Category: Drama

Short Film Spotlight: Impulses

Two very different individuals settle into one romantic unit in the sexy new short film Impulses, a visually striking work from Argentine filmmaker Juan Mirarchi.

Playing out like a dark tone poem, the film follows a writer named Joaquin, who, burdened by anxiety and self-doubt, struggles to embrace the romantic and emotional vulnerability that presents itself when he starts living with Gabriel, his seemingly perfect new boyfriend.

What, at first, seems like it may be a case of obsessive interpersonal attachment soon reveals itself as simple post-commitment jitters blown way out of proportion.

The actors bare both body and soul in this tender and thought-provoking short relationship drama.

Watch a short teaser for Impulses below. The film is now streaming on Dekkoo.

Mismatched roommates become unexpected allies in the sly British dramedy ‘Makeup’

When two people are brought together from completely different walks of life, it can make for awkward circumstances, especially when they both have their secrets.

Making his feature debut, writer-director Hugo Andre also stars in the film Makeup as Sacha, an introverted French food critic who travels to London. Moving into a rented room in a house belonging to Dan (Will Masheter), a well-respected stockbroker, they fall into a classic “Odd Couple” dynamic.

As time goes on, Dan attempts to hide his aspirations of becoming a burlesque dancer from those who perceive him as an alpha male. Despite their differences, Sacha and Dan soon become pillars of support in each other’s lives.

A winner of 15 different awards at film festivals around the globe – including ‘Directorial Debut by a Young Film Maker’ at the London International Film Festival – Makeup is a stirring drama about the unlikely friendship that forms between the hidden personalities of two distinct characters.

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

Check out the short works of filmmaker Tristan Scott-Behrends this month on Dekkoo!

This month, we’re shining a much-deserved spotlight on the short film work of auteur writer/director Tristan Scott-Behrends.

His films – funny, eclectic and packed with bold visual style – have been making a splash on the queer film festival circuit since the debut of Curtain Down in 2017. A 25-minute short, he wrote, produced and stars alongside Margaret Cho in this love story from director Emett Casey. The film takes a surreal but tender look at gender, identity and aging as our lead character is forced to choose between art and love.

Only Trumpets, his directorial debut, following an outsider navigating love and sex in the digital age, made it’s world premiere at the 2018 Outfest Film Festival, where it was selected as ‘Best of the Fest.’

Our four-film collection also includes The Man of My Dreams, which follows two gorgeous, magnetic male lovers as they traipse around the streets of New York City enmeshed in a dreamy romance.

Finally, Lilac Lips, Dutchess County, a reimagining of Jean Cocteau’s Orpheus, stars Joey Hardy Gray as nymph-like protagonist, navigating the complexities of relationships in a maze of his own making.

Exploring themes of identity, gender, isolation and sexuality in the most delicious ways possible, Tristan Scott-Behrends is a filmmaker worth keeping an eye on. While he’s currently hard at work developing a script for a feature film version of Only Trumpets, you can now enjoy some of his most stylish and provocative shorts right here on Dekkoo.

A young man looks for new connections in the provocative Dekkoo Exclusive ‘In Ashes’

Spanning the five-year period after an intense break-up, In Ashes is an arresting drama and an unconventional coming-of-age tale.

Christian (Rex Leonard), a twenty-something gay man, is trying to get over the heartbreak of his first love. Looking for meaningful connections through emotionless online dating apps, he goes through a whirlwind of experiences. His passion gives way to obsession as he sets out on an intense journey to find new love… and possibly himself along the way.

A deeply personal, semi-autobiographical film from prolific Danish director Ludvig Christian Næsted Poulsen, In Ashes tells a modern story about the search for love, offering up a raw and unflinchingly honest portrait of one young gay man’s quest to find his way in life.

Watch the trailer for In Ashes below. The film is now streaming exclusively on Dekkoo.

Short Film Spotlight: The Blue Angel

Set in the 1990s, director René Pereyra’s 35-minute short The Blue Angel tells the story of a nightclub that is on the brink of disappearing.

Porfirio, an HIV positive man, returns home to run the night club, when he meets a fortuitously-named patron that will alter the course of his life forever.

Part drama, part dark comedy, the film takes place in a small, turbulent Mexican town full of insecure men and tells a poignant story about homophobia and machismo posturing that conceals a burgeoning homosexuality.

Inspired by director Peter Bogdonovich’s 1971 classic The Last Picture Show, Pereyra made the film to shine light on what he sees as a very real and continuing problem in Mexican society.

