Category: Drama

Prepare to be smitten with the charming new coming-of-age comedy ‘Big Boys’

A teen boy’s unexpected crush leads to a weekend of self-discovery in Big Boys, a relentlessly charming and deeply relatable new coming-of-age comedy from writer-director Corey Sherman.

Isaac Krasner stars as Jamie, a young man who finds his dream camping trip ruined, before it even begins, when he learns that his cousin will be bringing along her new boyfriend.

His initial jealousy of Dan, the boyfriend in question (played by David Johnson III), quickly turns into a friendship, however, as the pair bond over their love of cooking and games. It also doesn’t hurt that they both happen to be ‘big boys.’

As the weekend progresses, Jamie wants nothing more than to spend more time with Dan. As his burgeoning crush gets him into awkward scrapes and arguments, Jamie finally begins to come to terms with who he is – and who he desires.

The winner of last year’s Audience Award at Outfest Los Angeles, Big Boys is a hilarious and heartwarming crowd-pleaser. We can’t recommend it more highly.

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

Short Film Spotlight: The Black Widow

While cycling through the streets of Marseille, Alfredo (Siro Pedrozzi), a young Italian student, crashes his bike. Seeking help, he stumbles upon a strange porno theater – seemingly imported from another time – during the screening of a mysterious film called La Vedova Nera (The Black Widow).

Once inside, reality begins to morph with the images on the screen, creating one single terrifying dimension. Consumed with thoughts of sadomasochism, murder and graphic gay sex, our protagonist finds himself trapped somewhere between fear and arousal as he looks to make his escape from this disorienting dream space.

A colorful homage to giallo films – and the work of Dario Argento in particular – this provocative, mind-bending 21-minute queer horror short from co-directors Fiume and Julian McKinnon is backed with bold and incredibly creepy cinematic imagery you won’t soon forget.

Watch a short teaser trailer for The Black Widow below. The film is now streaming on Dekkoo.

The queer classic ‘Saturday Night at the Baths’ comes to Dekkoo in a new 4K restoration

Newly restored in 4K, director David Buckley’s landmark excursion into bisexuality, 1970s relationship politics and the historical importance of gay bathhouse culture is celebrated in his 1975 film Saturday Night at the Baths.

When struggling pianist Michael (Robert Aberdeen) lands a job at the legendary Continental Baths in New York City, his wife Tracy (Ellen Sheppard) encourages him – and even emphasizes how special this institution is. Michael, however, struggles with his own homophobia, yet starts developing feelings for his confident and sexually free co-worker Scotti (Don Scotti).

Shot on-location inside the famous Continental Baths and featuring an unforgettable 12-minute scene of the actual entertainment of the time, both musical and erotic alike, Saturday Night at the Baths is a sublime example of the compelling and sensual queer cinema of one of the most groundbreaking periods in gay and bisexual film history.

Watch the trailer for the new restoration of Saturday Night at the Baths below. The film is now streaming on Dekkoo.

Short Film Spotlight: The Touching

A hidden secret borne of mutual self-discovery hides behind the bedroom door of brothers David and Marek (Herman Tajovský and Krystof Brand).

Though it all starts out as relatively innocent experimentation, Marek starts to feel that their curiosity has crossed the limits of brotherly love. When he begins to distance himself, the younger David struggles to understand why his beloved older brother’s attitude has suddenly shifted.

A mesmerizing 39-minute short film from Czech writer-director Dominik György, The Touching has a timeless quality that fits perfectly with the narrative’s boyhood coming-of-age themes. Filmed in black and white in a 1.33 aspect ratio, the film feels like it could have been made during just about any time over the last sixty years.

Handling deeply uncomfortable subject matter with intelligence, style and grace, the film earned numerous awards at festivals all around the world – and marked György as a distinct cinematic voice worth keeping an eye on. As of now, his resume only includes shorts, but we can’t wait to see what he’s able to do with a feature length film.

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

Norbert Leo Butz and Cheri Oteri star in the poignant gay family dramedy ‘Give or Take’

Losing a parent or loved one is never easy, but it’s even more difficult when the relationship is already strained. In Give or Take, an open-hearted family dramedy from director Paul Riccio, a young man learns to reconcile the anger he feels toward his late father with a little help from an unlikely ally.

Co-writer Jamie Effros stars are Martin, a disillusioned New Yorker who travels back to his Cape Code home in the wake of his father’s passing. Once there, he works to settle his dad’s estate and prepare his childhood house for sale.

The situation is made tricky when he comes face-to-face with troubling memories, old friends he wished to leave behind and, perhaps most notably, his father’s late-in-life, live-in boyfriend Ted (played by two-time Tony Award winner Norbert Leo Butz).

With few walls to separate them, Martin and Ted must learn to put their differences aside and negotiate how they’re willing to honor the memory of the man they both loved… in very different ways.

Co-starring ‘Saturday Night Live’ alum Cheri Oteri, Give or Take is a funny and deeply heartfelt family comedy about love, loss, empathy, acceptance and what it truly means to come home.

Watch the trailer for Give or Take below. The film is now streaming on Dekkoo.

Short Film Spotlight: Skinny Fat

In Skinny Fat, a short Welsh comedy based on real events by writer-director Mathew David, a gay man confronts his insecurities in a store changing room, triggering him to relive a past trauma.

The filmmaker also stars as Mathew, a 33-year-old man shopping with his mom, Bernie (played by British comedy legend Ruth Madoc). Trying to find the perfectly fitting shirt proves difficult: the smalls are too small everything else is too big.

Mathew’s belly fat becoming the all-consuming focus of his attention causes his mother to be concerned about his behavior. Flashbacks to an abusive relationship with his ex-boyfriend only lead him deeper down the rabbit hole.

Being a loving mother, Bernie tries, through kindness and charm, to break him out of this dangerous path of self-sabotage. But can she pull him out of the darkness? Will Mathew find a way to be happy in his own skin? Or will he be destined to live in fear of his own body?

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