Dating – Page 27 – Discover great gay stories.

DEKKOO DISPATCH 064 – ‘IN BLOOM’

Title – ‘In Bloom‘

Director – Chris Michael Birkmeier

Starring – Kyle Wigent, Tanner Rittenhouse, Adam Fane, Jake Andrews

Release Date – 2013

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Love is always best in the early stages when it’s ‘In Bloom‘. Chris Michael Birkmeier’s first feature film captures the innocence and tragedy of first love with a delicate touch reminiscent of Andrew Haigh’s ‘Weekend’. Although whereas ‘Weekend’ features leads from the UK that you can barely understand, ‘In Bloom‘ takes place in Chicago with super cute clean-cut American boys that definitely speak our language 😉

As the film opens we’re introduced to Kurt and Paul who after running into each other awkwardly at a party try to be amiable with each other until… flashback! :SEVEN MONTHS EARLIER: A much more carefree Kurt smokes a joint in his bedroom while a frazzled Paul stocks shelves in bland looking grocery store. They’re a couple still in the early stages of love where they live separately, but spend all their time together. They go to the beach and play the ‘which guy is the hottest’ game, they have hot sex, and they go to parties together. We quickly find out the reason why Paul’s working hard and Kurt isn’t is because Kurt sells weed. Which isn’t to say selling weed isn’t hard work, but… it just isn’t.

Kurt and Paul’s relationship is tested by the arrival of Kevin, a new client/customer of Kurt’s. A wildly cute young-and-carefree type he definitely is someone that Paul could never be – younger, cuter, and a non-paranoid stoner. We can tell immediately that Kurt is trying his best not to be unfaithful to Paul, but it’s hard when Kevin is the one to make the first move and kiss Kurt. Gasp!! Of course this throws Kurt into a realm of uncertainty about Paul if he’s his one true love. Is he supposed to commit to this person if he’s interested in someone else? If only he didn’t smoke so much weed… Paul also is going through his own issues. “Don’t you get tired of doing the same thing over and over?” He wants to go to Paris and explore. Kurt just wants to ‘chill’ and have sex.

When I first saw this film I was really taken aback by its honesty and its emotional connection that I could completely relate to. I was lucky enough to meet the filmmakers at their screening at Outfest and was thrilled to meet a group of people who were just like the film they created – smart, in touch with the gay community, and eager to make more films. The director has cited most of the film coming from his own life experiences and it totally shows. Here’s to hoping he creates more feature films – in the meantime he’s been busy creating queer music videos in Los Angeles.

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Watch it with: An ex you’re friendly with.

Mix it with: Beer and weed!

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DEKKOO DISPATCH 062 – ‘SASHA’

Title – ‘Sasha‘

Director – Dennis Todorovic

Starring – Sasa Kekez, Predrag Bjelac, Ljubisa Gruicic, Zeljka Preksavec

Release Date – 2010

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It’s Wednesday and tonight you deserve a good ‘ole heart-warming hump day movie! I proudly present to you the crowd-pleasing gay coming-of-age/romance/daddy film ‘Sasha‘ directed by Dennis Todorovic. This film went under the radar back in 2010, but it really shouldn’t have and Dekkoo is the perfect place for you to re-discover this gay gem!

‘Sasha‘ rises above movies of it’s ilk due to a few factors, but the most noticeable one is the fact that Sasha comes from a family of immigrants. Mistaken for the most part as Serbians (although really from Montenegro) Sasha’s family now lives in Germany and are outsiders for the most part. The only piece of Sasha’s life that really connects him to his peers is his love of music. He’s a piano player and a very serious one at that. He trains hard to be accepted to the best music school in Germany and that’s where our love interest comes into play. Sasha’s love of music isn’t the only thing propelling him forward, but also his instructor who he’s madly fallen in love with. Enter Gebhard – the classic stereotypical hunky German guy in his late-30s who’s passionate about music, life, and swimming in really skimpy swim suits!

When Gebhard tells Sasha he’s leaving the city Sasha realizes that the next few weeks are his ‘now or never’ moment. If he wants to be with the love of his life (Daddy!) he needs to come out and confess himself. If only it was that easy… He also has to focus on the upcoming piano audition, pay attention to his best friend Jiao (a violinist) who’s totally in love with him, and deal with his crazy immigrant family – of which his father is pretty homophobic, so there’s that all to deal with.

Fun Fact: Gebhard (played by Tim Bergmann) played another gay man 14 years earlier in ‘Regular Guys‘ which is also available on Dekkoo! So if you’re in love and can’t get enough Gebhard there’s more!

