Category: Award Winner

François Ozon’s underseen masterpiece ‘Frantz’ is now available on Dekkoo

Set in Germany and France in the immediate aftermath of World War I, Frantz recalls the mourning period that follows great national tragedies as seen through the eyes of Anna, played by Paula Beer in a breakthrough performance.

A bereft young German woman whose fiancé, Frantz, was killed during trench warfare, she’s surprised to find Adrien, a French veteran played by Pierre Niney, laying flowers at her late lover’s grave.

Adrien’s presence is met with resistance by the small community still reeling from Germany’s defeat, yet Anna gradually gets closer to the handsome and melancholy young man, as she learns of his deep friendship with Frantz, conjured up in evocative flashbacks.

What follows is a surprising exploration of how these characters wrestle with their conflicting feelings – survivor’s guilt, anger at one’s losses, the overriding desire for happiness despite everything that has come before, and the longing for sexual, romantic and familial attachments.

Stylishly shot in black and white, prolific director Francois Ozon drew his inspiration for the film from a post-WWI play by Maurice Rostand that also inspired the 1932 Ernst Lubitsch film Broken Lullaby.

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

Pedro Almodóvar presents this stylish thriller about one of Argentina’s most infamous criminals

Produced by Pedro and Augustin Almodóvar, El Angel is a provocative true crime drama – exploring the short, violent career of Argentina’s most infamous and longest-serving convicted killer.

Carlitos (Lorenzo Ferro) is a seventeen-year-old youth with blonde curls, a baby face and movie star swagger. As a young boy, he coveted other people’s things, but it wasn’t until his early adolescence that his true calling – to be a thief – manifested itself.

When he meets Ramon (Chino Darin) at his new school, Carlitos is immediately drawn to him and starts showing off to get his attention. Together they will embark on a journey of discoveries, love and crime. Killing is just a random offshoot of the violence, which continues to escalate until Carlitos is finally apprehended.

Because of his angelic appearance, the press dubs him ‘The Angel of Death.’ He’s soon showered with attention because of his beauty and becomes an unlikely overnight celebrity, despite his long list of offenses.

A flamboyant, pop-energized portrait of a serial killer, El Angel made a big splash when it premiered at the Cannes Film Festival, even drawing comparisons to some of Martin Scorsese’s most revered crime sagas.

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

Now Available: My Straight Son

Guillermo García stars in the gay family drama My Straight Son as Diego, a successful young photographer who lives inside a glamorous world of fashion, shallowness and excess.

When a tragic accident leaves his partner in a coma, it turns Diego’s whole world upside down. Unexpectedly, during this difficult time, he learns that we also must take care of his son, Armando (Ignacio Montes).

Now, both of them have to adapt to each other; Armando to the unknown, homosexual world of his father, and Diego to the closed-off, conservative attitudes of his teenage son.

Directed by well-known telenovela actor Miguel Ferrari and featuring performances by numerous Venezuelan television personalities, My Straight Son channels the early melodramas of Pedro Almodovar to tell a proudly sentimental gay father-son story.

A winner of numerous awards, this is also one of the first Venezuelan films to openly deal with gay and transgender topics.

Watch the trailer for My Straight Son below. The film is now streaming on Dekkoo.

Zachary Quinto stars in director Sam Max’s chilling short thriller ‘Chaperone’

Starring Zachary Quinto and Russell Kahn, the provocative 16-minute short film Chaperone is a genre-bending queer thriller that will keep you guessing to the bitter end – and linger with you long after the credits roll.

Without giving too much away, the film follows an unnamed figure (Quinto) who picks up a young man (Kahn) in his car. As the two drive away together and settle into an austere rental house in the country, the details of their arrangement become disturbingly clear.

The first filmmaking project of promising writer-director Sam Max, Chaperone had its world premiere in-competition at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival, playing in the Midnight Shorts category to great acclaim from critics and audiences alike. The film was also shortlisted for the Directors’ Fortnight at the Cannes Film Festival.

Haunting, formally assured and chillingly acted by Kahn and Quinto, this film marks Sam Max as a director to watch.

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

A closeted young Jewish man explores his sexuality in this thoughtful drama set in 1980s Brooklyn

A closeted young man struggles to reconcile his strict Russian-Jewish upbringing with his burgeoning sexuality in director Eric Steel’s Minyan, a contemplative coming-of-age drama set in Brighton Beach during the 1980s.

Samuel H. Levine stars as David, a Yeshiva student who dutifully follows religious strictures, but itches to explore yearnings beyond his insular community.

When he moves in with his widowed grandfather, played by Ron Rifkin, and befriends two elderly gay neighbors, they open his imagination to new possibilities.

David begins to explore gay life in the East Village, just as the threat of AIDS looms in the background.

A sexy and thoughtful critically-acclaimed drama, Minyan is a must-see, telling a powerful story of rebellion, self-discovery, sexual and spiritual awakening – and survival.

