Category: Drama

The New Queer Cinema classic ‘Young Soul Rebels’ comes home to Dekkoo

Young Soul Rebels, a 1991 classic from maverick New Queer Cinema director Isaac Julien, has been restored to its original director’s cut in a stunning new 4K version overseen by Julien and director of photography Nina Kelgren.

Set in East London in 1977 – just days before Queen Elizabeth’s Silver Jubilee – the film revolves around underground DJs Chris and Caz, who find their worlds rocked when a close friend is murdered in a queer hook-up park.

Their tight-knit local Black community suspects potential right-wing involvement, while the police point fingers at Chris as the prime suspect.

Winner of the Critic’s Prize at the 1991 Cannes Film Festival, Young Soul Rebels has gone on to earn even more critical acclaim in the time since its release.

With pulsating energy and an unforgettable soundtrack, Julien examines race clashes and the interaction between cultural youth movements – namely skinheads, punks and soul boys – along with the social, political and cultural tensions between them.

Still as relevant today, we’re thrilled to introduce Young Soul Rebels – back and looking better than ever – to a whole new generation.

Watch a trailer for the new restoration below. Young Soul Rebels is now available on Dekkoo.

Alexandra Billings stars in the endearing and inspiring comedy-drama ‘Queen Tut’

‘Transparent’ actress Alexandra Billings stars in the endearing comedy-drama Queen Tut as a trans stage veteran who takes an aspiring seamstress and drag queen under her wings.

Following the death of his mother, Egyptian-raised teen Nabil (Ryan Ali) reluctantly moves to Toronto to live with his traditionally-minded father. There he meets Malibu (Billings) who is on her own crusade to protect Mandy’s, her drag nightclub and queer haven, from demolition.

The shy Nabil, wanting to learn how to sew like his late seamstress mother, finds a drag mentor in the exuberant Malibu, who makes all her own dresses.

As the boy begins to find his true self, the local community’s fight to save their favorite nightclub quickly escalates, pitting Nabil against his architect father and drag queens and queers against the gentrification-minded establishment.

Funny, inspiring and packed with memorable performances, Queen Tut is a rousingly entertaining and insightful coming-out drag tale which has left audiences cheering at film festivals all around the globe.

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

Director Julián Hernández returns with the erotic and thought-provoking short film ‘Cobalt’

Julián Hernández, the acclaimed Mexican filmmaker behind Raging Sun, Raging Sky, I Am Happiness on Earth and the recent Dekkoo release The Trace of Your Lips, is back with another emotional, thought-provoking and sexually-charged short film classic.

Reuniting with actor Luis Vegas, who was featured in The Trace of Your Lips, the 21-minute Cobalt finds Hernández examining the tricky relationship between a talented photographer and his most mysterious model.

Though Uriel, the photographer, has not heard from Damián, his alluring muse, in quite some time, he’s quick to come to his aid after receiving an emergency phone call in the middle of the night.

Damián, who has been earning money on the streets, sustained serious injuries during a rough hook-up with a client. Now it’s up to Uriel to nurse him back to health – all while wondering how deep their relationship actually goes.

The film flashes back to different points in the pair’s history, explaining how they met outside of a porn theater and formed a working relationship that evolved into a passionate, though largely undefined, romantic entanglement.

Though we get glimpses into Uriel’s thoughts via voiceover narration, the relationship between the two men mostly plays out wordlessly. Hernández lets the actor’s eyes and bodies do most of the talking – while the tense score and Hitchcockian cinematography warn us of the dangers ahead.

Gorgeously composed and acted with incredible grace and beauty by the two leads, Cobalt offers an intimate examination of a bruising romance – and it’s almost impossible to look away.

Watch the trailer for Cobalt below. The short film is now streaming on Dekkoo. Also make sure to check out Vegas and Hernández’s other recent collaboration, The Trace of Your Lips – available now.

Don’t miss Australian filmmaker Craig Boreham’s sizzling new gay romance ‘Lonesome’

From Craig Boreham, the acclaimed Australian filmmaker behind Teenage Kicks, comes a sexually-charged new romance about a young cowboy who falls in love with the big city… and the man he meets there.