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Watch it with: All of your romantic-leaning friends.

Mix it with: A German wine.

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New This Week – 3/9/18

When John discovers his sister’s fiance is Jack, his childhood crush, passions ignite and his life spirals out of control…losing his job, his playboy reputation and his underwear, all while rushing to the altar to finally confess his love! ‘John Apple Jack’ is available to stream now on Dekkoo!

Pepijn and Sjors’ steady, seven-year relationship is shaken up after they allow a young student named Cas to sleep on their couch. Watch ‘CAS’ now, exclusively on Dekkoo!

A mischievous disabled girl absconds to London to find love and opportunity, but finds an unlikely outcome in her life when she hooks up-with a washed up male escort. Watch ‘Little Devil’ now on Dekkoo!

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Coming next week: A wonderfully acted and taut love story of two outsiders.

DEKKOO DISPATCH 061 – ‘CAS’

Title – ‘Cas‘

Director – Joris van den Berg

Starring – Kevin Hassing, Wieger Windhorst, Felix Meyer, Yootha Wong-Loi-Sing

Release Date – 2016

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Hallo from the Netherlands (or Holland if you’d prefer)! The home of Rembrandt, Van Gogh, and the inventor of solid chocolate! Ooh la la! It’s also home to a boatload of cute gay couples just waiting to invite you into their apartment so you can sleep on their couch while you worm your way into their lives without realizing it. Well at least I assumed from the movie ‘Cas‘ I just watched that that’s the case. Well I’ll just pretend to myself that it happens allll the time. You’ve gotta live for something…

‘Cas‘, a film directed by Joris van den Berg is actually a made-for-TV film which makes me instantly sad that I don’t live in the Netherlands and can’t have something like this broadcasting over the air permeating my entire body with it’s emotional and sexy brilliance. Running at only 48 minutes it’s a breath of fresh air as to what Joris is able to accomplish in such a short amount of time. The way in which the viewer enters the film and is quickly able to take stock of the current situation of the relationship is incredibly strong. We’re immediately aware that we’re in the presence of a couple that’s at the make-or-break stage. They love each other, but they both have long-term needs that could conflict.

Enter our main character Cas who will decide for them if they’re made for this pairing or if they just wish they were. Invited by Sjors to crash on their couch while he looks for a place to live, Cas shows up one day to Pepjin’s surprise. While we’re a little confused at first how the two met, it’s eventually revealed that Sjors had met up with him a few times previously. Pepjin’s reluctance gives way to a welcoming attitude once Cas’ love of 80s music and ‘Twin Peaks’ comes to light. Eventually after a drunken night out the three end up sleeping together and then the real relationship tests really start.

There’s so much to like about this film. Pepjin’s emotional fragility, Sjors’ tender daddy personality, and Cas’ puppy dog-like charm are a few of them. But other topics like the contrasting desires and goals in a relationship and the nature of monogamy are explored with such a delicate yet strong touch that reminded me of my own relationships and made me question what I want in my future relationships. All in all this is a fantastic 48 minute film and I can’t wait to see what Joris van den Berg is able to do with 96 minutes next time!

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Watch it with: Your boyfriend and your houseboy.

Mix it with: A Heineken (it’s from the Netherlands!!)

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One Great Gay Shot – ‘CAS’ (2016)

‘CAS’ is now available exclusively on Dekkoo!

New This Week – 3/2/18

Maki is a young gay music student who’s completely smitten with his classmate Ruiku, who plays piano with incredible passion but is cold and distant to everyone. Maki decides to do whatever it takes to get Ruiku to return his feelings. ‘Melody of Our Love’ is available to stream now, only on Dekkoo!

In the gay short comedy ‘Bed Buddies’, gay friends wake up after sleeping together and try to make sense of the unclear line between friendship and love.

Friends and filmmakers Tim (26) and Nicolaas (29) go in search of the boundaries of their own sexuality. They’re both gay, at least, they think so. But how sure are they? What would it be like to experiment with the other sex? Is their sexual identity really as fixed as they think? Watch ‘Gay Meets Girl’ now on Dekkoo!

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Coming next week: A positively adorable, uplifting, sexy and very funny romantic comedy!

