Category: Drama

DEKKOO DISPATCH 007 – ‘THE LAST MATCH’

Title – ‘The Last Match‘

Director – Antonio Hens

Starring – Milton Garcia, Reinier Diaz, Luis Alberto Garcia, Mirta Ibarra

Release Date – May 5, 2013

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Being gay in many parts of the world is still hard. Much harder than the glossy world of shows like ‘Glee’ would lead many to believe. In some countries and cultures it’s still all about being discreet and being smart about how you go about your ‘business’. Antonio Hens takes us into that world in Cuba, a country that’s seeming to get a new breath of life with trade relations being re-established with the United States.

After ‘Doors Cut Down‘ and ‘Clandestinos‘ (both of which are also on Dekkoo) Antonio continues to probe the world of machismo homosexuality in ‘The Last Match‘. However, this time in Cuba, in the steamy world of male locker rooms and gambling halls. Both of the main characters in this story have female partners; Yosvani has a fiancee who he seems very hesitant to have sex with. Renier straddles the worlds of life with his wife and child and the arena of hustling where he meets rich men who seem to fall in love with his chiseled handsome features and promise him the world. The two handsome men eventually meet and a downward spiral of sex and violence ensues.

Reasons for watching this film are numerous. If the fact that these super sexy guys aren’t enough then you should at least watch it for its extremely interesting commentary on modern life in Cuba which should be an academic reason for you to watch said sexy guys getting it on. Also there’s a crazy mother-in-law that’s so bat-shit crazy you’ll fall in love.

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Watch it with: Your best friend that you know has latin
fever!

Mix it with: A Daiquiri or a Mojito

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DEKKOO DISPATCH 006 – “DESIRE WILL SET YOU FREE”

Title – ‘Desire Will Set You Free‘

Director – Yony Leyser

Starring – Yony Leyser, Tim-Fabian Hoffmann, Chloe Griffin, Amber Benson

Release Date – May 5, 2016

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Christopher Isherwood once wrote of his time in Berlin, ‘I am a camera with its shutter open, quite passive, recording, not thinking.’ The director of ‘Desire Will Set You Free‘, Yony Leyser, who also co-wrote and stars in the film absolutely aligns with that principle
in this hybrid fiction-doc combo. After the wall came down in 1989 Berlin slowly started becoming the queer melting pot it was once famous for due to the growth of hedonistic techno clubs in large abandoned warehouses. ‘Desire Will Set You Free‘ documents this time around 2010-2013 when Berlin became the hip place for young people to move to for its cheap housing, plentiful parties, and sex positive atmosphere.

The film follows a group of queer friends led by Ezra (a Palestinian/Israeli writer) and Cat (a very fun and dominant bisexual) as they move through the clubs (and doing lots of drugs in said clubs), parks (and having lots of sex in said parks), and architecture (just architecture! get your heads outta the gutter. Jeez.) of modern Berlin. Along the way Ezra falls for Sasha, a Russian hustler who’s dealing with confusion regarding his gender identity.

The movie features an uber-large cast of famous cameos: Amber Benson (Tara on ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’), ‘Godmother of Punk’ Nina Hagen as Oracle, cult musician and performance artist Peaches, along with Rosa Von Praunheim, Rummelsnuff, Blood Orange, and Einstuerzende Neubauten and Blixa Bargeld (formerly of Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds).

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Watch it with: Your cool hipster friends

Mix it with: Weed, Cocaine, and MDMA

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‘Godless’ tackles the taboo topic of sibling passion

The film ‘Godless‘ was added to the Dekkoo library this week. It’s a film that deals with a taboo topic using intelligence and sensitivity. It screened at numerous film festivals around the country and comes from director Joshua Lim who also directed ‘The Seminarian‘.

