Category: Drama

A personal video sparks a media firestorm in the acclaimed Singaporean drama ‘#LookatMe’

When twin brothers Sean and Ricky are invited to attend church with Sean’s girlfriend, they are treated to an Evangelical rock concert capped by a searing anti-gay sermon.

Incensed by what he’s seen, Sean, a Youtuber, decides to drop an outrageous video lampooning the megachurch’s pastor, but soon finds himself widely condemned – and even prosecuted – for flouting Singapore’s strict laws on public expression.

As Sean descends into near-madness in prison, Ricky gains prominence as an LGBTQ+ activist. Both find themselves at the heart of a culture war that spills out from social media into the real world.

Featuring an impressive lead performance by Yao (sometimes credited as Thomas Pang), an up-and-coming Singaporean actor who plays both brothers, #LookatMe blends together a wide variety of moods and genres, veering from deadly serious to colorfully camp without ever losing sight of its humanity.

Banned from screening in Singapore during a particularly ironic moment of life imitating art, director Ken Kwek’s acclaimed film tells a morally essential fable about social media celebrity, cancel culture and the erosion of basic human rights.

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

Take a trip back to 1996 with the sexy surfside drama ‘Bromance’

From writer-director Lucas Santa Ana and co-writer Diego Mina, sexy surfside drama Bromance follows four close friends who go on a camping trip together in a remote part of Argentina… and find some of their barely-concealed sexual tensions quickly bubbling to the surface.

Once in virtual seclusion by the beach, Julietta (Luana Pascual), the only girl of the group, quickly recognizes that the boys (Javier De Pietro, Agustín Pardella and Marcos Ribas) seem to have a closer relationship than what she would consider ‘normal’ (it’s only ’96, after all). The line between friendship and love fade further for two of the boys in particular as their desire becomes too much to bear.

When what started as a simple getaway quickly becomes tinged with sex, romance and conflict, everyone is forced to confront who they really are for the very first time.

Starring some very hot lead actors – including De Pietro, the scrumptious star of Marco Berger’s films Absent, Young Hunter and Sexual Tension: Volatile – Bromance uses a distinct time period and a clever found-footage aesthetic to deliver a thoughtful and supremely sexy meditation on young, burgeoning gay love.

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

‘Jump, Darling’ showcases a knockout performance by the late, great Cloris Leachman

The late, great Cloris Leachman delivers one of her finest late-career film roles in the moving, critically-acclaimed comedy-drama Jump, Darling.

Thomas Duplessie stars in the film as Russell, a struggling actor who moonlights as a drag queen under the name of Fishy Falters. Finding himself at crossroads in both his career and personal life, he escapes to the country and into the arms of Margaret, his aging grandmother (played by Leachman).

The pair soon find themselves in a mutually beneficial arrangement. As Margaret fights to avoid being put in an assisted living facility, Russell decides to move in and help. He also takes to the stage once more, using a local bar to showcase his glamorous skills and strike up a new romance with an attractive young bartender.

Leachman’s unparalleled comic timing and grounded pathos are used to great effect in writer-director Phil Connell’s intimate, genuinely heartfelt story, which features show-stopping musical numbers and profound truths about family dynamics.

An award-winning crowd-pleaser with humor and heart to spare, Jump, Darling is a true must-see about love, family and maintaining your dignity – no matter what your age is.

Watch the trailer for Jump, Darling below. The film is now streaming on Dekkoo.

Colman Domingo stars in the sexy and thought-provoking gay drama ‘Beautiful Something’

Edgy, absorbing and raw, writer-director Joseph Graham’s Beautiful Something takes a fresh and unsentimental look at the links between young and old, black and white, sex and love and desire and art.

Cute, 22-year-old writer Brian (Brian Sheppard) continually crashes and burns with each guy he meets, but does not understand why.

The stunningly gorgeous Jim (Zack Ryan) is not afraid to break hearts – except when it comes to Drew (recent Best Actor Oscar-nominee Colman Domingo!), a 40-something lover and world-renowned metal sculptor who can’t seem to look past his latest masterpiece.

Lastly there’s Bob (John Lescault), a successful talent agent from Los Angeles. Now in his mid-sixties, he leads a double life as a sugar daddy for the random young men he picks up.

