Category: International Film

And Then We Danced is one of the year’s most powerful films

A passionate tale of love and liberation set amidst the conservative confines of modern Georgian society, And Then We Danced follows Merab (Levan Gelbakhiani), a devoted dancer who has been training for years with his partner Mary (Ana Javakishvili) for a spot in the National Georgian Ensemble.

The arrival of another male dancer, Irakli (Bachi Valishvili) – gifted with perfect form and equipped with a rebellious streak – throws Merab off balance, sparking both an intense rivalry and romantic desire that may cause him to risk his future in dance as well as his relationships with Mary and his family.

Met with great hostility locally when it debuted in Georgian theaters, And Then We Danced is a bold, unforgettable romance featuring truly stunning dance sequences. The film was in the middle of its theatrical run in the United States earlier this year when national theaters began closing as a response to COVID-19. We’re happy audiences will have a chance to catch up with it now. It’s easily one of 2020’s most powerful films.

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

New This Week – 10/23/20

In 1981, love was forbidden. In 1999, starting a family seemed impossible. By 2013, everything had changed. From Philippe Faucon, the award-winning director of Fatima, this amazing new three-part cinematic event takes us through each of these years. ‘Proud’ tells the stories of Charles, Victor and Diego, three generations of the same family who represent the seismic social changes that took place in just three decades. ‘Proud’ is available to watch now on Dekkoo!

One morning it is over. For Hampus it is a relief to break up from their destructive relationship, while Adrian is devastated. Will he be able to survive without the love of his life, or is there a way of somehow getting him back? ‘Are We Lost Forever’ is available exclusively on Dekkoo!

Friends Adam and Luke are the life of the party. When they decide that Luke should host a party at his house, what was meant to be a night of fun without responsibilities turns out to be a nightmare for Adam. Stream ’46’ now on Dekkoo!

After a shocking election puts a bigot into the Vice Presidency, Ethan must grapple with his fear of the future for the LGBT community and decide how far he’s willing to go to fight it. ‘Snowflake’ is streaming now on Dekkoo!

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Coming next week: The new Dekkoo-original series ‘Soul Mate’ debuts.

Two men embark on a revelatory road trip in Drive Me Home

When Antonio (Vinicio Marchioni) and Agostino (Marco D’Amore) were growing up together in a small town in Sicily, they each dreamt of living completely different lives… somewhere else. Now thirty-year-olds, their initial dreams have somewhat come true. They both live abroad, but they lost touch many years ago.

When Antonio discovers that the house he grew up in, which had been empty for a long time, is about to be sold at auction, he decides to start revisiting some of his past and reconnects with his childhood friend in the process. When Antonio and Agostino come back together, they find that their lives have changed a lot. Soon, during a road trip through Europe to reclaim the childhood property in question, old conflicts and new revelations rise to the surface, bringing them close together once again.

From writer-director Simone Catania and co-writer Fabio Natale, Drive Me Home tells a generational story about finding a place called home… wherever you are. It’s also a refreshing story about straight-gay male friendship not often seen.

Watch the trailer for Drive Me Home below. The film is now available on Dekkoo.

New This Week – 10/16/20

A passionate coming-of-age tale set amidst the conservative confines of modern Tbilisi, the film follows Merab, a competitive dancer who is thrown off balance by the arrival of Irakli, a fellow male dancer with a rebellious streak. ‘And Then We Danced’ is available to stream on Dekkoo!

When Elliott lures the animalistic Jack to his apartment for a late night hook up, he unexpectedly unearths a dark emotional connection. Stream ‘My Loneliness Is Killing Me’ now on Dekkoo!

‘Moments of Awakening’ follows Paolo as he makes peace with his past relationships with Sherwin and Sandino. It is also the story of a people whose lives are endangered by the fascist Duterte regime, and the events that lead to their awakening and empowerment. Watch ‘Moments of Awakening’ now on Dekkoo!

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Coming next week: “One of the most exciting series of the year.” – Cahiers du Cinema

New Dekkoo-Original Film: Vilom

Vilom, a lonely young man from India, is obsessed with becoming internet-famous and deeply confused about his sexuality.

When he moves in with Amay, a dynamic, openly gay hairdresser, and Nivi, a beautiful struggling actress, he finds that they are both slowly falling in love with him. This sudden love triangle leads to even more confusion, forcing Vilom to examine his sexual and romantic needs on a deeper level.

Meanwhile, societal pressures and prejudices are building just outside the walls of their home.

The feature-length debut of Mumbai-based actor Sunder Pal, Vilom is an unflinching sociopolitical drama centered around gay/straight relationships. This films tells a provocative story of risk-taking, creativity, rebellion and survival.

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

New This Week – 10/9/20

When former childhood friends Antonio and Agostino reunite in their thirties, they find that their lives have taken them down completely different paths. As the two embark on a road trip together through Europe to settle some unfinished business, old conflicts and new revelations are gradually unearthed. ‘Drive Me Home’ is available to watch now on Dekkoo!

Two men of different age meet for the strangest encounter of their lives. Stream ‘His Hands’ now on Dekkoo!

