Category: Gay Film

Short Film Spotlight: Unicorn

A new 30-minute short film from Rodrigo Bellott, the writer-director behind the award-winning 2019 drama Tu Me Manques, Unicorn tells a poignant story about religious fundamentalism, homophobia and a romance that helps one character break free.

Doug Porter stars as Isaac, a young man whose family’s strict religious code prohibits them from all modern-day technology. So strict is his pious father that Isaac sometimes finds himself locked away in a cell for even daring to interpret the Bible differently.

When he’s finally freed thanks to intervention from the local police, he finds himself shunned by everyone in his orbit – including his siblings. His work on a dairy farm in the neighboring town brings him into contact with Fernando, played by Eric Robles. An immediate spark is felt between the two, but in Issac’s homophobic and watchful religious community, his sexual awakening will come at a heavy cost.

Inspired by a true story, Unicorn is a gripping film from a talented director at the height of his powers.

Watch a trailer for Unicorn below. The film is now available on Dekkoo.

Two slash fiction writers check their taboos at the door in the crowd-pleasing comedy Slash

In Slash, writer-director Clay Liford’s charming new comedy-of-age comedy, Michael Johnson stars as Neil, a high school kid who struggles to fit in with his peers.

Expressing himself through writing, his fantasies follow a sci-fi action hero named Vanguard. A character with a strong hold on Neil’s imagination, Vanguard travels to far off planets where his battles for justice often devolve into shirtless skirmishes that embrace same-sex entanglements.

Passionate about “Slash,” otherwise known as erotic fan fiction, Neil is ostracized at school but soon finds a kindred spirit in Julia, played by Hannah Marks. Julia is a fellow slasher who gets her kicks from “Fain Elven” fiction. Embracing Neil as her protégé of sorts, the duo explore an unusual writerly passion.

Soon, a Comic Con-bound journey of self-exploration has them checking all of their taboos at the door.

A true crowd-pleaser at film festivals all around the world, Slash is a winning exploration of teen angst, bisexuality, life, love… and erotic fiction.

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

Short Film Spotlight: Stockholm

Stockholm is a powerful and stylishly-crafted new short film from British writer-director Tom Wright.

Alex Britt stars as Alex, a young gay man who, during what initially seems to be an unusual first date, attempts to gain control over a traumatic event from his past. Things, however, are not as simple as they initially appear.

Wright uses deliberately disorienting cinematography and quick editing to jump around in time. And while the exact nature of Alex’s trauma is kept mysterious, what we do know is that he met another young guy who ended up hurting him.

Taking us through a montage which shows the consequences of the incident, we see Alex spiral into a chasm of self-destructive behavior before finally taking the first steps toward dealing with his emotions in a healthier way.

Stockholm shows us, in an intelligent and even elegant way, the deep effects of sexual assault and examines how the circumstances of recovery are never just black and white.

Watch a short trailer for Stockholm below. The film is now available on Dekkoo.

Now Available: Santa & Andrés

Set in Cuba during the 1980s, Santa & Andrés follows two outsiders who form an unexpected bond.

Eduardo Martinez stars as Andrés, a provocative openly gay novelist who has been banned from writing another word by the Cuban government. With a political rally coming up, they intend to keep Andrés under close scrutiny in order to prevent him from communicating with the press. Enter Santa, played by Lola Amores. She is sent to Andrés’ countryside home to watch over him for the next three days.

Despite their mutual distrust and suspicion, the pair find themselves quietly questioning their allegiances and ultimately coming to understand one another.

In a case of “life imitating art, imitating life,” the film was banned in Cuba and pulled from the Havana Film Festival shortly before it was set to premiere, despite the fact that writer-director Carlos Lechuga had been selected as an award recipient.

Though it’s set nearly 40 years ago, Santa & Andres delivers a thoughtful and still completely relevant rumination on the notions of political censorship, hatred and intolerance.

Watch the trailer for Santa & Andres below. The film is now available on Dekkoo.