All four of these characters comb the streets looking for connection. While they often settle for quick and dirty sexual shenanigans, there’s something in the air on this particular night that suggests the outcome will be much different.

Gorgeously directed by Graham (whose electrifying breakthrough film Strapped is also available now on Dekkoo), Beautiful Something tells bold and unflinchingly honest stories about sexually-charged gay life in the most compassionate and understanding way possible.

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

‘Boy Culture’ is back with a brand-new Dekkoo-original series – Available Now!

From creators Q. Allan Brocka and Matthew Rettenmund, this brand-new, 6-episode Dekkoo-original series follows up the 2006 gay indie hit Boy Culture.

Boy Culture: Generation X picks up ten years after the original, following hard-working male escort X (Derek Magyar) as he finds himself up against a much younger generation – who have gained a competitive edge on the market.

X is soon taken under the wing of Chayce (Jason Caceres), a barely-legal twink who is ruthlessly up to speed on how to sell himself to clients in the digital age.

As he struggles to keep his aging body fit and his unusual roster of kinky clients happy, X is also dealing with the realities of living with his ex-boyfriend Andrew (Darryl Stephens), who is aiming to move on from the former romantic entanglement.

Returning to the format of the novel on which the original Boy Culture was based, each episode of this sexy series centers around a particular client from which X learns – or specifically fails to learn – a lesson.

Derek Magyar and Darryl Stephens, the stars of the original film, are back for this brand-new installment, surrounded by many adorable new faces.

Older, wiser and more incisive than ever, Boy Culture: Generation X has a lot to say about love, sex, relationships and aging gracefully in a culture that often values youthful good looks above all else.

Watch the trailer for Boy Culture: Generation X below. Both the series and the original film are available now on Dekkoo!

Logan Miller stars in the gripping gay indie family drama ‘Take Me to the River’

Writer-director Matt Sobel’s assured directorial debut Take Me to the River tells the story of an artsy, confident and proudly gay California teen who is reluctantly heading to Nebraska with his parents for a for a family reunion.

Logan Miller, the charismatic, scene-stealing young character actor from Love, Simon, Escape Room and countless indie gems, stars as Ryder, the gay teen in question. Though his parents are supportive, there is some question over how the rest of their extended family will react to his lifestyle.

After planning to come out to his conservative relatives, he agrees to hold off at his mother’s request. Nevertheless, he makes a showy entrance at the cookout with his short shorts and eye-catching shades.

No one seems particularly impressed – except for a 9-year old cousin named Molly (played by Ursulla Parker), who follows him around adoringly. When they go to the barn to look for birds in the rafters and she comes back screaming and inconsolable, Ryder comes under suspicion from the rest of the family. In the process of clearing his name, he learns that some family secrets are better left in the dark.

Co-starring Robin Weigert, Richard Schiff and Josh Hamilton, Take Me to the River is a gripping, thoughtfully layered and superbly well-acted drama about clashing cultures, buried secrets and the ties that bind us.

Watch the trailer for Take Me to the River below. The film is now streaming on Dekkoo.

A shy teen is caught between his family and the boy of his dreams in ‘I Love You More’

How much would you be willing to sacrifice to finally meet up with the man of your dreams? That’s the question at the heart of the new teen drama I Love You More.

For the better part of a year, Ben (Don Shala), a shy Kosovar teen, has been involved in a romantic online entanglement with a boy named Leo. Though they haven’t met in person, they are making plans to do just that. Leo, who lives in Germany, is expecting to come for a visit in just one month.

Falling into the bittersweet throes of first love, Ben spends most of his waking hours engaged in online pillow talk while daydreaming about the day when the pair will finally be together.

An unexpected wrench is thrown into the works when his mom announces that the family will soon be moving to America and starting a new life for themselves. Though this might seem like good news, Ben is not nearly ready to move. If they leave Kosovo, he might never have the opportunity to meet Leo in person again.

Longing for love and connection, Ben puts his family’s dreams on the line and struggles to finally come forward with his truth.

The debut feature from non-binary filmmaker Erblin Nushi, who based the story on their own experiences and feelings of isolation as a queer kid in Kosovo, I Love You More is a tender, resonant and gorgeously crafted coming-of-age drama.

Watch the trailer for I Love You More below. The film is now streaming on Dekkoo.