Category: International Film

Now Available: Enfant Terrible

When 22-year-old Rainer Werner Fassbinder stormed onto the stage of a small, progressive theatre in 1967 Munich and seized the production, nobody suspected that this brazen young rebel would go on to become one of the most important post-war German filmmakers. But that’s exactly what happened.

His immense catalog of work is still unparalleled. Fassbinder, who lived hard and died at the young age of 37, crammed no fewer than 40 feature films, two dozen plays and an epic 16-hour miniseries into his brief, but intense lifetime. Many of his films were breakout hits at the most renowned film festivals in the world and continue to both inspire and polarize audiences, critics and filmmakers today.

His open bisexuality, radical views and self-exploitation, as well as his longing for love, made him one of the most fascinating directors of all time.

Co-writer/director Oskar Roehler and lead actor Oliver Masucci bring the unabashedly queer iconoclast to life in Enfant Terrible – and it’s not always pretty. The film takes an unflinching look at some of Fassbinder’s wildest and most notorious moments, unafraid to examine them through a more contemporary lens, but never losing sight of what made him such a mad cinematic genius in the first place –  albeit a highly controversial one.

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

New This Week – 7/1/22

Fionn O’Shea and Nicholas Galitzine star in this touching comedy about two boys at a strict Irish boarding school who are forced to share a room. Though one is a bullied loner and the other the star athlete of their rugby-obsessed school, they form an unlikely bond – until it’s tested by those around them. ‘Handsome Devil’ is available now on Dekkoo!

Examining a psychological clash between two queer men with differing backstories, writer-director C.J.Arellano’s clever new horror short follows a gay man who suspects that his coffee-loving boyfriend maybe a demon in disguise. Stream the short film ‘Griffica’ now on Dekkoo!

***EPISODES 25, 26, AND 27 NOW AVAILABLE!***

Scott, a mild-mannered gay writer in Los Angeles, gets wrapped up into a world of bad boys and their crime-filled past after being adopted as their “Daddy Scott”, whether he likes it or not. Watch the final episodes of ‘Bad Boy’ now!

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Coming next week: A brand-new release the tells the story of one gay couple’s love as it stands the test of time. 

New This Week – 6/24/22

***SEASON 2 IS HERE!!***

The Dekkoo-original series ‘Here Comes Your Man’ follows Aaron living his own version of the 21st century gay experience. Along for the ride are his friends and lovers who are all exploring their own ambitions, relationships and dreams in modern day Los Angeles. Both seasons are available to stream now!

Fernando is a teenage boy living in the traditional countryside of São Paulo. With the insurmountable peer pressure to lose his virginity, he ends up engaging in a sexual encounter with an older man he met online. The hook up doesn’t go as expected. ‘Self’ is available to stream now on Dekkoo.

During Passover, Reuben, a French-Jewish man living in Finland with his Nordic boyfriend, finds himself back in Paris with his zany family after a lovers’ quarrel. ‘Let My People Go’ celebrates and upends Jewish and gay stereotypes with wit, gusto and style to spare. The result is deeply heartwarming, fabulously kitschy and hysterically funny.

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Coming next week: A film that offers a touching reminder of the importance of loyalty, bravery, standing up for yourself and making sure that your voice, no matter how different, is heard.

Pride Month Spotlight: Proud

In 1981, love was forbidden. In 1999, starting a family seemed impossible. By 2013, everything had changed.

From French filmmaker Philippe Faucon, the award-winning director behind Fatima, this amazing new three-part cinematic event takes us through each of these years.

Proud tells the stories of Charles (Frédéric Pierrot), Victor (Samuel Theis) and Diego (Julien Lopez), three generations of men, all from the same family, who represent the seismic social changes that took place within the LGBTQ community over the course of just three decades.

A three-part episodic cinema event, Proud offers up a chronology of tolerance and a portrait of one family through changing times. Cahiers du Cinema called it “one of the most exciting series of the year.” Le Parisien called it “A series that defends the fundamental rights of gay people.”

Watch the trailer for Proud below. All three installments are available now on Dekkoo.

New This Week – 6/17/22

From director Adam Salky and writer David Brind, Dare is a celebrated teen drama centered around three high school seniors – an aspiring actress, her misfit best friend and a local loner – who become engaged in an intimate and complicated love triangle. ‘Dare’ is available to stream now on Dekkoo!

Pete has an unfortunate habit of beginning affairs with married men. Typically they end because Pete has commitment issues. He moves on, and the men return to their families. But when he meets Jack, a family man with two kids, their relationship starts heading down a different path. Watch ‘From Zero To I Love You’ now on Dekkoo!

An erotic experimental film from director Leo Bittencourt, Vagalumes observes one night in Rio de Janeiro’s Flamengo Park and captures the location’s sensual atmosphere. ‘Fireflies’ is streaming now on Dekkoo!

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Coming next week: Here Comes Your Man Season 2!

Three gay Palestinian friends advocate for sexual and national equality in the moving documentary Oriented

A feature-length documentary from Israel-based British director Jake Witzenfeld, Oriented follows the lives of three gay Palestinian friends as they confront their national and sexual identities in modern Tel Aviv.

Khader is an “It Boy” and provocateur from a prominent Muslim mafia family in Tel Aviv’s neighboring Arab suburb of Jaffa. An aspiring journalist and producer, he lived for many years in the heart of Tel Aviv with his “Jew-ish” boyfriend David.

Fadi left his Christian community in northern Israel to pursue his dream of becoming a nurse. He feels that his new freedom is marred by the guilt of his nation’s tragedy. His passionate nationalism is challenged when he falls in love with an American Jew fighting in the Israeli Defense Forces.

