understand why his beloved older brother’s attitude has suddenly shifted.

A mesmerizing 39-minute short film from Czech writer-director Dominik György, The Touching has a timeless quality that fits perfectly with the narrative’s boyhood coming-of-age themes. Filmed in black and white in a 1.33 aspect ratio, the film feels like it could have been made during just about any time over the last sixty years.

Handling deeply uncomfortable subject matter with intelligence, style and grace, the film earned numerous awards at festivals all around the world – and marked György as a distinct cinematic voice worth keeping an eye on. As of now, his resume only includes shorts, but we can’t wait to see what he’s able to do with a feature length film.

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

Norbert Leo Butz and Cheri Oteri star in the poignant gay family dramedy ‘Give or Take’

Losing a parent or loved one is never easy, but it’s even more difficult when the relationship is already strained. In Give or Take, an open-hearted family dramedy from director Paul Riccio, a young man learns to reconcile the anger he feels toward his late father with a little help from an unlikely ally.

Co-writer Jamie Effros stars are Martin, a disillusioned New Yorker who travels back to his Cape Code home in the wake of his father’s passing. Once there, he works to settle his dad’s estate and prepare his childhood house for sale.

The situation is made tricky when he comes face-to-face with troubling memories, old friends he wished to leave behind and, perhaps most notably, his father’s late-in-life, live-in boyfriend Ted (played by two-time Tony Award winner Norbert Leo Butz).

With few walls to separate them, Martin and Ted must learn to put their differences aside and negotiate how they’re willing to honor the memory of the man they both loved… in very different ways.

Co-starring ‘Saturday Night Live’ alum Cheri Oteri, Give or Take is a funny and deeply heartfelt family comedy about love, loss, empathy, acceptance and what it truly means to come home.

Watch the trailer for Give or Take below. The film is now streaming on Dekkoo.