The short comedy The D*ck Appointment mines the absurdity of dating apps for laughs

When Wally (Patrick Reilly), a lovelorn young man, decides to try getting over his recent break-up, he turns to hook-up apps for help – leading to unusual results.

The D*ck Appointment is a new short comedy from writer-director Mike Roma. The film literalizes the dating/hook-up app experience by casting actors to play the lead character’s various direct message options and having them interact face-to-face, using their text chains as dialog.

Refreshingly observant, the film shines a spotlight on the inherent absurdity of these interactions – culminating in an in-person meeting that’s a little too whiz-bang for our lead. Anyone who has ever wasted too many hour scrolling through Grindr or cut an unsuccessful encounter short will find plenty to relate to and laugh about here.

Mike Roma previously wrote and directed Danny the Manny, which Indiewire named one of the Best Web Series of 2016. The following year, Roma premiered his debut feature film Dating My Mother at Frameline Film Festival. In 2019, his pilot script F*ckboys was developed at the Screenwriters Colony. The D*ck Appointment is his latest project and was chosen as an official short selection at Outfest 2020.

Watch a short clip from The D*ck Appointment below. The film is available now on Dekkoo.

New This Week – 2/18/22

Todd is a hyper-articulate gay twentysomething whose fear of dying alone leads him to a baffling conclusion: he might not be gay after all. When he meets Rory, a whip-smart actress, the two forge a relationship that’s all talk and no sex. Writer-director-star James Sweeney delivers a razor sharp rom-com exploring just how elastic our definitions of love and sexuality can get. ‘Straight Up’ is streaming now on Dekkoo!

When Wally (Patrick Reilly), a lovelorn young man, decides to try getting over his recent break-up, he turns to hook-up apps for help – leading to unusual results in this short comedy from writer-director Mike Roma. Watch ‘The D*ck Appointment’ exclusively on Dekkoo!

Szabi is a young Hungarian on a German soccer team. After a fight with his best friend Bernard, Szabi decides to return to Hungary to fix up a countryside home he inherited. There, he meets Aron and a mutual attraction ensues. But when news of their love affair spreads around their homophobic small town, the boys find themselves in danger. ‘Land of Storms’ is available to watch now on Dekkoo!

When Christophe moves into Jerome’s apartment, he’s not expecting to fall head-over-heels in love. Unfortunately, Jerome has a girlfriend – leading Christophe to agonize over whether or not to tell his new roommate and secret crush the truth about his feelings. Watch ‘To (10) Centimeters’ now on Dekkoo!

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Coming next week: The called it filth. It became a revolution.

Short Film Spotlight: Mindf*ck

With the opening line “Drop your trousers,” French writer-director-actor Pierre Scot’s six-minute exercise in suggestive suspense is off to the races.

Mindf*ck is a short psychological comedy-thriller which manages to do a whole lot with a limited running time. The film follows a television journalist who meets a dominant man on a fetish-oriented dating app.

Blindfolded and cuffed to a chair, he’s unexpectedly left alone… and that’s when his mind starts racing. Who is this man he’s only just met and what are his true intentions? If he’s discovered in such a vulnerable state, what will it mean for his career? And, most importantly, what could possibly be inside the deeply mysterious tupperware container his seductive captor has left behind on the kitchen counter?

Without spoiling too much, allow us to offer an important warning to any/all arachnophobes: steer very clear of this short! (And the clip below.)

Watch a short clip from Mindf*ck below. The film is now available on Dekkoo.

A group of people come together to confront their shared lover in the heady drama Don’t Look Down

In a high-rise apartment in Paris, four men and a woman gather to share their experiences of a man that they have all been involved with, fell in love with, and ultimately betrayed by.

In the main room, they talk, drink, and dance, while one by one, each goes next door to confront him for a private moment of truth. But what happens between the monster and them remains their secret.

From co-directors Olivier Ducastel and Jacques Martineau, the pair behind The Adventures of Felix and Paris 05:59: Theo and Hugo, Don’t Look Down is a heady new grown-up comedy-drama about the ways in which we change when we’re in love… and the ways we expect our partners to do the same.

Watch the trailer for Don’t Look Down below. The film is available now on Dekkoo.

New This Week – 2/11/22

Vincent is looking for a partner with whom he can share his life. When he meets Julien online, he thinks he might have finally found his match. The two soon set a date to meet in the park, but things don’t go exactly as Vincent had planned. ‘Earth is Round’ is available to watch now on Dekkoo!

In this short psychological drama from French director Pierre Scot, a famous journalist must confront his biggest fear when he’s tied and blindfolded during an intense sexual encounter with a particularly dominant man. ‘Mindf*ck’ is streaming now on Dekkoo.

The suspense becomes almost unBEARable when our favorite group of furry gay amateur detectives – Nelson, Reggie, Wood and their cute cub Hot Toddy – race to find out who is knocking off the sexy young male models at “Chunk Studios.” Don’t miss the action-packed third season of this hit comedy-mystery series. ‘Where The Bears Are 3’ is available to stream now on Dekkoo!

Watch ‘Where The Bears Are 2’ on Dekkoo!

Watch ‘Where The Bears Are’ on Dekkoo!

Vincent, an actor love on dating apps, gets a wake-up call from an older man who teaches him that his shyness and fear of appearing ridiculous will not disappear with age. A short dark comedy from Belgian writer-director-star Jean Le Peltier. Stream ‘Flesh’ now on Dekkoo!

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Coming next week: Happy Valentine’s Day! You have a ‘D*ck Appointment’!