DEKKOO DISPATCH 059 – ‘FORT BUCHANAN’

Title – ‘Fort Buchanan‘

Director – Benjamin Crotty

Starring – Andy Gillet, David Baïot, Iliana Zabeth, Mati Diop

Release Date – 2014

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Heya! I hope you got a chance this past weekend to catch our newest Dekkoo exclusive film ‘Screwed’, but if you didn’t it’s still there calling out to you from the sun-drenched shores of Finland. And if you did watch it then I’ve got a deep gem from our collection that I think you’ll have some fun with…

‘Fort Buchanan‘ is the name of this unique piece of cinema hailing from an American director now living in France. As with someone that’s been immersing themselves in French life he decided to shoot the film in French and yet populate the movie with a decidedly American attitude and aesthetic including quite a bit of country music. I watched this last night with a friend and we were definitely taken aback by how unique the film is (especially once you’re past the initial 15 minute introductory mark). What starts as an ordinary relationship drama about a husband yearning for his husband who’s away at war develops into a layered film about fidelity, age, PTSD, and the acceptance of death.

The film contains four sections each taking place within the four seasons. Most of it takes place at a residence compound of sorts – the titular Fort Buchanan. Roger (our main character for most of the film which by the way only runs at one hour which is the perfect length for a slightly strange movie such as this one) lives at Fort Buchanan with his daughter Roxy along with many other army wives. He misses his husband Frank who’s away fighting in Djibouti and tries to keep his mind on staying in shape, reading, and wearing wild flashy jackets. The other army wives try and console him and encourage him to pursue ‘play dates’. Shocked at this new piece of information he digs deeper and finds out that all of the army wives occasionally sleep with women and so we begin to realize that their next target is Roger’s daughter. Chasing sex is most of what takes place in ‘Spring’.

Fast-forward to ‘Summer’ and we’ve traveled to Djibouti (in a fantastic CGI-ish transition that I went crazy over!) where we finally get to meet Frank and witness the interactions between the two. Meanwhile Roxy is exploring the local flavors and testing out her budding sexuality on the dance floor. Past this point I don’t want to say much more about the plot, but my advice is to go with the flow when it comes to the random character that shows up in ‘Fall’. It’s confusing at first, but he’s introduced for a reason to be sure. Oh I also need to be sure to let you know it’s shot in 16mm which adds to the hazy yet gorgeous nature of the film. It definitely feels like it was shot in the 80s or early 90s. Go check it out!!

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Watch it with: A friend who enjoys an experimental adventure.

Mix it with: A light refreshing white wine.

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DEKKOO DISPATCH 057 – ‘SCREWED’

Title – ‘Screwed’

Director – Nils-Erik Ekblom

Starring – Mikko Kauppila, Valtteri Lehtinen, Sanna Majuri, Sami Huhtala

Release Date – 2017

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Next week we’re bringing you a gay title direct from the biggest gay film festivals right into your living rooms! On February 15th get ready to be ‘Screwed’…

If the film sounds familiar that’s because right after Frameline (the oldest queer film festival in the world!) we here at Dekkoo made headlines by acquiring the film just for all of you right out of the jam-packed world premiere. We were so impressed by this audacious and sexy coming-of-age film that we just had to immediately grab it and make sure you all were the first to see it. That’s why it will be exclusively available on Dekkoo for a whole month before it hits DVD.

PIHALLA_V1.1.00_42_29_13.Still013-1 — Elias & Miku

‘Screwed’ comes to us from the mind of Nils-Erik Ekblom – a filmmaker who decided to explore the life of a fairly normal gay teenager in Finland and what happens when he comes face to face with desires he decides he doesn’t want to run from. In interviews Nils has explained that he feels gay people aren’t portrayed authentically in Finnish cinema and that for years they’ve been the butt of jokes. He desired to create an accurate portrait of queer life here and now in Finnish culture. Indeed if you look up Finnish gay films you won’t find much of anything sadly. Now we know why ‘Tom of Finland’ wanted to come to California 🙂

PIHALLA_V1.1.00_33_59_12.Still010-1 — Miku

Alright enough of the back-story! Let’s talk about the boys! Meet our cute main character – 17-year-old Miku. Jesus that name is adorable… Miku’s life is very static – you can absolutely tell something needs to change and this is the year that he takes some chances in life. A good way to start is by throwing a house party and losing his virginity his weird older brothers advises him. Thus Miku throws said party and thus his parent’s house nearly gets demolished in the teenage debauchery that ensues. Of course it’s bad enough to feel the wrath of his parents in general, but it’s even worse because they go on summer vacation immediately afterwards and he’s stuck in a small cabin with them!

