Classic – Page 9 – Discover great gay stories.

The gay classic Bedrooms and Hallways comes home to Dekkoo

Released in 1999 (a busy year for gay cinema that included Boys Don’t Cry, Better Than Chocolate, The Talented Mr. Ripley and Trick, among others) Bedrooms and Hallways was writer-director Rose Troche’s long-awaited follow-up to her 1994 indie sensation Go Fish. This film proved a complete departure from her lesbian milestone: a hilarious comedy set in London about the tangled love affairs of a gay man.

Failed romantic Leo (Trainspotting co-star Kevin McKidd) is just hitting thirty. His kitschy roommate Darren (Tom Hollander) only reminds him of what he’s missing, merrily touting Darren’s frequent, illicit meetings with a lusty real estate agent (Hugo Weaving). So with nothing to lose, Leo joins a men’s group to bond with his fellow males and get his mind off romance. However, the latter notion didn’t account for sexy straight Irishman Brendan (James Purefoy). But wait… is Brendan straight? For that matter, is Leo? Life is never as black and white as it seems, especially after Leo and his group go on a drum-thumping, chest-banging camping retreat where a snarl of love triangles and jealousy explodes.

Colorful production design, glossy production values and an energetic ensemble cast (including Simon Callow and Jennifer Ehle) contribute to the lighthearted proceedings, of which Hollander takes the cake. Darren’s snippy dialogue and misinformed sexual antics are a true highlight.

Two decades ago this year, before she became one of the masterminds behind The L Word, Rose Troche rattled the straight/gay/bi boundary lines and shook the sexual tree. The result is a knee-slapping spoof of gay life at the turn of the millennium and the New Age movement, as well as a witty and prescient send-up of any and all rigid notions of sexuality.

Bedrooms and Hallways is now available to stream on Dekkoo.

A bold and harrowing gay classic comes to Dekkoo

Adapted by playwright Martin Sherman from his groundbreaking play of the same name, Bent employs an impressive cast of familiar faces to tell a painful personal story about the persecution of homosexuals in Nazi Germany.

In 1930s Berlin, Max (Clive Owen) sleeps with German SA officer Wolf (future “Game of Thrones” star Nikolaj Coster-Waldau), only to see him killed by his fellow Nazis the next morning as part of the “Night of the Long Knives.”

Refusing an offer of new papers from his Uncle Freddie (Ian McKellen) for fear of leaving his boyfriend Rudy (Brian Webber) behind, Max and Rudy are found by the Gestapo, to whom Max lies about his homosexuality and his relationship. He is soon sent to Dachau, where he meets and falls in love with Horst (Lothaire Bluteau), who shows him the dignity that lies in acknowledging one’s beliefs, even in the face of incomprehensible persecution.

Originally staged as a Royal Court production in 1979, starring Ian McKellen and Tom Bell, which later transferred to the West End, Bent earned major acclaim right out of the gate. Richard Gere played Max in the original 1980 Broadway production. In 1989, Sean Mathias, the film’s director, helmed a revival of the play, performed as a one-night benefit for Stonewall, featuring Ian McKellen, Richard E Grant, Ian Charleson and Ralph Fiennes. After receiving critical acclaim, Mathias directed a full, award-winning run in 1990 – priming him to head up the film adaptation to come.

Also co-starring Mick Jagger, Jude Law, Rupert Graves, Paul Bettany, Sadie Frost and Rachel Weisz, Bent is an unparalleled gay classic that deserves to be seen. Released in 1997, the film has long been unavailable… until now. Bent is currently streaming on Dekkoo.

New This Week – 3/15/19

Two men fall in love behind the walls of a concentration camp in this powerful drama. Clive Owen, Lothaire Bluteau, Mick Jagger, Jude Law, Ian McKellen, Paul Bettany, Rachel Weisz and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau star in this emotional adaptation of the award-winning stage play by Martin Sherman. ‘Bent’ is available to stream now on Dekkoo!

Liam, a young man wracked with confusion after an incident guides him on a mission of self-discovery, faces choices that risk changing his life forever. Stream the gay short film ‘Crossroad’ now!