A radical, western re-imagining of Henry David Thoreau’s classic, interlacing three stories about the trappings of 21st century life and those who dream dangerously of escape. ‘Walden: Life in the Woods’ is streaming now on Dekkoo!

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Coming next week: Tbilisi is the setting for this charged romance between two men training as traditional Georgian dancers

Don’t Miss Writer-Director Marco Berger’s New Thriller Young Hunter

Ezequiel (Juan Palbo Cestaro) is a fifteen-year-old kid on the cusp of his sexual awakening. When he meets the handsome, twenty-one-year-old Mono (Lautaro Rodriguez), he’s so excited that he jumps into a quick relationship before he’s had time to really consider whether or not it’s a good idea.

Mono invites Ezequiel to his cousin’s villa, to spend a weekend together. But, while returning from the trip, Mono disappears completely, no longer responding to any of Ezekiel’s texts. The situation is confusing… until Chino (Juan Barberini), Mono’s cousin, sends him a hidden camera video of Ezekiel and Mono having sex, blackmailing him into making his own sex tape with a minor to be sold on the dark web, in order to keep his secret hidden. 

Ezequiel, with an impossible choice, decides to try seducing Juan Ignacio (Patricio Rodríguez), a thirteen-year-old boy whom he knows from school and suspects has a crush on him. Ezequiel soon turns from prey to hunter – against his own will.

From prolific director Marco Berger (Absent, Taekwondo, Plan B), Young Hunter is an intense thriller that has earned rave reviews on the film festival circuit. Watch the trailer for the film below. It’s available now on Dekkoo.

New This Week – 10/2/20

A young man from India is obsessed with becoming internet-famous and deeply confused about his sexuality. When he moves in with Amay, a dynamic, openly gay hairdresser, and Nivi, a beautiful struggling actress, he finds that they are both slowly falling in love with him. This sudden love triangle leads to even more confusion, forcing Vilom to examine his sexual and romantic wants and needs on an even deeper level. Dekkoo Films presents ‘Vilom’, available to stream exclusively on Dekkoo!

A young urban youth finds himself having to learn to live in his truth after experiencing a life-changing high and low. ‘LiME’ is available to stream now, exclusively on Dekkoo!

This in-depth documentary profiles one of the most significant artists of his generation, British painter David Hockney. By defying generally-accepted social structures and leading his life as an openly gay man his art has given viewers an intimate portrait of queer life. Watch ‘Hockney’ on Dekkoo!

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Coming next week: Two friends, one gay and one straight, reconnect after 15 years for a unique road-trip.

The critically-acclaimed drama Tremors is now available on Dekkoo

In this deeply personal follow-up to his landmark debut film Ixcanul, writer-director Jayro Bustamante shifts his focus from rural Guatemala to the denizens of Guatemala City, but once again sets his sights on an individual caught between two seeming irreconcilable worlds.

When handsome and charismatic Pablo (Juan Pablo Olyslager) arrives at his affluent family’s house, everyone is eagerly awaiting the return of their beloved son, devoted father and caring husband. A seemingly exemplary pillar of Guatemala City’s Evangelical Christian community, Pablo’s announcement that he intends to leave his wife for another man sends shock waves through the family.

As Pablo tries to acclimate to his new life in the city’s gay subculture with the liberated Francisco (Mauricio Armas Zebadúa), his ultra-religious family does everything in its power to get their prodigal son back on track, no matter the cost.

A sensation on the international film festival circuit, Tremors has received great critical acclaim. “Tremors is a prodigiously gut-wrenching demand for change; the film isn’t kindly asking for tolerance but bluntly exposing the torment inflicted in the name of a prejudiced God,” said Carlos Aguilar in The Wrap. “It’s a magnificently unflinching film from a master director in the making, whose thunderous strength will surely make waves in Bustamante’s Central American homeland and abroad.”

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

New This Week – 9/25/20

From acclaimed director Marco Berger, this new thriller follows a lonely teen whose burgeoning desires lead him down a dark path. When Ezequiel meets the handsome, slightly older Mono at the skate park, he thinks his romantic dreams have come true. Soon, however, he’s caught up in a dangerous blackmail scheme that may force him to transform from “prey” to “hunter.” ‘Young Hunter’ is available now exclusively on Dekkoo!

Dekkoo Films presents ‘Max’.

Hours after finalizing his divorce, Jeremy seeks comfort in an escort named Max. During their night together, Jeremy rediscovers and recaptures the feelings of connection he’d lost within his own marriage.

In July of 2012, burgeoning art-house porn studio CockyBoys was pushed to the forefront of the mainstream when its trio of owners were profiled in New York Magazine’s Sex Issue. In this short documentary, the eponymous ‘throuple’ (as they’ve been dubbed by the media) put themselves in front of the camera for a behind-the-scenes look at their personal and professional lives. ‘Meet the Morecocks’ is available to stream now on Dekkoo!

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Coming next week –  A fierce indictment of the on/off/on way that homosexuality was eventually decriminalized in India.