After the death of their father, Nate (Craig Jordan) moves in with his mother, but his elder brother, Steven (Michael E. Pitts) continues his studies out of state. The brothers use this distance to end the incestuous physical affair they’ve shared since puberty. However, when their mother dies in a car accident, Steven returns for her funeral. During this time of mourning, the two brothers’ unrelenting love for each other threatens the secret they had buried.

Nathaniel Grey for Frontiers Media said, ‘What carries this film is that through the chemistry and performances of Jordan and Pitts, you want to know more about them. You wonder how have they retained their sanity and composure over the years while holding strong to their forbidden but shared love.’

He goes on to say, ‘…the film provides a great opportunity to experience a rarely offered and controversial topic.’

‘Godless’ is now playing on Dekkoo!

 

Short films go a loooong way!

We love the short film format. Just like a short story, a short film forces the filmmaker to be concise and exact with the tale he or she wants to tell. And while a short film is just that – short, it does not diminish its ability to tell a great story.

So far this week we’ve added two short films to the Dekkoo library that we think you’ll enjoy.

‘The 6 Gays You’ll Date Before You Die‘ is a short that plays like a pseudo-public service announcement. It outlines the six types of guys every man will ultimately date before they finally choose to settle down. It’s hilarious, a bit goofy and sadly, completely accurate!

‘Buddy‘, a short film from The Netherlands (which we absolutely had to have in our library once we saw it), is more dramatic story of two friends, former lovers, who share a scary moment together.

Take a peek at both and consider what elements of the story are purposely excluded in favor of other pieces of information being included and how do those decisions help the humor, drama or action of the story.

 

DEKKOO DISPATCH 004 – ‘TEENAGE KICKS’

Title – ‘Teenage Kicks‘

Director – Craig Boreham

Starring – Miles Szanto, Daniel Webber, Anni Finsterer, Ian Roberts

Release Date – October 15, 2016

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A sexy and heartbreaking tale of family, friends, and repressed longing converge together in the explosive ‘Teenage Kicks‘. An expansion of his earlier short film, ‘Drowning’ (using the same actor – sexy Miles Szanto) Craig Boreham picks up the flag of another Australian director, Ana Kokkinos (‘Head On’, 1998) by exploring queer themes in migrant communities in Australia.

Seventeen-year-old Mik just wants to get stoned and watch porn with his best friend Dan like any other teenager. Things take a turn when he’s caught peeping on his masturbating brother which then sets a series of events in motion that result in his death. The family is ripped apart by the tragedy and Mik tries to find solace with his brother’s pregnant girlfriend and Dan who’s sadly distracted by rich-girl Phaedra who he starts dating.

A whirlwind of teenage emotions and intense angst, ‘Teenage Kicks‘ shakes up the gay coming-of-age genre with a deeply compelling style, spirit, and a lot of sexiness!

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Watch it with: That Australian guy you’ve been meaning to have over

Mix it with: Foster’s Lager

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DEKKOO DISPATCH 003 – ‘CONCRETE NIGHT’

Title: Concrete Night

Director – Pirjo Honkasalo

Starring – Johannes Brotherus, Jari Virman, Anneli Karppinen, Juhan Ulfsak

Release Date – November 11, 2013

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Today we bring you ‘Concrete Night‘, Finland’s entry for the 87th Academy Awards. A moving, lyrical, and stunning film constructed by an award winning cinematographer turned director, the film focuses on young Simo as he struggles to find his way in an otherworldly Helsinki surrounded by the presence of both good and evil influences.

The film is without question one of the most beautifully lensed black and white films in the past five years. As we watch Simo playfully fight with his brother, skinny dip with his best friend, and become lost in an amusement park we’re constantly moved by an unyielding camera eye that doesn’t back down from the goal of piercing Simo’s outer layers.

