Category: International Film

The director of ‘Bromance’ returns with the poignant Argentine comedy-drama ‘Blue Lights’

An emotionally-charged ensemble piece from Lucas Santa Ana, the Argentine director behind Bromance and Memories of a Teenager, Blue Lights takes place almost entirely during one unexpectedly heated dinner party.

When friends and family members gather to celebrate the 70th birthday of Alejandro (Ernesto Larrese), they’re not expecting an unforgettable night that will redefine their relationships.

As tensions simmer and truths emerge, Blue Lights explores the intricacies of love, loss, friendship and the evolving dynamics of gay and lesbian relationships in an ever-changing world.

With stellar performances from a diverse ensemble cast and a poignantly insightful narrative, this razor sharp dramedy offers a nuanced reflection on life’s complexities and the ties that bind us.

Watch the trailer for Blue Lights below. The film is now streaming on Dekkoo.

‘Lilies Not for Me’ is a stylish queer period piece from the producers of ‘Call Me by Your Name’

Fionn O’Shea stars in Lilies Not for Me as Owen James, a young gay novelist in 1920s England, as he recalls the love affair he shared with a handsome doctor, who was convinced that their mutual ‘condition’ could be cured.

Writer-director Will Seefried’s lushly romantic debut feature shines an unflinching light on a dark and mostly unknown period of gay history.

Evoking a handsome Merchant Ivory-esque production with a dash of gothic flair and featuring exceptional supporting performances from Erin Kellyman, Robert Aramayo and Louis Hoffmann, Lilies Not for Me is an intricately constructed, lyrical and heartbreaking film about two young men wrestling with their sexuality.

The film, produced by the team behind Call Me by Your Name, offers a stark and effective reminder that, despite the many attempts throughout history to change queer people at their very core, passion and love have always persevered.

Watch the trailer for Lilies Not for Me below. The film is now streaming on Dekkoo.

‘Avant-Drag!’ gets intimate with a tight-knit group of Athens-based drag performers

With police brutality and homophobic violence against LGBTQ+ individuals in Greece on the rise, the new documentary Avant-Drag! offers an exhilarating look at ten Athenian drag performers who deconstruct gender, nationalism, belonging, and identity while facing transphobia and racism.

As entertaining as it is thought-provoking, this new film from Greek director Fil Ieropoulos challenges societal norms and reshapes perceptions about LGBTQ+ culture by capturing the intimate lives of a tightly-knit group of drag performers, proving that being ‘othered’ has never felt so familiar.

The film captures the vibrancy of Athens’ underground drag scene and its role in pushing boundaries and expressing dissident identities. It goes beyond the mainstream representations of drag, focusing on more radical, explicitly political, and raw performances.

Juxtaposing magical realism, political commentary, and outrageous performances, Avant-Drag! is a love letter to Athens – a city that can be as oppressive as it can be a refuge for art freaks and a hot-bed for creativity.

Watch the trailer for Avant-Drag! below. The documentary is now streaming on Dekkoo.

A man tries to win back the love of his parallel life in the romantic comedy-drama ‘Second Chance’

A romantic blend of fantasy and drama, the new Dekkoo Exclusive Second Chance follows Alan and Daniel (Luigi Calduch and Caio Fliper), an attractive young couple celebrating their five-year wedding anniversary.

When a romantic dinner doesn’t go according to plan, a vicious lover’s spat ensues. Daniel, in a moment of anger, suggests that maybe the pair should never have married in the first place.

During the night, fate intervenes to teach him a lesson. Daniel wakes up in the morning to find himself in an alternate universe where he and Alan’s relationship ended half a decade ago.

Suddenly alone and confused, Daniel begins to realize how much he took for granted and sets out on a mission to win back the love of his parallel life.

Taking inspiration from It’s a Wonderful Life, this new film from Mauro Carvalho, the prolific Brazilian director behind The Senator, Cousins and About Us, tells a charming and sexy story about two men who get a second chance at first love.

Watch the trailer for Second Chance below. The film is now streaming exclusively on Dekkoo.

Director Ray Yeung’s critically acclaimed ‘Twilight’s Kiss’ is now available on Dekkoo

From Ray Yeung, the accomplished filmmaker behind Front Cover, Cut Sleeve Boys and All Shall Be Well, Twilight’s Kiss tells a gut-wrenching tale of forbidden love between two married men in their golden years.

The film follows Pak (Tai Bo), a Hong Kong cab driver on the verge of hanging up his keys, and Hoi (Ben Yuen), a divorced retiree. The pair find themselves drawn into a secret affair, stealing moments of intimacy in the steam-shrouded sanctuary of the local gay bathhouse.

In a society where same-sex love is still very much taboo, the two men have to keep their trysts on the down-low. But when genuine feelings start to bubble up, their carefully compartmentalized lives threaten to boil over. As the Pak and Hoi navigate an increasingly intimate relationship, they begin to wonder whether they’ve aged out of the possibility of happily-ever-after.

Yeung, who crafted the screenplay from real-life stories, shines a light on the isolation and heartache faced by those who dare to love outside the lines, delivering a powerful and unforgettable portrait of a love that refuses to be denied.

Profoundly moving, Twilight’s Kiss is the kind of film that stays with you long after the end credits roll.

Watch the trailer for Twilight’s Kiss below. The film is now streaming on Dekkoo.

A musician’s spark is ignited by a young trans man in the Australian drama ‘Unsound’

When guitarist Noah (Reece Noi) finds himself growing disillusioned, he quits his band and returns to his mother’s home in Sydney, Australia.

Clashing with his mother over old wounds, Noah seeks solace elsewhere and soon finds himself swept up in the vibrant, passionate life and of a young trans-man named Finn (Yiana Pandelis), who runs a local center and nightclub for his deaf community.

Together, the pair traverse new ground, sharing their languages – Noah’s music and Finn’s sign language – with one another. They move carefully, as this is Finn’s first relationship while he is on the precipice of diving into his trans journey.

Noah offers to help aid the club any way he can, but as the two become closer, and with no shared language to fall back on, they risk hurting each other as they learn to be true to themselves.

From screenwriter Ally Burnham and director Ian Watson, Unsound is a thoughtful and romantic queer drama that takes great pride in its conversational awareness of both the LGBTQIA+ and deaf or hard of hearing communities.

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