This poignant documentary focuses on the cultural and social movement known as “Queercore”, an offshoot of punk that was distinguished by its discontent with society’s disapproval of the gay, bisexual, lesbian and transgender communities. ‘Queercore: How to Punk a Revolution’ is now playing on Dekkoo!

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Coming next week: A brand new gay movie and gay series available exclusively on Dekkoo!

The romantic gay classic Come Undone still holds up almost 20 years later

Gorgeous bronzed bodies on the beaches of southern France and a passionate romance between two French teens are reason enough to see Come Undone, but this bittersweet, turn-of-the-millennium gay classic also has some profound things to say about the heartbreak of gay first love.

Eighteen-year-old Mathieu (Jérémie Elkaïm) is vacationing at the beach with his family when he meets local teen Cedric (Stéphane Rideau). After an extremely erotic kiss, the boys begin a hot and heavy affair, complete with skinny-dipping at night, nude dancing on the beach and intense lovemaking in the dunes. Yet as Mathieu grapples with his sexuality – and copes with his sick mother, absent father and a characteristically annoying little kid sister – his bond with Cedric grows stronger… until, like so many first loves before and since, it bursts.

Released to critical acclaim in 2000, Come Undone, directed and co-written by Sebastien Lifshitz, beautifully conveys Mathieu’s coming-of-age (a scene in which he comes out to his mother is still quite moving almost 20 years later). Both lead actors, Stéphane Rideau and Jérémie Elkaïm, are incredibly charismatic and give remarkable performances as the affectionate teens.

If you’ve never seen it before – or are just looking to dip your toes back in – Dekkoo has you covered. Come Undone is available now.

Another Derek Jarman classic comes to Dekkoo

Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio (1573-1610) was the last, perhaps the greatest, and certainly the most controversial painter of the Italian Renaissance. The late great Derek Jarman’s stylishly bold tribute to the violative artist features Nigel Terry as Caravaggio, a bad-boy of Italian aristocracy who scandalized the established order with his faintly erotic paintings of often naked saints modeled by prostitutes and street urchins.

Jarman portrays Caravaggio as a man of intense passions – artistically, emotionally and physically – who was also bisexual, with a taste for “rough trade.” Sean Bean, long before his turn as Ned Stark on “Game of Thrones,” co-stars as the bisexual Ranuccio, the artist’s rugged lover. Jarman’s regular muse, the incomparable Tilda Swinton, is also on hand as Lena, the beautiful mistress who comes between these two men.

A quirky yet elegant film, blending anachronistic playfulness (a technique Jarman would use again in Edward II, also available now on Dekkoo) with a touching homoerotic love story, spectacular camera work and a complex, impressionistic feel, Caravaggio is a unique cinematic pleasure. Jarman spent seven years preparing for the film. When the actual production began, he made it in only five weeks – all in one single warehouse at the East End of London.

You can watch Caravaggio now on Dekkoo – and make sure to check out Edward II as well.

New This Week – 10/26/18

Derek Jarman delivers a retelling of the life of the celebrated 17th-century painter through his brilliant, nearly blasphemous paintings and his flirtations with the underworld. Watch ‘Caravaggio’ now on Dekkoo!

James, a sexy, youthful sought-after instagram star in high-society and self-proclaimed ‘Trophy,’ is dumped by his wealthy live-in benefactor. Now he must learn that the real world is not the facade he’s built for himself on social media. Stream the award-winning short film ‘Trophy Boy’ on Dekkoo!

As 19-year-old Bennett Wallace navigates early sobriety, late adolescence, and the evolution of his gender identity, his mother makes her own transformation from resistance to acceptance of her trans son. ‘Real Boy’ is available to stream now on Dekkoo!

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Coming next week: A wicked ensemble comedy about a group of gay, lesbian and hetero friends and family connected by secrets and lies.

A subversive gay classic comes to Dekkoo

Back in 1991, Christopher Marlowe’s notorious 16th century play was radically adapted into a gay cinema masterpiece by late, great queer auteur Derek Jarman.