Kyle Turner, in a critical essay on ‘Concrete Night‘, had this to say about its style, ‘Other queer films, or even films with latently queer films, generally shy away from bleakness, trading it in for melodrama or comedy (unless you go the genre route). But Pirjo Honkasalo paints a search for self as a Kafka-esque nightmare, the landscapes of Helsinki reminiscent of the chiaroscuro in Orson Welles’ ‘The Trial’ and David Lynch’s ‘Eraserhead’. The harsh contrast between dark and light creates jagged little edges on every object in every frame, transforming a falling feather in the air recalling the prologue from Lars von Trier’s ‘Antichrist’ not a symbol of solace or safety, but something more sinister and duplicitous.’

If your internet is fast enough make sure to choose 1080p to see ‘Concrete Night‘ in all of its intended glory!

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Watch it with: Yourself or a friend that appreciates a
critical discussion after a film.

Mix it with: Cappuccino

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Turning 40 and still turning tricks?

Ryan Crosby, aka Rod Driver, has been an adult film star and escort since his early twenties. He’s had a pretty easy life. Now 40, Ryan wants a change but quickly discovers he has a very limited skill set. ‘Hustling‘ explores Ryan’s rediscovery of life as he examines the choices he’s made. This smart, sexy, edgy drama with a touch of dark comedy stars Sebastian La Cause, Daphne Rubin-Vega, Stephen Guarino, Brent Barrett and Gerald McCullouch.

All three seasons of Hustling are available now on Dekkoo!

In other news, did you happen to catch cult filmmaker John Waters’ top ten films of 2016 list? Every year Art Forum publishes his picks and this year, ‘Like Cattle Toward Glow‘ made the cut.

He said of the film:

Arty teenage death, Gallic rimming, and a maddening passion for punk penises make this Eric Rohmer–like porno a real French tickler for the fucked-up literary set.

Kinda makes you want to see it, no? Well, lucky for you it’s available on Dekkoo!

 

Feral, a Dekkoo-original series, is available NOW!

Make tonight, ‘Date Night With Dekkoo’ now that Feral is available to watch.

Best friends Billy and Daniel are faced with a conflict when they are forced to kick out their roommate, Jordan. Finding a new gay/gay friendly roommate turns out to be no easy task, and they end up relying on the help of their fun and whimsical friend Emily who introduces them to the mysterious new guy in town.

Feral is now available only on Dekkoo.

 

#DoYouDekkoo?

A tense, probing drama set in the rural South.

After his mother dies, Sequan, a sensitive teenager from Brooklyn, moves in with relatives living in a small town plagued with secrets hidden deep within its lush, rural Alabama terrain. Confronting ignorance and danger, Sequan finds refuge in a friendship with a troubled girl who astutely hones in on his true sexuality and introduces him to her cute brother.

Rivers Wash Over Me is now playing.

In addition, do not miss filmmaker Blake Pruitt’s devastatingly candid short documentary 20MALEGAYNYC. We just added it to our library yesterday and it’s already garnering a lot of views.

 

#DoYouDekkoo?

Another gay classic and SO. MUCH. MORE.

Dazzling. Astonishing. Fascinating.

These are just a few of the words that have been used to describe director Ira Sachs classic gay film, The Delta. A compelling character study revolving around the confused relationship between a 17-year old Memphis student and a Vietnamese immigrant, it’s a fascinating tale of sexual and racial differences. It was a very controversial film upon its initial release but still holds up after 20 years.

The Delta is now playing on Dekkoo!

In addition, this week we added several other great titles to our library. Be sure to check them all out.

Three’s A Crowd – This comedic web series about two men falling in-love while an ex is still in the picture is sure to delight.

The Surface – An emotional romantic drama that bridges the gap between two generations of gay men.

The Pride & Pretence of Eirik – Actor, writer and vlogger Jeffrey Self stars in this hilarious web series about Eirik, a self-absorbed gay man finding his way.

BoysTown The Series – A great series about eight leading men who heat things up in L.A.

Undetectable – A gay man living with undetectable HIV must confront the guilt tormenting him after betraying and infecting his terminal ex-lover.

It looks like you’re going to be busy this weekend!

 

#DoYouDekkoo?