Category: Cross-Cultural Romance

Short Film Spotlight: Havana

Living in Cuba in the 1970s, immigration officer Antonio (Ifeanyi Dike Jr.) earns money on the side by selling illegal visas at exorbitant prices. And that’s not his only secret. He’s also hiding his sexuality.

His hush-hush lifestyle is starting to get the better of him. Afraid of the outside world, he spends most of his time confined within the walls of his small Havana apartment. His only solace comes in the form of visits from Jian (Shaofei Chen), his secret boyfriend. But when Jian arrives one night looking for an illegal visa of his own, and an opportunity to start a new life, it becomes clear that Antonio is not the only person keeping secrets.

An exceptionally well-made short film from accomplished Hollywood production manager Faith Strongheart, Havana uses top-notch talent to tell a bittersweet story about the forbidden queer love and two men’s desperate longing for escape from an unforgiving time and place.

Watch a short clip from Havana below. The film is now streaming on Dekkoo.

John Benjamin Hickey stars in beloved filmmaker Eytan Fox’s cross-cultural romance ‘Sublet’

Tony Award-winning theatre veteran John Benjamin Hickey stars in Sublet as Michael, a travel columnist for The New York Times who reluctantly goes on a trip to Tel Aviv to write an article after suffering a tragedy.

Leaving behind some unresolved relationship troubles with his husband, Michael just wants to do his research and fly back home as soon as possible. But when he sublets an apartment from Tomer, an incredibly attractive young film student played by newcomer Niv Nissim, he suddenly finds himself drawn into the life of the city.

The intense bond he forms with this casually seductive younger man ends up transforming both their lives in unexpected ways.

The newest feature from acclaimed Israeli filmmaker Eytan Fox, the writer-director behind Walk on Water and Yossi and Jagger, Sublet is sexy, charming, thought-provoking and ultimately life-affirming.

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

Two lovers face a difficult decision in the romantic drama ‘A Place to Be’

Writer-director Tadeo Garcia followed up his 2004 debut feature On the Downlow with A Place to Be, a powerful love story set against the backdrop of the U.S. immigration system.

Both Abel (Nelson A. Rodriguez), who works in Chicago in social services, and Diego (Andrew L. Saenz), an auto mechanic, have waited a long time to fall in love with the right person.

After several chance meetings, the two hook up and quickly fall for one another. But Diego has been hiding a secret: he’s an undocumented immigrant and his repeated attempts to attain citizenship have led nowhere.

When word reaches him that his mother is dying, Diego must decide whether or not to risk a trip back to Mexico, knowing he will jeopardize his chances of returning to America… and building a future with Abel. Can their love survive this dangerous decision?

Emotional and poignant, A Place to Be tells a moving story about the power of love during uncertain times.

Check out the poster for A Place to Be below. The film is now streaming on Dekkoo.

Andrea Riseborough and Demi Moore star in the wild queer pastiche ‘Please Baby Please’

Andrea Riseborough, Harry Melling and Demi Moore star in this neon-lit fantasia about newlyweds who find themselves on diverging sexual journeys.

A wildly inventive and wickedly funny 1950s pastiche from acclaimed filmmaker Amanda Kramer, Please Baby Please follows Arthur and Suze, two seemingly straight arrows who live an outwardly traditional lifestyle as the Lower East Side’s most bohemian Eisenhower-era couple.

The pair find their cage rattled when they witness a murder and become the new targets of a gang of sadistic, leather-clad greasers known as ‘The Young Gents.’ Their initial thrust of fear soon evolves, arousing previously unsuspected emotions and feelings of sexuality in both of the young lovers.

This sudden exposure to flamboyant masculinity unlocks the realization that Suze is an aspiring leather daddy who mistook herself for a housewife. Meanwhile, the perpetually sensitive Arthur’s obsessive gender trouble goes sideways when ‘Young Gent’ Teddy sparks his dormant queer desires.

Please Baby Please presents a full spectrum of underground fetishism and seductive musical asides, along with delicious cameos from Karl Glusman and Cole Escola. Visionary filmmaker Amanda Kramer pegs the hetero hell-scape of the 1950s in a witty, syncopated riff that plays like a high camp emission from your wildest dreams – bathed in silk, sweat and bisexual lighting!

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

An alluring stranger comes between three witchy siblings in the supernatural thriller ‘Cheat’

Originally produced by the Filipino network Hue TV, the new ‘Boys’ Love’ film Cheat is a campy psychological thriller with supernatural undercurrents.