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

Two young men share a fleeting connection in the gay romance ‘Boy Meets Boy’

Harry (Matthew J. Morrison) has been partying for two days when he meets Johannes (Alexis Koutsoulis) on the dance floor of a club in Berlin.

With only fifteen hours left until Harry’s flight back to London, Johannes offers to help him print his boarding pass. This mundane task leads to a day together, wandering the city.

The contrasts in their lives and values force them to confront their own truths and be completely honest – leading to a strong, romantic connection that is under an unusual time crunch.

Winner of the Grand Prize at the Rhode Island International Film Festival, director Dani Sanchez-Lopez’s Boy Meets Boy is about a brief encounter and a fleeting moment of happiness and possible love.

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

Short Film Spotlight: October Boy

The stylish short film October Boy concerns Thomas (Elias Budde Christensen), a shy 14-year-old boy who has just moved to Copenhagen with his mom. Thomas likes to draw, it’s a way for him to escape from the pressure around him. In school he meets Mads and Emma (Noa Risbro Hjerrild and Esther Marie Boisen Berg).

Mads likes Thomas’ drawings, whereas Emma is romantically interested in Thomas and invites him home with her. Just before leaving, Thomas meets Emma’s older brother (Jacob August Ottensten), a young, emerging artist. The meeting changes something within him.

Rumors start circulating about Emma and Thomas – and though he doesn’t deny them, Thomas can’t understand his feelings, how to act in the new school or control the lies he has created to be popular.

A powerful 29-minute coming-of-age drama from Danish director Soren Green, October Boy is film about all the things that change us as people during out adolescence.

Watch the trailer for October Boy below. The full short film is now available on Dekkoo.

The Italian rom-com ‘Mascarpone’ looks at life, love and sex through the delicious lens of food

A romantic comedy-drama from Italian co-directors Alessandro Guida and Matteo Pilati, Mascarpone looks at life, love and sex through the delicious lens of food.

When Antonio (Giancarlo Commare) is dumped by his partner, whom he depends both psychologically and economically, his life begins to change radically.

Embracing all of his new possibilities, Antonio soon enrolls in pastry school, rents a room from the attractive, free-spirited and sex-positive Denis (Eduardo Valdarnini) and takes a job working in a bakery owned by the extremely hunky Luca (Gianmarco Saurino). He also starts having numerous hot sexual encounters with eligible men.

Through this process, Antonio discovers that it was wrong to give up his independence for the sake of his past relationship.

As sweet and silky as the ingredient which serves as the title, Mascarpone is the perfect gay date movie, blending sexy men, endearing characters and charming humor. Having premiered to great acclaim at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival, this flavorful gay treat is sure to delight.

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

Adam Kalderon’s ‘The Swimmer’ is a sexy and provocative gay sports drama

Grab your sunscreen and get ready for a film filled with speedos, water sports, suppressed desire and so much more!

The Swimmer stars Omer Perelman Striks as Erez, a rising star in the Israeli swimming scene. He arrives at a training camp held in a boarding school where only one winning athlete will get a ticket to the Olympics. There he meets the beautiful and talented Nevo (played by Asaf Jonas), who awakens subconscious desires in him.

Unfortunately for Erez and Nevo, their coach does not believe in friendship between competitors. Warned to stay away from Nevo, Erez is far too attracted to give up completely. In between practices, he attempts to act upon his feelings and comes to believe that winning a medal is less important than winning Nevo’s heart.

A critically-acclaimed film festival hit from Israeli director Adam Kalderon, The Swimmer is a skillyfully made, relentlessly sexy and boldly provocative crowd-pleaser.

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

Now Available: BPM (Beats Per Minute)

In the early 1990s, ACT UP – in France, as well as in the United States – was on the front lines of AIDS activism, taking on sluggish government agencies and major pharmaceutical companies in bold, invasive actions.

ACT UP’s members, mostly gay, HIV-positive men, stormed offices in “Silence=Death” t-shirts, facing down complacent suits with the urgency of their own struggle for life.

With BPM (Beats Per Minute), acclaimed French director Robin Campillo (Les Revenants, Eastern Boys) takes audiences directly to the front lines, telling a deeply moving love story that doubles as a historical reenactment.

Amid rallies, protests, fierce debates and ecstatic dance parties, newcomer Nathan (Arnaud Valois) falls in love with Sean (Nahuel Pérez Biscayart), the group’s radical firebrand. Their passion sparks against the shadow of mortality as the activists fight for a breakthrough.

Winner of the coveted Queer Palm award at the Cannes Film Festival as well as six Cesar Awards, BPM is one of the most acclaimed gay films in recent memory. We can’t recommend it more highly.

Watch the trailer for BPM (Beats Per Minute) below. The film is now available on Dekkoo.