Category: Drama

Short Film Spotlight: The Repetition

Mexican writer-director Tania Karenni examines addiction and sobriety with the intense 15-minute short The Repetition.

Unfolding almost like a horror film, the story follows Daniel, a vulnerable single man played by Ernesto Siller. With only a few days sober, he’s at a turning point in his life. He must now choose between letting go of the addictions that torment him or continuing to escape his loneliness through them.

Daniel has tried again and again to rebuild himself, but the shadow of alcohol and toxic relationships always end up catching him. With a party raging next door to his apartment and a knock at the door from an alluring, but unwanted visitor, he turns to a text chain for support, but their encouragement may not be enough to keep him on the right path.

When he finally opens the front door and gives into temptation, he’s given a stark reminder of the demons that he’s been trying to keep at bay.

Skillfully acted and directed, The Repetition is a hard-hitting study of one man’s hard-fought effort to improve his life and learn to start taking things one day at a time.

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

The long-lost queer indie classic ‘Together Alone’ is now available on Dekkoo!

Shooting on 16-millimeter black and white film in his own apartment back in 1991, with a budget of just seven thousand dollars, filmmaker P.J. Castellaneta wrote, directed, produced, edited and even catered this bare-bones affair as his cinematic calling card while capturing a very specific moment in LGBTQ+ history.

Together Alone stars Todd Styles and Terry Curry as two men, both coincidentally named Brian, who meet in a bar and end up going home together. Later, they start getting to know one another, spending hours talking through a variety of topics – including AIDS, sexuality, feminism, role-playing and Emily Dickinson.

A fascinating time capsule that celebrates the value of good dialog and showcases what a smart filmmaker can do with a shoestring budget, Together Alone isn’t a well known film, but it earned much respect at the time of its release. Writing in The Austin Chronicle, critic Marjorie Barmgauten called the film “forthright and artistically accomplished.” It went on to win numerous accolades, including the ‘Audience Award’ at the San Francisco International Lesbian and Gay Film Festival, the ‘Teddy Award’ for ‘Best Feature Film’ and the ‘Best Art House Film Award’ at the Berlin International Film Festival and the award for ‘Best Feature Film’ at the Torino International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival.

Watch the trailer for Together Alone below. The film is finally available once again, ready to be discovered by a whole new generation, on Dekkoo.

Lead actors Nick Ferrucci and Benjamin Farmer return for the final entry in ‘The Falls Trilogy’

Brace yourself for the emotional final entry of director Jon Garcia’s The Falls Trilogy. The original film, about two Mormon missionaries who fall in love, was released in 2012 to such great acclaim that it spawned two unexpected, but wholly welcome sequels.

In The Falls: Covenant of Grace, the third installment, lead actors Nick Ferrucci and Benjamin Farmer reprise their roles as R.J. and Chris, two men who seem destined to be together despite overwhelming obstacles.

Now finally together, the pair are struggling to make their relationship work amid conflicts with their families and their faith. Determined to put the past behind them, the two men set in motion a quest for unconditional love that ultimately leads them to the very top of the Latter Day Saints leadership.

Handling controversial topics with great sensitivity, this final trilogy entry has resonated with LGBTQ+ audiences around the world.

Don’t miss this exquisitely moving third chapter – and make sure to check out The Falls and the first sequel The Falls: Testament of Love, both of which are also streaming right now on Dekkoo.

Short Film Spotlight: Far From Water

Prolific Brooklyn-based director Josh Cox adds to his growing collection of well-crafted queer indie shorts with the evocative 5-minute film Far From Water.

Jarid Dominguez and Lucas Nealon star in the film as two unnamed male friends who are enjoying a trip to the beach together.

From the very beginning, as soon as the pair start playfully stripping off their clothes to go swimming, the sexual tension is palpable.

When they end up sharing a furtive, short-lived make-out session in the dunes, it shakes their relationship to the core and forces them to examine what the future may have in store for them.

With minimal dialog and only a sliver of a running time, Cox is able to pack a whole lot of emotion into this observational coming-of-age tale. The characters may not say a whole lot, but the way they behave with one another – both before and after their romantic encounter – manages to speak volumes.

Watch a brief teaser for Far From Water below. The short film is now streaming on Dekkoo.

Two older gay men navigate the complexities of retirement in the winning comedy ‘Turtles’

Turtles follows Thom and Henri, a married gay couple in their 60s who are living an outwardly sweet existence in their quaint home in Brussels with their pet turtles Topsy and Turvy.

As they celebrate Henri’s retirement from the police force, Thom sees a perfect opportunity to rekindle their passion after 35 years together. Henri, however, can’t seem to cope with his newfound lack of purpose.

Soon enough, the two begin to drive one another crazy. Through a series of increasingly desperate and hilarious maneuvers that only further drive the wedge between them, Thom crusades to keep their marriage alive… even if Henri would rather turn to Grindr. An all-out battle of one-upmanship soon begins.

From writer-director David Lambert, Turtles explores the complexities of an older gay couple with humor and emotional depth, featuring stellar performances by English actor and comedian Dave Johns and Belgian film veteran Olivier Gourmet – who manage to create a classic comedy duo in the Tracy and Hepburn mold.

Thoughtful, provocative and deeply funny, the film presents a unique take on the challenges of long-term relationships and the search for renewed love and purpose.

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

Mormon lovers R.J. and Chris reunite in the bittersweet second entry of ‘The Falls Trilogy’

The second entry in the romantic trilogy from writer-director Jon Garcia, The Falls: Testament of Love reunites lead actors Benjamin Farmer and Nick Ferrucci as former Mormon missionaries and doomed lovers R.J. and Chris.

Picking up five years after the events of The Falls, we learn that the young men’s lives have taken radically different paths. Just as they are beginning to put the past behind them and establish their adult lives, the death of a mutual friend brings them unexpectedly back together.

As old feelings of affection and regret are rekindled, R.J. and Chris must once again confront their seemingly impossible love. Will their reunion prove that the two are fated to be together… or will reality come crashing down on them once again?

Farmer and Ferrucci deliver remarkably natural performances once again in this bittersweet romantic drama that has a lot to say about religion, familial obligations, sexual repression and first love.

Watch the trailer for The Falls: Testament of Love below. The film, along with the original in the trilogy, are now streaming on Dekkoo. The third entry, The Falls: Covenant of Grace, will be available later this month.