Category: International Film

Director Frank Brittain’s 1970 queer Australian curio ‘The Set’ is now available on Dekkoo!

Though it’s now something of an obscure queer curio, the Australian drama The Set shocked and thrilled audiences during its initial release in 1970 with its uncommonly frank depictions of male nudity and gay sex.

Aiming for more than just titillation, the film challenged traditional notions of sexuality and gender while depicting a progressive Australia where same-sex relationships were considered equal.

Reeling from his girlfriend’s sexual past, aspiring artist Paul (Sean McEuan) runs off to Sydney in the hopes of attending school, but soon finds himself drawn into the sensual and seductive world of the local art scene.

Swimming through this utopia of flamboyant men, camp queens and fierce sissies, Paul quickly begins exploring his own sexuality.

Commissioned to work for a top stage director, he succumbs to the charms of the handsome Tony (Rod Mullinar) – who just happens to be going out with Paul’s cousin. Although love finds a way through this thorny predicament, things soon turn unexpectedly violent for the young aspiring artist.

Although a box office success in Australia at the time of its release, The Set was largely panned by critics and had fallen into obscurity for nearly 50 years. It’s now been digitally restored and is ready to shock and thrill a whole new generation of fans!

Watch this vintage trailer for The Set below. The full restored film is now available on Dekkoo.

Short Film Spotlight: The Oddity in the Blue Crayfish

The Oddity in the Blue Crayfish follows Edo (Alessandro Cantalini), an eighteen-year-old who is suffering from premature hair loss – and he’s not happy about it.

To make matters worse, his boyfriend, Federico, is about to return home to Italy after spending a year abroad in school.

Edo becomes determined to find a cure for his sudden balding before the man he loves arrives. With some perhaps misguided encouragement from his mother, Alessandra, and his best friend, Luigi, he decides to start using some experimental drops to help with his problem.

Unfortunately, though his hair grows back, the drops prove to have some horrific side effects. On top of that, once Federico arrives home, it becomes apparent that he’s been experiencing some changes of his own.

From Simone Marino, an Italian short filmmaker who got his start working under director Paolo Sorrentino on the acclaimed HBO series ‘The New Pope,’ The Oddity in the Blue Crayfish is a 16-minute parable about how transformation is not only possible, but sometimes inevitable.

Watch a short trailer for The Oddity in the Blue Crayfish below. The film is now streaming on Dekkoo.

The critically acclaimed romantic gay drama ‘And Then We Danced’ returns to Dekkoo!

A passionate tale of love and liberation set in modern-day Georgia, writer-director Levan Akin’s beloved coming-of-age drama And Then We Danced follows Merab (Levan Gelbakhiani), an ambitious young dancer who has been training from an early age to earn a spot in the National Georgian Ensemble with his partner, Mary (Ana Javakishvili).

His world is suddenly turned upside down with the arrival of Irlaki (Bachi Valishvili), a charismatic, naturally gifted newcomer who becomes both his strongest rival and the object of his secret desires.

Within the highly gender-conservative, traditional world of Georgian dance, Merab must navigate his newfound feelings of attraction while competing for his lifelong goal. But as the two young men grow closer together and their mutual longing comes to the surface, they may unleash a floodgate that will pit them against the country’s outdated culture.

Initially screened in the Directors’ Fortnight section at the Cannes Film Festival, And Then We Danced offers a riveting and visceral examination of dance, identity, gay longing and everything in between.

The film earned massive critical acclaim when it was first released in 2019 and was even chosen as the Sweden’s entry for the Best International Film at the 92nd Academy Awards.

Watch the trailer for And Then We Danced below. The film is now streaming on Dekkoo.

A casual hook-up takes a dangerous turn in the gritty Mexican thriller ‘Boy Undone’

With a deliciously attention-grabbing premise and a whole lot of explicit gay sex scenes, Mexican writer-director Leopoldo Laborde’s low-fi thriller Boy Undone packs some titillating imagery and a few shocking twists and turns.

Taking a minimalistic approach, the film follows two young men who meet during a night of heavy partying at a gay nightclub and decide to spend the night together.

The next day, the host awakens to find the young man he picked up bewildered and confused. He’s suddenly unable remember his name or anything about his past.

Lacking any type of identification or obvious clues, the boys begin to search for the truth among fragments of memories that may or may not prove reliable – all while giving in to their growing attraction to one another and inching closer to some dangerous revelations.