Lonesome follows Casey (Josh Lavery), a handsome young country boy who is running away from a small-town scandal. While trying to rebuild his life amid the hustle and bustle of Sydney, Australia, he meets Tib (Daniel Gabriel), a street-smart city boy struggling with his own scars of isolation.

While palpable desire and undeniable chemistry define their early interactions, the young men soon find something that’s been missing in their connection with one another – and that sudden rush of intimacy both excites and terrifies them.

Featuring exceptional performances by lead actors Lavery and Gabriel, Lonesome is a gorgeous and thoughtful gay drama, exploring casual sexuality, affection, loneliness and the distinct feeling of isolation in a world that has, technically, never been more connected.

Boreham has created a powder-keg of a would-be romance that doubles as a sensuous portrait of reconciliation and redemption.

Watch the trailer for Lonesome below. The film is now streaming on Dekkoo. You can also watch Craig Boreham’s Teenage Kicks, which is available now.

‘Wild Awakening’ is a deliciously campy erotic thriller about forbidden gay cowboy love

A deliciously erotic story of forbidden love from Spanish first-time director Joan Fermí Martí, Wild Awakening is equal parts family drama and campy gay soap opera.

The film stars Júlia Hernández as Emma and Fabián Castro as her gay brother Toni. Having inherited a business after the death of their parents, the siblings find themselves the unusually young proprietors of a horse ranch and riding school.

The land is populated almost entirely by buff, shirtless and extremely handsome male employees – all of whom are led by a homophobic taskmaster named Ramon (Richie Ormon). When both Emma and Toni start to develop feelings for Ramon’s son, Aaron (Christian Blanch), an unbelievably hunky Adonis, it sets the film’s conflict into motion.

Emma isn’t going to be pleased if Aaron turns out to be more interested in her brother. Equally concerned is the bigoted Ramon, who certainly doesn’t want to accept that his son may be gay.

Toni, known for having a promiscuous gay sex life, has a history of running away whenever things get too serious with a boyfriend. With Aaron, however, he may have finally found someone worth sticking around for.

Packed with some of the hottest Spanish men you’ll ever lay eyes on and dripping with sensuality, Wild Awakening is about as much fun as you can have with your clothes on.

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

Short Film Spotlight: Leap Weekend

14-year-old David (Matías Álvarez) is spending summer vacation with his cousin Pamela (Camila Oliva) at her remote home in Chile. In the middle of an oppressive heatwave, her boyfriend Javier (David Vargas) arrives for an extended visit.

In David’s eyes, Javier is the epitome of cool. He quickly becomes something of an older brother figure for the shy and reserved teen – offering him his first sip of beer and even taking him out for driving lessons.

David soon becomes infatuated with the older man, stealing his used gum and taking an extra special interest in the clothes he leaves behind in the bathroom. As the heatwave intensifies, so does David’s desire for Javier – which leads to some less-than-wise decisions.

Featuring beautiful black and white cinematography, writer-director Daniel Rivera’s Leap Weekend has a timeless and deeply personal quality, perfectly capturing the intense rush of one young man’s first serious crush.

Watch a short clip from Leap Weekend below. This gorgeous 19-minute film is streaming now on Dekkoo.

Two men’s marriage plans cause a media firestorm in the romantic drama ‘Mysterious Ways’

From Paul Oremland, the New Zealand-based filmmaker behind 100 Men, Surveillance 24/7 and Like It Is, Mysterious Ways tells the powerful and courageous story of two men who become torn between their faith, their families and their love for one another.

Anglican priest Peter (played by British actor Richard Short, from The Tragedy of Macbeth and the Canadian TV series ‘Mary Kills People’) and boyfriend Jason (played by newcomer Nick Afoa) want to get married.

For Anglicans, this is not allowed – and homosexuality itself is still taboo in Samoan culture. Samoan-Kiwi Jason has to deal with his family’s strict cultural beliefs while Peter clashes with the Anglican Church hierarchy.

When news of their marriage plans make headlines, it scandalizes the devout local community and unleashes a media storm that pushes the couple’s relationship to the limit.

A searing critique of the church’s attitude towards the LGBTQ+ community, Mysterious Ways is an impassioned and moving drama.

In the words of director Oremland, “Most religions still see being gay as sinful. This does huge harm to millions of people in terms of self-esteem, family rejection and legitimizing hatred. A love story where God is on our side is a powerful statement that is needed now more than ever.”

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