Category: Drama

12 LGBTQ shorts come together in the astounding animation collection Colour Me Queer

Since its origins, animation has thrived as one of cinema’s most beloved formats to tell stories – and this exciting new collection from MIYU distribution is no different.

Through the eyes of award-winning directors, Colour Me Queer explores issues of sexuality, love, and acceptance in a number of thrilling, imaginative styles.

Below we have a short synopsis for each of the 12 films featured in this astounding new collection. Colour Me Queer is available now on Dekkoo.

Tom has a Plant
Tom is living in a world where he doesn’t feel that he belongs, torn between staying or searching for a better place. On his last day, Tom decides to give all of his plants away to the ones he loves, without knowing that they already have a secret plan for him.

I Wait for the Night
A discussion between two boys on the shores of an abandoned lake will force one of them to face his inner demons.

Holy Nuns
Sucked into a whirlwind of improbable events, two eccentric nuns end up sliding down the slippery slope to sin.

Shudo
Two samurais face one another on a battlefield ravaged by war. Absorbed by their pride, they clash in a duel fuelled by deep emotions.

Modern Man
Frida is an old housewife. Her anger rises when she observes her spoiled and pampered husband being indoctrinated by a sexist rap clip.

Tentatrice
During the Roaring Twenties of Chicago, Myrtille is desperately attracted to the the Cabaret’s Singer. One night, the power of a peculiar perfume gives her a chance to step out of the shadows.

Bacchus
Alex, a young woman bored with modern life, is lured by Bacchus into a colorful and mysterious world to explore her deepest desires.

Chapped Lips
In a kitchen, a mother and a child struggle to establish dialogue.

She
In her room, a little girl is unhappy. Sitting on her bed on which is placed a doll, she looks at it with annoyance then catches and throws. This model little girl’s room is not in her image.

Animals
Find out what happens when people stuck on a train stop being anti-social and impolite and start getting real.

Ama
1950: On the coast of Japan, an American woman is visiting a village with her military husband and a group of friends. Breaking away from the group, she meets with Namiko, a young ama fisherwoman.

Make a Stand
Two young women are about to receive the greatest honour : be sacrified to their gods. But the sacrifice doesn’t go as expected.

Of Aska
Two women live happily together, one starts to transform, disturbing their usual dynamic. The one left unchanged has to decide how far their love goes.

Now Available: From Afar

Winner of the Golden Lion Award (the “Best Film” award, essentially) at Venice Film Festival, Alfredo Castro (The Club, The Prince) stars in this gripping and complex drama from Venezuela.

Wealthy, middle-aged Armando (Castro) lures young men to his home with money. He doesn’t want to touch them – or to be touched. He simply wants to watch from a strict distance. Armando’s first encounter with a young street thug named Elder (played by newcomer Luis Silva) is violent, but this doesn’t discourage the lonely man’s fascination with the tough handsome teenager.

Financial interest keeps Elder visiting Armando regularly. Despite their taboo arrangement, an unexpected intimacy begins to emerge between the two mismatched men. However, Armando’s haunted past looms large, and Elder soon ends up committing the ultimate act of affection on Armando’s behalf.

From Afar is available now on Dekkoo. Watch the trailer below.

Watch the dark, ’90s-set cruising thriller Devil’s Path this Halloween

In the early 90s, while searching for his missing brother in a remote gay cruising park, Noah (Stephen Twardokus) sets his sights on a handsome stranger (JD Scalzo).

When Noah is viciously attacked, he and his new companion escape through the woods with two menacing thugs in hot pursuit.

Lost and frightened, they begin to turn on each other and slowly unravel the truth of what’s really going on around them.

A moody, picturesque psychological thriller from prolific actor and first-time director Matthew Montgomery, Devil’s Path is Halloween viewing-ready. The film features unexpected twists and turns, and seamlessly blends sharp, opposing perspectives about sex and love with suspenseful set pieces filled with existential dread.

Watch the trailer for Devil’s Path below. The film is available now on Dekkoo.

Short Film Spotlight: I Am Norman

The new 18-minute short film I Am Norman opens with a warning. “You may find the following scenes upsetting, but that doesn’t always mean you should turn away.” The film then follows a man, a conversion therapy survivor living in his car, who takes a filmmaker into the woods to share a dark and disturbing secret.

From director/star Arron Blake and co-director Darius Shu, I Am Norman was filmed over three days during lockdown. The filmmakers challenged themselves to create a visually beautiful short with provocative storytelling using only a two-man crew.

Featuring an exceptional lead performance from Blake, the film has earned rave reviews from critics. Voice Magazine called the film “silently masterful,” Film Threat called it a “refined piece of work,” and Culture Fix called it, rightfully, “unsettling.”

Watch the trailer for I Am Norman below. The film is available now on Dekkoo.

Now Available: Thicker Than Water

Longtime best friends Joaquín (played by writer-director Benjamín Cardona) and Carol (Isabel Arraiza) are engaged in a deeply codependent relationship. Both of these young friends find themselves trapped, lacking a clear vision of where their lives are headed.

While Joaquín’s sexuality drives a wedge between himself and his conservative family, Carol juggles multiple unfruitful relationships that keep her caught inside a stagnant loop.