A chilling homoerotic thriller, Boy Undone is queer guerrilla filmmaking at its most intense.

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

‘The Radical’ introduces Muhsin Hendricks, the world’s first openly gay Imam

Four years in the making, The Radical offers up an intimate portrait of Muhsin Hendricks, a Capetonian former dress designer who came out in 1996 and became the world’s first openly gay Imam.

Today, even under the threat of death, he leads a devoted group of queer Muslims through the Al-Ghurbaah Foundation, an organization that supports the LGBTQ+ community and runs various educational and empowerment programs that help Muslims reconcile their sexuality with their faith.

Filmmaker Richard Finn Gregory follows Hendricks to East Africa to film his work with queer Muslim activists in the countries where their very identity is still outlawed.

The film provides first-person accounts of growing up queer as a South African Muslim in a society caught between the liberalism of its constitution and the conservativeness of its cultures and history, chronicling individual journeys to queer acceptance and the struggle for LGBTQ+ rights across the entire continent of Africa.

Watch the trailer for The Radical below. The documentary is now streaming on Dekkoo.

Short Film Spotlight: Burn Bridge

If you’ve ever harbored secret romantic feelings for a straight best friend, you’ll find a lot to relate to in Burn Bridge, a 15-minute slice-of-life drama from British writer-director Rhys Marc Jones.

Charlie Rice stars as Harry, a typically angst-filled teen whose hormonal frustrations have been causing him to act out in increasingly mischievous ways. That’s also partly due to the influence of Jamie, his roguish and perpetually horny best buddy played by Macaulay Cooper.

The two smoke pot and drink together, pull pranks and joke around in that mildly aggressive, boys-will-be-boys kind of manner. But all the while, Jamie remains aloof to Charlie’s growing desires.

Exploring his sexuality alone in the safe confines of his bedroom only does so much to alleviate Charlie’s deep longing. When Jamie starts hooking up with a local girl named Lucy, who has a friend she wants to set up with Charlie, jealousy rears its ugly head and those barely-concealed feelings start inching ever closer toward the light.

Filmed in a matter-of-face style, Burn Bridge offers up an unflinching examination of those lusty teen infatuations that can be hard to shake.

Watch a clip from Burn Bridge below. The full short film is now streaming on Dekkoo.

Two college buddies grow closer over four consecutive Valentine’s Days in this tender drama

Unfolding over the course of four years – or, more specifically, four consecutive Valentine’s Days – 4 Days is an achingly romantic drama from Filipino auteur Adolfo Alix Jr., which takes an intimate look at the complicated relationship between two college buddies.

Sebastian Castro stars as Derek, a seemingly typical straight dude who has had a string of girlfriends – none of whom he has hung onto for very long. All the while, after each break-up, his best friend Mark, played by Mikoy Morales, has been waiting on the sidelines – ready to clean Derek’s wounds while harboring secret romantic feelings of his own.

Through intrusive, carefully selected long takes, we’re invited to observe the pair year after year and witness as the tension between them escalates.

Morales and Castro give exceptional, often heartbreaking performances in this thoughtful and patient romance – wherein the awkward silences and furtive glances speak volumes.

Watch the trailer for 4 Days below. The film is now streaming on Dekkoo.

Short Film Spotlight: First Kiss

The new short film First Kiss follows Andi (Julio Bohigas-Couto), a shy teen living in a small commuter town who has yet to experience his first kiss with another boy.

The only person that even knows he’s gay is his straight older brother Raúl (Álvaro Lucas), who, though supportive, makes a sport of teasing him about losing his virginity. Today, though, Andi feels as if everything is about to change. He has his first official date with Néstor (Aritz Itoiz), a city-boy his own age whom he met on Instagram.

After traveling to Madrid on the train, he meets up with the adorable Néstor and his eyes are soon opened to a whole new world of acceptance. The pair peruse the literary offerings at a colorful queer book store, enjoy some penis-shaped pastries at a gay-friendly bakery, open up to one another about their coming-out experiences and finally, blessedly, find themselves locking lips before it’s time to say goodnight.

Their moment of joy is cut short, however, by the arrival of some less-than-tolerant passersby who haven’t learned how to mind their own business. By the end of the night, Andi has learned numerous lessons – some wonderful, some despicable – about openly gay urban life.

From writer-director Miguel Lafuente, First Kiss is a deeply heartfelt coming-of-age short about opening up to the people who love you and standing firm in who you are, regardless of what anyone else thinks.

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