Category: Dating

Short Film Spotlight: Peer

Filmed in Ocean City, Maryland, writer-director Marlon Wallace’s new 19-minute short Peer tells a quick, heartfelt story about a beachside romance.

Eli Johnson stars as Harold, a timid young man who takes a late-summer vacation with his best girlfriend Maritza, played by Daniela Cruz. Harold enjoys his time on the boardwalk, but he’s never actually been to the beach before. His intense fear of drowning – and recurring nightmares – keep him far away from the ocean.

When the pair are approached by Vincent and Arthur (Jared Anthony and Tommy Watson) a cute pair of local lifeguard buddies, they end up coupling off. After learning about his phobia, Vincent makes it his mission to ease Harold’s fears, teach him to swim and help him learn to enjoy all the magic a beach town has to offer. Harold, however, has to decide whether this adorable new love interest is worth all the anxiety.

With a touching script, beautiful cinematography and refreshingly naturalistic performances, Peer shows how the power of love can conquer even the deepest fears.

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

Short Film Spotlight: A Pipe Dream

Plans for a casual Grindr hook-up go horribly wrong in A Pipe Dream, a unabashedly scatological 8-minute comedy from writer-director-star Ethan Wayne Smith.

The film follows an attractive young student (Smith) living in a cramped New York apartment with a very messy, nightmare roommate.

After making plans to meet up with a charming top from his past, he rushes off to their shared-space bathroom to prepare – not expecting to be thwarted at every turn by unfortunate happenstance.

Not for the squeamish, A Pipe Dream will make you laugh while you squirm in your seat.

Watch the trailer for A Pipe Dream below. The full short film is now streaming on Dekkoo.

Cicada is a feast for the eyes as well as the heart

Co-written by Matthew Fifer and Sheldon D. Brown, who also star in the film, the must-see new indie comedy-drama Cicada examines inter-racial relationships, bisexual identity and sexual abuse while also exploring the intricacies of falling in love and how that can go hand-in-hand with uncovering uncomfortable truths about one’s self along the way.

Fifer, who also co-directs with Kieran Mulcare, stars as Ben a young bisexual man who, after a string of unsuccessful encounrers with women, decides it’s time to go “back on the dick.” He soon develops an intense relationship with Sam (Brown), a man of color struggling with deep wounds. As their summer romance progresses and their intimacy grows, Ben’s past begins crawling to the surface – putting the pair’s still-burgeoning love affair in jeopardy.

Co-starring Cobie Smulders, David Burtka and SNL breakout star Bowen Yang, Cicada is easily one of the most acclaimed gay films of the past several years. Vogue said that it “will stay with you long after the credits roll.” And The Jam Report called it “one of the most beautifully-crafted pieces of queer cinema of recent times.” We firmly agree with both assessments.

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

A Dice with Five Sides offers up romance, sex and magic

In writer-director Riccardo Tamburini’s new romance A Dice with Five Sides, two strangers meet in an apartment for a hookup, but find a much deeper attraction to one another.

Too afraid to follow their hearts, Marcello and Herman decide to play a game – using ancient dice made of stone. They establish six actions to perform – one for each side of the dice. They can tell an uncomfortable or intimate truth about themselves, do something the other likes, invite a third person, do something blindfolded, leave the apartment or simply have sex.

Years go by while the gameplay continues. The conflict between their desire to be together and the fear of yet another failed relationship only intensifies. Will they be able to find the strength to make choices and break the vicious cycle they have entered or will the game continue until fate decides for them?

Watch the trailer for A Dice with Five Sides below. The film is now available on Dekkoo!