Category: Gay Film

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.

Don’t miss the romantic comedy ‘Who Wants to Marry an Astronaut’ – A new Dekkoo Exclusive!

David (Raúl Tejón Sánchez), a marriage-obsessed gay man, is forced to choose between his matrimony-adverse boyfriend and the stranger who agrees to simulate a spur-of-the-moment Vegas wedding.

As the universe doles out destiny, everyone in David’s orbit gets swept up in the adventure. Egged on by his best girlfriend and a mother who is so hands-on that she has a fake Grindr profile to track his movements, David takes the leap, booking his flight from Barcelona to Vegas.

The trip is only meant to be a lark – a way to satisfy his matrimonial fever so he can settle into his 15-year relationship. But when he meets potential fake groom Esteban (Raúl Fernández de Pablo), downtrodden David’s future becomes as bright and chaotic as the Vegas strip itself.

Esteban’s joie de vivre and generous attention gives David the confidence that he has been lacking. Suddenly realizing that he is worthy of love, he begins to see a new version of himself through Esteban’s dreamy eyes. Now all he has left to do is decide with whom he’ll be walking down the aisle.

Loosely based on true events, Spanish director David Matamoros’s Who Wants to Marry an Astronaut is a heartwarming and splashy ode to classic romantic comedies.

Watch the trailer for Who Wants to Marry an Astronaut below. The film is now streaming exclusively 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.

Two slacker best buddies start to wear out their welcome in the new queer comedy ‘Rent Free’

Best friends since childhood, Ben and Jordan (Jacob Roberts and David Trevi̱o) are two young men living in a rapidly changing Austin, Texas Рwhere they navigate low-paying jobs, fraught relationships and their own emotionally codependent relationship.

When they suddenly lose their apartment, they come up with a last ditch plan to spend the rest of the year ‘rent free.’

The boys soon set out on a tragicomic journey across the couches, floors and guest rooms of their friends while desperately trying to save up enough money to leave behind a city they no longer recognize and flee for the promised land of New York City.

Made with effortless humor, sharp timing and a talented ensemble cast, Rent Free is a high-anxiety comedy about a generation on the edge, as well as a poignant exploration of male friendship and a city in flux.

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

‘This is Ballroom’ takes a backstage look at the Brazilian drag and queer performance scene

Conceived in New York during the 1960s, when two Black queens left the white-dominated pageant contests behind to create their own scene, ballroom culture has long been a space of freedom, expression, and transgression.

Some fifty years later, the ballroom scene in Brazil is thriving, with houses across the country teaching the art of shade.

Directed by queer Brazilian artists Juru and Vitã, This Is Ballroom stages a real-life ball in a city warehouse. Riotously soundtracked, the film only pauses for breath to illuminate the lives of its trans-led cast. Away from the glitz of the dance floor, these interviews reveal simmering racial and gender tensions.

Capturing the spirit of a new, emerging generation, This Is Ballroom celebrates this energetic subculture as a bounteous and transformative space for queer people of color.

Watch the trailer for This is Ballroom below. The documentary 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.

‘Studio One Forever’ takes a deep dive into a unique time and place in queer history

From 1974 to 1993, Studio One and its adjoining live music venue, The Backlot, became symbols of hope and community for gay men during tumultuous times.

Amidst the rise of gay rights, disco’s heyday and the devastating AIDS crisis, the club offered sanctuary from rampant homophobia and police oppression. Studio One was where legends like Chita Rivera and Eartha Kitt performed, and rising stars like Roseanne Barr and Rosie O’Donnell ignited their careers.

Through personal accounts, the new documentary Studio One Forever delves into the nightclub’s history, examining how the backdrop of a progressing gay liberation clashed with 1980s conservatism and the escalating AIDS nightmare.

A testament to an important era, this unique and insightful new doc from director Marc Saltarelli immortalizes the club’s legacy for future generations.

Watch the trailer for Studio One Forever below. The documentary is now streaming on Dekkoo.

Opposites attract in ‘Norwegian Dream,’ a romantic drama from the frozen shores of Scandinavia

Set in and around a fish factory in Trondheim, Norway, director Leiv Igor Devold’s Norwegian Dream follows two young men with completely different backgrounds and life experiences meet and fall into a cautious flirtation.

The men in question are Robert (Hubert Miłkowski), a hard-working Polish immigrant, and Ivar (Karl Bekele Steinland), the charismatic, adopted son of a wealthy business owner.

Amidst the conveyor belts, an unexpected relationship develops. Robert struggles to save his mother from financial troubles, while Ivar dreams of a life different from what his family expects of him. However, when Robert realizes that his growing bond with Ivar affects his standing among the other Polish workers, who are considering a strike, he begins to distance himself.

Can their growing love compete against the forces conspiring to keep them apart?

A heartwarming romantic drama from the frozen shores of Scandinavia, Norwegian Dream thoughtfully explores themes of cultural alienation, economic inequality, the search for sexual identity and the ways that opposites sometimes attract.

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