Short Film Spotlight: The Kiss on the Cliff

The early 1980s were a difficult time to be LGBTQ+. AIDS was considered a death sentence, gay people were frequently shunned by their families and bisexual men and women often let their same-sex attractions go unexplored.

Made in 1993, The Kiss on the Cliff is a deeply moving 21-minute short from accomplished director Reid Waterer. The film begins in 1983, in the small town of Rock Springs, Wyoming, with an attempted kiss between best friends Mark and Steve, played by Stephen Wolfe Smith and Tom Tarantini.

Their deep feeling for one another has sent ripples of tension through every aspect of their lives and forced both of them to question whether their desire is worth the risk.

Flashing forward ten years later, the two are reunited. Though they find that their lives have followed very different courses, their relationship still demands some kind of resolution.

Recently restored, The Kiss on the Cliff offers up a unique look at a different era in both gay life and gay indie cinema.

Watch a super short trailer for The Kiss on the Cliff below. The film is now available on Dekkoo.

A closeted policeman tries to diffuse an anti-gay protest in the tense thriller Poppy Field

Planning to spend a romantic weekend with his long-distance boyfriend, Christi (Conrad Mericoffer) finds their tender reunion cut short when he is called in to handle a crisis at work. He and his unit are sent to quell a protest at a local movie theater, where a far-right group has interrupted the screening of a queer film.

As tensions between the homophobic protesters and the audience mount, Christi, closeted to his fellow officers, begins to spiral out of control when he spots a former fling in the crowd. When the incident turns violent, it threatens to expose Christi’s secret and forces him to confront the contradictions between his personal and professional life.

Based on true events, Poppy Field creates a poignant portrait of a man reconciling his professional and private identities. Director Eugen Jebeleanu builds a pressure cooker of emotions and subverts the conventional thriller format to arrive at deeper truths.

Watch the trailer for Poppy Field below. The full film is now available on Dekkoo. And if you want to dive into the true story further, the film 5 Minutes Too Late, which is based around the same real-life incident, is also streaming now.

Soft Lad is a gay British drama about love, lust, sexuality and betrayal

22-year-old David (Jonny Labey) seems to have it all. He’s young, he’s hot and he’s just been accepted into the prestigious dance school of his dreams. But David has been harboring a big secret. For two years he’s been sleeping with his sister’s husband, Jules (Daniel Brocklebank).

After an argument between the two lovers, David throws himself into a one-night stand with Sam (Craig Stein), a casual encounter which quickly becomes something much stronger. Unable to express his feelings to anyone, Jules is slowly driven mad by his secret desire for David, and finds himself growing more and more jealous of his newfound, public relationship.

When David’s sister, Jane (Suzanne Collins), insists he brings his new boyfriend over for dinner, Jules snaps, revealing a secret which none of them can ignore.

The feature-length directorial debut of accomplished actor Leon Lopez, who has gone on to helm a wide variety of British TV shows, Soft Lad is critically-acclaimed drama which examined lust, jealousy, repression and all of their consequences in contemporary Liverpool.

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

Now Available: Steam Room Stories: The Movie

From J.C. Calciano, the director behind the hit gay rom-coms eCupid, The 10-Year Plan and Is It Just Me?, Steam Room Stories: The Movie is a wild comedy featuring wet skin, white towels and some truly gorgeous abs.

The film stars John Waters regular Traci Lords as failing cosmetics magnate Sally Fay, a self-described wicked woman who will stop at nothing to possess the magical waters of the Steam Room to help lift her sagging empire. What she doesn’t count on is the Steam Room Guys banding together to thwart her evil plans.

Lords stars alongside a whole bunch of ridiculously handsome hunks in various levels of undress. Based on the insanely popular web series – which boasts more than 100,000 subscribers 54 million views – this hilarious new comedy is a guaranteed crowd-pleaser.

Be prepared to laugh, cry and possibly scream… just try to avoid getting towel-whipped.

Watch the trailer for Steam Room Stories: The Movie below. The film is now available on Dekkoo.