Using anachronistic imagery, modern dress, gay activists battling riot police and Annie Lennox singing Cole Porter, Edward II tells the story of an openly gay British monarch and the persecution he suffered. It’s given a contemporary resonance by Jarman, paralleling the injustice of homophobia at the time.

King Edward II (Stephen Waddington) rejects his cold wife Queen Isabella (Tilda Swinton) and takes a male lover, the commoner Piers Gaveston (Andrew Tiernan) upon whom he bestows gifts and power. The King’s behavior enrages the sober, business-suited court officials and the spurned queen becomes a seething monster whose dresses and jewelry grow more outrageously lavish as her need to vengeance escalates and the plotting begins.

Edward II is a prime example of “New Queer Cinema” – the indie film movement of the early 1990s. Jarman reworked Marlowe’s play into a homoerotic, sexually charged, radically relevant work. Graphic, brutal, moving, surprisingly funny and always erotic, the film blends prose with contemporary jargon and costumes, replete with positive portrayals of queer sex, profanity and ACT- UP activists.

Brilliant, daring and innovative, Edward II showcases gay cinema at its finest. It’s not streaming on Dekkoo.

New This Week – 9/27/18

A drag queen (Chiwetel Ejiofor) comes to the rescue of a man (Joel Edgerton) who, after inheriting his father’s shoe factory, needs to diversify his product if he wants to keep the business afloat. ‘Kinky Boots’ is available to stream now on Dekkoo!

In the short film ‘Prom Night’, documentary and fiction is blended seamlessly bringing to life real stories about LGBT people and their experiences at prom.

In this raw, eye-opening documentary a group of impassioned theater students come together to produce a play aimed at shedding light on the many stigmas and equality-rights issues faced by LGBT youth in the United States today. ‘Break Through’ is available now on Dekkoo!

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Coming next week: A hypnotic story from Chile that is both an enticing family melodrama and an explicit erotic thriller.

New This Week – 9/14/18

Todd Haynes’ feverish queer classic pays tribute to the glam rock era. Christian Bale plays a journalist attempting to track down a British pop icon (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) who went missing shortly after a highly public affair with an American punk rocker (Ewan McGregor). Toni Collette and Eddie Izzard co-star. ‘Velvet Goldmine’ is now available to stream on Dekkoo!

The second season of the hilarious series ‘Successful People’ is now available to binge-watch on Dekkoo! After ten years of trying, Chet and Laura finally get a songwriting deal… on the same day Laura gives birth. The double whammy causes Laura to struggle to balance her priorities, while Chet begins to seek connection in the world of casual hook-ups for the first time. But everything could change when high school friend Kimberly realizes there’s more to Chet and Laura than they’ve ever believed.

A man living alone confronts a mysterious infestation in his apartment. Watch the short film, ‘The Exterminator’ now on Dekkoo!

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Coming next week: “A dark Australian drama plumbs depths of long-submerged secrets”

Revisit the controversial 1994 drama ‘Priest’

Not quite as incendiary as it was when it was first released in 1994, or as the theme might suggest, Priest tells the moving, truly provocative story of one clergyman’s struggle for sexual identity and religious idealism.

Linus Roache gives a stirring performance as Father Greg, a newly transferred priest assigned to a parish in a working-class neighborhood of Liverpool. As he comes into conflict with the liberal Father Matthew (Tom Wilkinson, terrific as always), whi is having a scandalous affair with the housekeeper (Cathy Tyson), Father Greg tries to come to terms with his emerging sexuality.

As the heart of this classic film is also the touching story of a sexually abused teen (Christine Tremarco) who confides in Father Greg, thus engaging him in a crisis on conscience.

A remarkably compelling debate on religious dogma, one intended to provoke thought and stir your emotions, Priest made a whole lot of waves when its premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival (where it won the People’s Choice Award) back in 1994 – and went onto a wide release in early 1995. The film was loudly condemned by the Catholic Church in Ireland, who called for a ban. Using sound judgement, the Irish Film Censor Board decided to go ahead and allow it to be released… on Easter weekend, no less. This marked one of the first major disagreements between the Church and the Board.

Priest is streaming now on Dekkoo.