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

Don’t miss the acclaimed gay romantic comedy ‘Perfect Endings’ – a new Dekkoo Exclusive!

Following up his crowd-pleasing, critically-acclaimed 2014 romance The Way He Looks, Brazilian writer-director Daniel Ribeiro returns with the endearing, sexy and far more grown up sophomore feature Perfect Endings.

Perfect Endings stars Artur Volpi as João, a struggling filmmaker who is fresh off of a 10-year-long relationship and ready to dive back into single dating life.

With the support of his hilarious besties, João rides the oh-so-relatable rollercoaster of emotions as he tries to find himself and his voice as a filmmaker while navigating the ups and downs of hook-up culture and rebound romance.

João begins to take charge of his destiny, intermingling the scenes from his dating life into his screenwriting and swiftly blurring the lines between the two. But can we really write our way to a perfect ending? Or do we have to surrender to serendipity? His earnest search for fulfillment through love and creativity’s battlefield leads us on a heartwarming journey to an unexpected, sweetly satisfying and very erotic ending that lives up to the title.

Watch the trailer for Perfect Endings below. The film is now streaming exclusively on Dekkoo!

A weekend trip takes a dark turn in director Todd Verow’s provocative thriller ‘Tumbledown’

Inspired by true events, Tumbledown is an explosive cinematic cocktail – an emotional rollercoaster ride through the dark side of sexuality.

The film follows the complicated love triangle that develops when Rick (Brad Hallowell), a hunky bartender, meets an alluring older gentleman named Jay (played by writer-director Todd Verow).

Seemingly generous and well-to-do, Jay invites Rick and his partner Mike (Brett Faulkner) to spend a weekend with him at his remote country cabin. Once there, the clothes are shed and a steamy threesome seems to be forming.

Once copious amounts of drugs and alcohol are thrown into the mix, things take a far more sinister turn. Jay’s true nature is soon revealed, leading to a troubling obsession with even darker implications.

Written and directed by Todd Verow, the indie provocateur behind Frisk, Vacationland and Anonymous, Tumbledown is a bold and riveting thriller that is sure to leave you breathless.

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

A queer filmmaker visits a sleepy seaside village in the French rom-com ‘My Life with James Dean’

Still pining for his ex-boyfriend, aloof filmmaker Géraud (Johnny Rasse) has travelled to a seaside town along the North Coast of France to present his newest experimental feature.

The only person keen on seeing Géraud’s new film, however, is Balthazar (Mickaël Pelissier), the local theater’s young projectionist, who becomes increasingly more smitten by the handsome director.

With charm, sex appeal, a fondness for slapstick humor and a subtle homage to the films of Eric Rohmer, this sophisticated romantic comedy from writer/director Dominique Choisy follows several different characters through hotel rooms and nearly empty movie theatres across Normandy as they go to ridiculous extremes in the name of passion. With great reserves of optimism and hope, they keep chasing their romantic feelings, even when the results aren’t entirely what they expected.

Watch the trailer for My Life with James Dean below. The film is now streaming on Dekkoo.

Don’t miss the gripping, sexually-charged new Dekkoo Exclusive ‘The Pleasure is Mine’

Antonio (Max Suen), a streetwise hustler and small-time drug pusher, wanders through Buenos Aires in search of money and sex.

His morals tossed aside, Antonio weaponizes his charisma, conjuring sexual relations with a laundry list of clientele… and stealing from them as they sleep. Only his tempestuous mother provides the force that may one day push him to leave the city in search of a new way of life and alternative forms of happiness.

An irreverent, compelling and sexually charged debut feature from Brazilian writer-director Sacha Amaral, The Pleasure is Mine offers up a searing, slow-motion portrait of hedonism and discovery.

Watch the trailer for The Pleasure is Mine below. The film is now available exclusively on Dekkoo!

Short Film Spotlight: Never Too Old

Directed by Morgan Martini and written by Rolando Zee, the 17-minute short Never Too Old is a life affirming testament to love

Florio and Jesse (Gregory Niebel and screenwriter Rolando Zee) have lived together as lovers for over 45 years. Florio had expressed a desire to get married once same-sex marriage had been legalized, but Jesse held firm to his decision never to tie the knot.

Jesse’s mind starts to change when the law does, however, and he proposes. A small, intimate wedding follows. In their married life they will, of course, face the challenges that come with old age, but they will do so as a committed couple.

Entering marriage in their eighties, the two men offer up a testament to hope and a statement of courage and love.

Watch the trailer for Never Too Old below. The short film is now streaming on Dekkoo.