International Film – Page 64 – Discover great gay stories.

Now Available: Men of Hard Skin

Teenager Ariel (Will Javier) lives a seemingly quiet life with his father and sister on their picturesque farm in a rural part of Buenos Aires. However, unbeknownst to his family, Ariel has been abused for years by Omar (German Tarantino), his neighborhood priest.

Having confused his mistreatment for romantic affection, Ariel takes it upon himself to free himself from their relationship and soon embarks on a secret affair with one of the male workers on his father’s property.

Meanwhile, as Omar continues to succumb to his urges, he forms a friendship with a much older priest who finds himself wrestling with similar desires.

Hard-hitting and defiantly unsentimental, the new Argentinian drama Men of Hard Skin is a richly textured exploration of sex, power and ecclesiastical abuse as well as a complex and often confrontational piece of work, posing many tough questions.

Watch the trailer for Men of Hard Skin below. The film is now available on Dekkoo.

New This Week – 10/11/19

Kohei, a family man and former competitive swimming, finds his life turned upside down when his wife asks for a divorce. Soon after, he has a fateful encounter with Yutaka, an attractive younger animator who is making ends meet as an online chat boy. As the two fall deeper into a passionate affair, they find their newfound feelings and the circumstances of their personal lives creating a series of major emotional ups and downs. ‘Athlete’ is available to screen now, exclusively on Dekkoo!

Finding it hard to cope with the loss of his fiancé, Donovan turns to his best friend, Adam, to implement a crazy plan to get him back. ‘Romance Is Dead’ is available to watch now on Dekkoo!

Three twenty-something couples (gay, lesbian and straight) travel to an upstate New York beach house to enjoy the last days of summer, but what was meant to be a fun, carefree retreat transforms into an intimate exploration of sex and commitment. Watch ‘That’s Not Us’ now on Dekkoo!

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Coming next week: The Blonde One.

Now Available: Fireflies

Ramin (Arash Marandi), an Iranian refugee living in Mexico, is trying to come to terms with his past, one that has left permanent scars on his body and soul. As he strolls through the port of Veracruz – a place where transient souls collide in search of a better life – the haunting memories of his long-distance lover begin to fill his heart with a profound sense of loneliness and repentance.

Ramin’s friendship with Leti (Flor Eduarda Gurrola), the young woman who runs the small hotel where he stays and teaches him Spanish, and an attraction to ex-con Guillermo (Luis Alberti) help him find himself as a gay man in a new home.

Beautifully shot and strikingly naturalistic, writer-director Bani Khoshnoudi’s touching cross-cultural drama Fireflies won the top prize in the Ibero-American Competition at the Miami Film Festival. Watch the trailer below. The film is now available on Dekkoo.

Don’t Miss the Critically-Acclaimed Doc Mala Mala

Mala Mala, the critically acclaimed documentary from directors Antonio Santini and Dan Sickles, explores the intimate moments, performances, friendships and activism of trans identifying people, drag queens and others who defy typical gender identities in Puerto Rico.

The film features Ivana, an activist; Soraya, an older sex-change pioneer; Sandy, a prostitute looking to make a change; and Samantha and Paxx, both of whom struggle with the quality of medical resources available to assist in their transition.

Hailed as “sensitive and thoughtful” by the New York Times and winner of the audience award for documentary film at the Tribeca Film Festival, Mala Mala is a deeply involving piece of work which boldly affirms that the quest to find oneself can be both difficult and beautiful.

Watch the trailer for Mala Mala below. The film is currently available to stream on Dekkoo.

New This Week – 10/4/19

When Ariel, a teen living on a remote farm in Buenos Aires, enters into a relationship with one of the male workers on his father’s property, he must also end the long-term affair he’s been having with Omar, an abusive priest. Unafraid to explore taboo topics, this provocative new drama from writer-director Jose Celestino Campusano is defiantly unsentimental. Watch ‘Men of Hard Skin’ exclusively on Dekkoo!

Two young men – one gay and one straight – find themselves forming a deep personal connection. Soon, they embark on a road trip together which will alter the course of their lives. Tender and touching, colorful and sexy, ‘Tale of the Lost Boys’ is a coming-of-age drama about opening your heart, facing your fears and making new friends.