Luckily there’s a surprise just down the river bend… No I’m not kidding. Literally a hot next door neighbor named Elias rows down the river and comes to introduce himself to Miku’s family. Once Elias sees Miku he’s very taken whereas Miku looks like he wants to run away as far as possible from the feelings that are coursing through him. It’s like watching someone in fight-or-flight mode. After the two finally start talking and taking little adventures in the countryside together it’s clear that they’re both in for a large dose of first love – with all the wonderful earth-shaking feelings it can produce. Of course ‘Screwed’ doesn’t just focus on the gay angle of life, it also rounds it out with sibling trouble, rocky marriages, and general family drama.

PIHALLA_V1.1.01_43_13_16.Still029-1 — Elias

We’re incredibly thrilled to bring you this sexy, amazingly gorgeous film directly to you first before anyone else. We hope you love it as much as us!

Trailer:

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Watch it with: With lots of friends! Pack ’em in!

Mix it with: White wine.

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New This Week – 1/26/18

In season 2 of the acclaimed Dekkoo-original series, Nate decides it’s time to move on from his breakup with Joey…but Nate’s fall-out with his best friend Jeff continues to loom. Meanwhile, Nicole is back in town on the hunt for a new career move, Andy takes control of his open relationship with Brian, and Jeff finds companionship in someone new. Turns out they might be the ones who are fine after all, while Nate still only claims to be. Watch season 2 of ‘I’m Fine’ only on Dekkoo!

In this award-winning erotic 1983 classic from acclaimed French director Patrice Chéreau, a young man discovers his homosexuality and begins a relationship with a manipulative hustler and petty criminal that he meets at the train station. Watch ‘L’Homme Blesse’ on Dekkoo.com!

A gay couple decide to experiment with an open relationship but can their relationship survive it? Watch the gay short film ‘Midnight’ now on Dekkoo!

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Coming next week: A heartfelt look at the meaning of love.

DEKKOO DISPATCH 055 – ‘I’M FINE SEASON 2’

Title – ‘I’m Fine – Season 2‘

Director – Brandon Kirby

Starring – Perry Powell, Lee Doud, Shaughn Buchholz, Brittney King, Richard Stokes, Ulysses Morazan

Release Date – 2018

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Today is a very exciting day in the Dekkoo-universe! ‘I’m Fine‘ Season 2 launches worldwide right now!!! At Dekkoo we truly believe in the power of gay filmmakers that tell stories about their communities and ‘I’m Fine‘ is the perfect example of that. Brandon Kirby lives in West Hollywood, CA (considered by many to be the mecca of gay life on this planet!) and he plumbs the depths of the craziness and camaraderie that goes on there to create a series that contains plentiful amounts of laughs and feels.

Alright so let’s do a quick recap of Season 1! :Spoilers ahead:
Meet Nate. Nate’s your average ‘figuring out life post-college’ Angeleno living in West Hollywood. He’s trying to get over his breakup with Joey with the help of his fab friends: Jeff, Brian, Andy, and Nicole. Jeff is adorable and has a crush on Nate, Brian and Andy are a couple that have their share of spats and Nicole is the party girl that glues them all together. At the end of the first season Nate has a big fight with Jeff after a drunken hookup that Nate wasn’t into with the result of Jeff being completely pissed at Nate.

We enter Season 2 at the same place we ended Season 1 – with a sunset smothered view on the top of the Hollywood mountains. All seems… strangely peaceful. Nate’s life up until now never seemed this serene. Enter Mick. An adorable button of a twink, he claims to have just moved there and would love make some new gay friends. Nate, although taken aback by such an open and honest proposition (not seen very often in LA) appears taken by Mick and agrees to meet up later on. Nate’s journey in this season seems to me to be a journey of forgiveness. He’s made a lot of mistakes and he knows he won’t find happiness (in the form of Mick perhaps?) until he receives forgiveness from everyone including himself.

But! This season is about a wholeeee lot more than Nate this time around. The bffs from last season are not about to be merely supporting characters. No! This time we get full blown storylines with each and every one of them. Brian and Andy go to a sex party, Jeff has a hilariously bad blind date, and Nicole apparently was once in a lesbian relationship?!? We also get to meet a lot of new characters: Nate’s sexy roommates, his parents and sister, a sexy latino hunk at a pool party, and many more! There’s also a very long and hilarious post-credits scene hidden after the credits in episode 7 so make sure to stick around for that.

We really hope you binge the heck out of Season 2 and we’d of course love for you to tell all of your friends about it and encourage them to join Dekkoo. We love bringing original gay stories to life, but it takes the support of a community to do it!

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Watch it with: Your friends that you watched Season 1 with!

Mix it with: Mimosas of course!

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