New To Dekkoo – 2/4/22

In a high-rise apartment complex in Paris, four gay men and one straight woman come together to confront an unusual man with whom each of them has recently been romantically or sexually involved. As the night progresses, they must come to terms with their secrets. ‘Don’t Look Down’ is a colorful new mystery available exclusively on Dekkoo!

When a lost cake courier comes across a surly welder, there seems to be an undeniable spark between them. After a distressing phone call, the two odd characters seem somehow sentenced to be with one another. A drunk adventure follows in the endearing short film from directors Edgar Kapp and Kuba Szutkowski. ‘Spark’ is available to stream now on Dekkoo!

An autobiographical film taken from the experiences of writer-director Rob Moretti, ‘Crutch’ is a coming-of-age tale about a young man’s struggle with family problems and substance abuse. When an impressionable teen falls under the spell of a thirty-something acting coach, he slowly descends into an abyss of addiction from which he must escape if he is to survive. Watch ‘Crutch’ now on Dekkoo!

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Coming next week: The Bears are back!

The collection French Touch: Between Men features four scintillating short films

Featuring a series of stimulating short films from France, French Touch: Between Men is a collection that showcases stories about men who are all facing a precipice of deep change in their lives – as well as the male figures who brought them there.

Director Guillaume Foirest’s In Seventh Heaven follows Sofiane (Redouane Behache), who lives in a Paris suburb. Violent, he tries to be like his band of friends. However, Sofiane is attracted to boys – and it’s starting to show at inopportune moments.

In Afghanistan, bachas are young male prostitutes obliged to dance, dressed as girls, for a male audience. They are under the control of a master. Director Chabname Zariab’s When You Hear the Bells tells the story of Saman (Shafiq Ahmad Ali), a bacha, who feels threatened by the arrival of a younger boy destined to take his place and his master’s protection.

After an ambiguous Snapchat video featuring Bilal and Adil (Bilel Chegrani and Adil Dehbi) surfaces, rumors start spreading about the two friends. To save their reputation, each of them decided they need to find a girlfriend fast. Their hunt for a date doesn’t quite go as expected in the short comedy Taste of Love from director Emma Benestan.

Finally, Tapette, the last short film in the collection, comes from director Satya Dusaugey. Just when he is about to move in with his girlfriend, Michel (played by the director himself) is overcome with anxiety. To avoid commitment, he convinces himself he’s actually been gay – and in denial – this whole time.

The full collection, French Touch: Between Men, is available now on Dekkoo. Watch the trailer below.

Watch Where the Bears Are: Season Two Now on Dekkoo!

From the creative team of Rick Copp (The Brady Bunch Movie), Joe Dietl (MomMaron) and Ben Zook (Jack and Jill) comes Where the Bears Are, a comedy mystery web series that has accumulated over 40 million loyal viewers since it first premiered in 2012 and won the “Best Gay Web Series” award from After Elton.

With Season 2 now available on Dekkoo, the bears are back – and things are definitely hairier this time around. In the second installment of this hysterically funny smash hit gay series, our favorite investigative bears find themselves caught up in a murder investigation when a former college friend and city council candidate turns up dead at his campaign launch party.

Watch the trailer for the second season below and make sure to catch up on all the action. The first two seasons of Where the Bears Are are now available on Dekkoo!

New This Week – 1/13/22

Teddy, a budding novelist, has traded the big city for his professor’s desert home in California to work on completing his first novel. There he meets Leo, the estate’s handsome young caretaker who shows Teddy the ropes of living in the arid wilderness. ‘Sun Kissed’ is now streaming on Dekkoo!

Ian is a shy and insecure teenager searching for his identity. With the help of his imaginary friend, he soon begins to discover himself and learns to face his difficulties. A smart and sensitive short film from writer, director and star Nicolas Dozol. ‘My Own Life’ is now available on Dekkoo!

In the second installment of this hysterically funny smash hit gay series, our favorite investigative bears find themselves caught up in a murder investigation when a former college friend and city council candidate turns up dead at his campaign launch party. Watch ‘Where the Bears Are 2’ now on Dekkoo!

Watch ‘Where the Bears Are 1’ also on Dekkoo!

Icaro chooses Valentine’s Day to propose to his beautiful Vanilla in their favorite restaurant: The Golden Mussel. But Dimitri, the chef, does everything to get in the way of the young seducer, putting Icaro’s sincere commitment at stake in this animated short film from director Gerlando Infuso. Watch ‘The Proposal’ now on Dekkoo!

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Coming next week: A heartfely drama about coping with incredible loss and trying to be yourself in the face of great cultural adversity – it’s also got really hot sex scenes to boot!

Short Film Spotlight: Plantonic

A wildly inventive short film romance, Plantonic follows the unique relationship that grows (literally) between a young aspiring artist and the incredibly attractive half-man/half-plant that seems to have grown from a garden.

Originally from Bangkok, writer-director Krit Komkrichwarakool earned a degree in Communication Design, then moved to Canada to pursue a career in film. Integrating his knowledge of design with his approach to filmmaking, Krit brings a unique point of view to his storytelling.

His short film Freefall won “Best Director” at Moscow Shorts and was nominated for “Best Short Film” at the 2018 Leo Awards. Plantonic, recently premiered at Inside Out and won “Outstanding Short Film” at the Reelworld Film Festival and “Best Screenplay” at the Vancouver Short Film Festival.

“Film is a great medium to explore the reflections of our own existence, and the ultimate question of why each of us is here. It is why I do what I do. To speak with my own subconscious. To find a trace of the answers that connect us all,” said Komkrichwarakool.

Watch a short trailer for Plantonic below. The film is available now on Dekkoo.