A young man, alone in his room, is visited by a mysterious voice, who forces him to reveal the murder he committed. Watch the very creepy ‘Insomnia’ on Dekkoo!

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Coming next week: Three couples staying in a beach house explore what it takes to sustain a healthy relationship and make love in this generation.

New This Week – 9/27/19

Ramin is a young gay man in his 30s who fled the repression in Iran and arrived to Veracruz after traveling clandestinely on a boat from Turkey. While coping with the distance that he has taken with his loved-ones, he begins to discover a freer life here, far from Iran. Watch ‘Fireflies’ exclusively on Dekkoo!

The critically acclaimed ‘Mala Mala’ explores the intimate moments, performances, friendships and activism of trans identifying people, drag queens and others who defy typical gender identities in Puerto Rico. ‘Mala Mala’ is available now on Dekkoo!

Randy has a huge crush on hunky co-worker Jack, but Ray can’t figure out if Jack is gay – until Jack discovers a GAYDAR gun that could change everything. Watch ‘Gaydar’ now on Dekkoo!

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Coming next week: ANOTHER brand new gay film arrives exclusively on Dekkoo!

Now Available: Mr. Leather

In April of 2018, São Paulo played host to the second annual Brazilian Mr. Leather competition… and things got heated, to say the least.

The new film Mr. Leather offers you a front-row seat – and takes you deep behind the scenes – as five individual contestants vie for full leather dominance. The winner will be crowned by Dom Barbudo, the first official Mr. Leather of Brazil. Along with victory comes a year-long commitment to promoting the leather community throughout the country, even in the face of increasingly conservative values and political unrest.

Making his feature film debut, writer-director Daniel Nolasco follows all the action, creating gorgeous and intensely provocative compositions that celebrate the unique power of this thriving subculture.

You check out the trailer for Mr. Leather below. The film is now available to stream on Dekkoo.

New This Week – 9/20/19

The shocking and sexually explicit documentary ‘Mr. Leather’ invites you to embrace your deepest and darkest desires. Take a front-row seat as five individual contestants vie for full leather dominance! The winner will be crowned the first official Mr. Leather of Brazil. ‘Mr Leather’ is now available to stream on Dekkoo!

A young man begins exploring his attraction to much much older men while working in a nursing home. ‘Gerontophilia’ is available to stream now on Dekkoo!

As Vietnam’s LGBTQ+ movement progresses and queer taboos are gradually abolished, modern queer culture is flourishing. ‘Queer Asia – Vietnam’ is a three part docuseries that depicts modern queer culture in this beautiful country.

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Coming next week: A sensitive portrait of a gay man in exile.

West of Eden tells a tale of forbidden love and bitter revenge in 1960s New Zealand

Billy (Kieran Foster) is already experiencing the ugly side of people’s fear and prejudice. He resolves, for the sake of his family, to leave his home town and go somewhere where he is unknown; where he can re-invent himself. Billy decides to take a job on a large farm far away; the most prestigious in its district. He hopes it will be a fresh start. As fate would have it, he immediately encounters the very thing he has tried to leave behind: he meets Tom (Luke Thompson), the farmer’s son.

Tom is beautiful and fearless, with the arrogance of privilege and youth. Their simmering romantic tension is further under-pinned by the social repression and isolation of rural New Zealand in the 1960s. A tinder-box of deceit and malice emerges as Billy discovers that he is not the only one fighting his desires and hiding his demons.

Inspired by true events, West of Eden tells a stylish tale of forbidden love and bitter revenge. Watch the trailer below. The film is now available on Dekkoo.

New This Week – 9/13/19

‘The Sunday Sessions’ is an intimate portrait of one man’s struggle to reconcile his religious conviction and sexual identity. Stream it now on Dekkoo!

Set in New Zealand in the early 1960s, this stylish story of family, revenge and forbidden love follows a young cowboy who drifts into a small town and starts falling in love with the local farmer’s son. As the two young men grow closer, they learn to stop fighting their desires and to start fighting their demons instead. Watch ‘West of Eden’ now on Dekkoo!

At the beach with his mother, young Pedro stumbles upon a hidden sexual playground. Stream the gay short film ‘Pedro’ on Dekkoo!

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Coming next week: After an unexpected delay, Mr. Leather returns!