Realizing that his perception of love has been greatly affected by his broken upbringing, Joaquín struggles to finally move forward, delicately balancing his tried-and-true connection with Carol against the arrival of a new romantic partner. He’s soon forced to question all of his expectations of happiness in the process.

A stylish, bittersweet and refreshingly honest examination of friendship and personal evolution, Thicker Than Water (originally titled Más que el agua) marks the arrival of a major talent in writer-director-star Benjamín Cardona.

Watch the trailer for Thicker Than Water below. The film is available to stream now on Dekkoo.

Short Film Spotlight: If I’m Good

A brand-new Dekkoo Films original short film from director Jonathon Pawlowski and screenwriter Madison Hatfield, If I’m Good is a touching short film about grief and finding a light at the end of the tunnel.

Sam (Jono Mitchell) isn’t in a great place. He lost his husband, unexpectedly, only twelve days ago. As anyone who has been through the grieving process knows, it takes a while, and Sam is at just about the point where the reality of his loss is beginning to sink in. Though his sister (Jordan Blair Mangold Brown) wants nothing more than to help, there isn’t a whole lot she can do to mend her brother’s broken heart.

When Sam takes a trip to the pharmacy, he meets Jorge – pronounced “George” – (Daniel Annone). Self-described as “the worst pharmacy associate,” Jorge breaks the rules and decides to flirt with his cute new customer. While Sam is nowhere near ready to start a new relationship, Jorge’s attention brings him just a tiny glimmer of hope – and a reminder that, no matter how difficult things may seem, there are always new opportunities around the corner. The two end up spending a little time together, and Sam soon turns an important corner.

A sweet, smart and gently emotional short film, If I’m Good is now available on Dekkoo.

Dinah East, a long-lost LGBTQ+ curio, comes to Dekkoo

Originally released in 1970, Dinah East tells the story of a glamourous movie starlet who is later revealed to be a trans woman.

In 1950s Hollywood, Dinah East (Jeremy Stockwell) fooled the world into believing he was a she – and became a glamorous movie diva on top of it. When she dies, the secret finally comes out. The film proceeds to tell the story of her relationships with friends and intimates – including a lesbian wardrobe designer, a gay matinee idol (with whom she had an affair), a protective lawyer and a washed up prize fighter who becomes her chauffeur.

Marketed at the time as “Hollywood’s strangest story,” Dinah East is a film that is deeply dated and problematic in many respects, but surprisingly far ahead of its time in others. Seen today, it’s an undeniably fascinating cult classic curio of a bygone era.

After a short, but celebrated run in theaters, the film seemingly disappeared, but has not been restored for modern audiences. Take a trip back fifty years and behold the lost LGBTQ+ classic Dinah East. The film is now available on Dekkoo.

Short Film Spotlight: Gentleman Spa

Hao is a lonely and romantic young janitor who works at a spa for gay men. He dreams of finding a loving, committed relationship, but lacks the confidence to make it happen.

When he meets Kai, a customer, and has an opportunity to become his masseuse, an unexpected bond begins to grow and Hao suddenly sees a chance to make his dreams come true.

A short comedy-drama from Taiwanese co-writer Bon An and co-writer/director Jhi-Han Yu, Gentleman Spa is filled with awkward sexual tension, but also packs a positive message about feeling comfortable in your own skin (especially when it’s coming into contact with attractive strangers).

Watch a short trailer for Gentleman Spa below. The full 18-minute short film is now available on Dekkoo.

The arrival of a secret gay lover threatens to derail an already tense wedding in the new drama The Marriage

With their wedding only two weeks away, Anita and Bekim (Adriana Matoshi and Alban Ukaj) are adding the final touches to their big day. Despite some major issues involving their respective families, the couple is managing to get through all of their many preparations.

However, when Bekim’s secret gay ex-lover, Nol (Genc Salihu), returns from abroad unexpectedly, the situation becomes complicated, especially when Bekim realizes that Nol is still in love with him.

Inevitably, the wedding banquet becomes loaded with tension when this unusual love triangle starts to unravel.

A touching and compassionate drama about the impossibility of a gay love affair in Kosovo’s patriarchal society, The Marriage is a well-acted and absorbing film debut from director Blerta Zeqiri. The film was the recipient of the FIPRESCI and Special Jury prizes in Tallinn and was the official Kosovar submission to the Academy Awards.

Watch the trailer for The Marriage below. The film is available now on Dekkoo.

Short Film Spotlight: The Pier Man

Theo (Hubert Girard) is a young dock worker who is starting to find only monotony in his day-to-day life. When he meets the alluring Giuseppe (Youssouf Abi-Ayad) a disillusioned sailor spending some time ashore, things begin to change.

Through Giuseppe, Theo starts to imagine a potential new life for himself – one far more exciting than the one he is living. Soon, he musters up the courage to face the waves, escape his dull existence and get closer to Giuseppe by joining his crew.

From Swiss writer-director Loïc Hobi, The Pier Man is a sexy, stylish and thought-provoking 20-minute short film. Using an almost 1980s-style synth score and spare, careful cinematography, the film takes a look at what life is like in an only-male world out at sea – and how, for some, that could be either a blessing or a curse.

The Pier Man is available now on Dekkoo.