Naeem describes himself as a Palestinian, vegetarian and feminist. Like Fadi, he comes from a Christian family in northern Israel. His time in Yafo inspired him to confront his family’s expectations and be honest with his loved ones about his sexual identity.

Determined to change their reality, the three friends form a non-violent, cultural resistance group to advocate for sexual and national equality. Meanwhile, a war is brewing that may jeopardize their best laid plans.

A stirring film which has sparked active engagement at community screenings, Oriented has inspired a great deal of discourse about LGBTQ rights, the perception of “the other” in conflict zones and the role of grassroots social activism all around the world.

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

Diamantino is a wild genre-blending and gender-bending queer comedy satire

Vividly photographed in Super 16mm and featuring the biggest stampedes of giant Pekingese puppies you’ve ever seen, the critically-acclaimed, genre-blending and gender-bending Diamantino is an underrated high-camp masterpiece!

From directing duo Gabriel Abrantes and Daniel Schmidt, the film stars super hottie Carloto Cotta as a big-hearted but dimwitted Portuguese soccer hunk who, after blowing it during the World Cup finals, goes from superstar to laughing stock overnight.

His sheltered worldview is further shattered after learning about the European refugee crisis. He soon resolves to make amends by adopting an African refugee – only to find that his new “son” is actually an undercover lesbian tax auditor investigating him on the suspicion of corruption.

From there, Diamantino gets swept up in a gonzo comic odyssey involving cigarette-smoking evil twins, Secret Service skullduggery, mad science genetic modification and a bizarre right-wing anti-European Union conspiracy.

In the Los Angeles Times, Justin Chang called Diamantino “the funniest gender-bending, human-cloning refugee-crisis soccer comedy I’ve ever seen, and also the most thoughtful.” And Glenn Kenny said in the New York Times “this simultaneously goofy and deft satirical comedy… feels like an early Adam Sandler comedy remixed by Pier Paolo Pasolini.”

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

New This Week – 6/10/22

Director Oskar Roehler and revelatory star Oliver Masucci bring to the screen the story of prolific German New Wave filmmaker Rainer Werner Fassbinder – following his early days in the theater through to his reign as one of Europe’s most daring and original visionaries. ‘Enfant Terrible’ is available to stream now on Dekkoo!

Mirna and Pablo start a friendship framed in reflections about identity, loneliness and death during the 1990s in Chile. From writer-director Manu Morales Contreras, ‘Eyeshadow’ is a story about fellowship and the HIV/AIDS crisis inspired by the literary works of Pedro Lemebel. Watch ‘Eyeshadow’ now on Dekkoo!

In season 2 of the Dekkoo-original series ‘Here Comes Your Man’ Aaron tries to navigate his causal relationship with Julio somewhere more serious. Meanwhile, Jordan settles into Omaha Nebraska to record his album. Dustin becomes entangled in an online romance while Cassie reignites her romance with Malcolm.

Watch the trailer for Season 2 now!

Watch Here Comes Your Man Season 1 only on Dekkoo!

Now Available: North Sea Texas

Set during an unspecified period of the 1970s, North Sea Texas is a coming-of-age romance directed by acclaimed short filmmaker Bavo Defurne, making his feature-length debut. Based on a novel by Belgian children’s author Andre Sollie, the film follows Pim (Jelle Florizoone), an introverted teenager who lives with his ex-beauty queen mother in a small coastal town.

Dreaming of a loving father who will someday come for him, but never does, Pim brightens up his days by drawing, dreaming up fantasy lives and expressing his emerging desires through a secret collection of “borrowed” objects that he keeps in a shoebox. He’s also fallen in love with Gino (Mathias Vergels), the charismatic, motorcycle-riding older boy next door.

As things become fraught at home, Pim starts spending more and more time with Gino and his family. The two boys soon become closer than ever – and though Gino returns Pim’s affections, he insists that they keep their relationship a secret. When a girl catches Gino’s eye and he moves away, it leaves Pim feeling more alone than ever. But, as time goes by, the true depth of their feelings for one another are revealed.

Though not without its heartbreaks, North Sea Texas is an ultimately uplifting film that explores burgeoning sexuality through a refreshingly honest and optimistic lens. And with numerous award-winning short films under his belt, director Bavo Defurne knows what to do with his camera. Capturing the beauty and color of the film’s setting, North Sea Texas offers up an almost other-worldly, fairy tale vibe that compliments the tricky romance at the film’s core.

Watch a short clip from North Sea Texas below. The film is available now on Dekkoo.

New This Week – 6/3/22

An exceptional and inspirational documentary, Oriented follows the lives of three gay Palestinian friends confronting their national and sexual identity in Tel Aviv. Determined to change their reality, the three best friends form a non-violent, cultural resistance movement, fighting for gender and national equality. ‘Oriented’ is available to stream now on Dekkoo!

Matt, a stereotypical hetero cis white male, feels he has life figured out. All he has to do is keep following the status quo. This all changes, however, when he meets Ryan and the illusion of his idyllic life begins to crumble. ‘Ticking Boxes’ is a tense new nine-minute short film from director Robert Metson.

The seventh installment of this hit worldwide comedy-mystery series finds our favorite gay bears in more danger than ever when they’re targeted by a mysterious stalker while vacationing in sunny Palm Springs. If that wasn’t enough to deal with, someone is out to sabotage the “Mr. Bear America Pageant” where Reggie is serving as a celebrity judge. Watch ‘Wear The Bears Are 7’ now on Dekkoo!

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Coming next week: A film that follows the life and impact of iconic German New Wave director Rainer Werner Fassbinder.