A tale of stolen innocence, the film follows Vee (Daryll Rodriguez), an alluring and mysterious young man who comes from an unusually sheltered upbringing. When he befriends Dong, Jennifer and Jay (Migo de Vera, Allora Alcantara and Victor Relosa), a family of three siblings, along with their mother (Tuesday Vargas), who dabbles in witchcraft, his strange charms set off a series of events that will inflict devastating consequences.

As all three siblings begin to fall in love with the unusual stranger, jealously, lust and betrayal rear their ugly heads and Vee’s mere presence in the family’s life threatens to tear them apart.

With edgy supernatural soap opera vibes in the vein of ‘Supernatural’ or ‘Charmed,’ Cheat delves into the maelstrom of intimate relationships within a tightly knit family. It’s also got style and sex appeal to spare.

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

A married man discovers a sensual gay paradise in the erotic drama ‘Behind the Trees’

The third feature film from Thiago Cazado, the versatile Brazilian writer, director and performer behind About Us and Cousins, Behind the Trees is a mesmeric erotic drama about a macho married man who discovers a hidden paradise of sexual freedom.

Leo Carius stars as Paulo, the married man in question. He’s in a toxic relationship with his wife Jessica, played by Maria Guedes. After the pair have a serious argument, Paulo decides to go cycling to blow off some steam. He ends up getting lost in a remote region of the woods known as ‘The Forest of Whispers,’ a secret place where men meet up for anonymous sexual release.

Unhappy in his marriage, Paulo begins to frequent the forest, having no idea how much his life is about to change – especially after he meets Luigi, a young, carefree and sexually confident fellow cruiser played by writer-director Cazado. After the two men share hot encounter, Paulo quickly realizes that nothing will ever be the same again.

Having starred in all of his feature films to date, Cazado has shown a wide range as both a director and a performer.

Tender and provocative, thoughtful and sexually brazen, Behind the Trees is a deeply intimate addition to his growing collection of boundary-pushing stories and characters.

Watch the trailer for Behind the Trees below. The film is now available on Dekkoo.

Director Frank Brittain’s 1970 queer Australian curio ‘The Set’ is now available on Dekkoo!

Though it’s now something of an obscure queer curio, the Australian drama The Set shocked and thrilled audiences during its initial release in 1970 with its uncommonly frank depictions of male nudity and gay sex.

Aiming for more than just titillation, the film challenged traditional notions of sexuality and gender while depicting a progressive Australia where same-sex relationships were considered equal.

Reeling from his girlfriend’s sexual past, aspiring artist Paul (Sean McEuan) runs off to Sydney in the hopes of attending school, but soon finds himself drawn into the sensual and seductive world of the local art scene.

Swimming through this utopia of flamboyant men, camp queens and fierce sissies, Paul quickly begins exploring his own sexuality.

Commissioned to work for a top stage director, he succumbs to the charms of the handsome Tony (Rod Mullinar) – who just happens to be going out with Paul’s cousin. Although love finds a way through this thorny predicament, things soon turn unexpectedly violent for the young aspiring artist.

Although a box office success in Australia at the time of its release, The Set was largely panned by critics and had fallen into obscurity for nearly 50 years. It’s now been digitally restored and is ready to shock and thrill a whole new generation of fans!

Watch this vintage trailer for The Set below. The full restored film is now available on Dekkoo.

Don’t miss Australian filmmaker Craig Boreham’s sizzling new gay romance ‘Lonesome’

From Craig Boreham, the acclaimed Australian filmmaker behind Teenage Kicks, comes a sexually-charged new romance about a young cowboy who falls in love with the big city… and the man he meets there.

Lonesome follows Casey (Josh Lavery), a handsome young country boy who is running away from a small-town scandal. While trying to rebuild his life amid the hustle and bustle of Sydney, Australia, he meets Tib (Daniel Gabriel), a street-smart city boy struggling with his own scars of isolation.

While palpable desire and undeniable chemistry define their early interactions, the young men soon find something that’s been missing in their connection with one another – and that sudden rush of intimacy both excites and terrifies them.

Featuring exceptional performances by lead actors Lavery and Gabriel, Lonesome is a gorgeous and thoughtful gay drama, exploring casual sexuality, affection, loneliness and the distinct feeling of isolation in a world that has, technically, never been more connected.

Boreham has created a powder-keg of a would-be romance that doubles as a sensuous portrait of reconciliation and redemption.

Watch the trailer for Lonesome below. The film is now streaming on Dekkoo. You can also watch Craig Boreham’s Teenage Kicks, which is available now.