Category: International Film

A young gay couple faces paternity issues in the touching Thai family drama ‘Fathers’

Fathers follows Phoon and Yuke (Utt Uttsada Panichkul and Nat Sakdatorn), a young, happily partnered gay couple from Thailand who live in a sleek modern apartment that has all the trappings that come with success.

The pair even have an adorable seven-year old son named Butr (Arituch Pipattangkul), whom Phoon adopted at birth from an orphanage after he was abandoned by his mother. The trio are now waiting for the Thai Government to pass a law to allow same-sex marriage so that they can put their whole family on a more legal and secure footing.

Things get more complicated, however, when Butr starts school and is bullied for having two dads. When a social worker from the Children’s Rights Protection Organization gets involved, she begins questioning the idea of Butr growing up in a family without a feminine presence, and even tracks down his biological mother… who suddenly wishes to be a part of his life.

A sobering and deeply sincere drama from Thai director Palatpol Mingpornpichit, Fathers tells an emotional story about gay parenting in Southeast Asia, covering a complicated situation from every possible angle.

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

Short Film Spotlight: A Boy’s Dream

A Boy’s Dream is a beautiful, thoughtful, and stylish 30-minute relationship drama from up-and-coming Danish filmmaker Ludvig Christian Poulsen.

Elias has always dreamed of having children and starting a family. In contrast, his boyfriend Christian values their current free-spirited lifestyle – arguing that adopting children will cut into their time and resources to travel, make it difficult to purchase expensive designer furniture, and potentially interfere with their desire for one another.

Elias has managed to suppress his feelings for a long time. Once he takes a new job as a psychologist at a boarding school, however, the dam finally breaks. He realizes that he must come to terms with the fact that he and Christian may never be able to compromise on their separate visions of the future.

Watch the trailer for A Boy’s Dream below. The film is now streaming on Dekkoo.

Two young lovers make their long-distance relationship work in the sweet and sexy series ‘Gameboys’

A wildly popular Boys Love series from the Philippines, Gameboys tells the engrossing story of gamers turned lovers Cairo and Gavreel (Kokoy De Santos and Elijah Canlas).

The two young lovers have a few blissful weeks to spend together at Gavreel’s house before Cairo is set to return to his own province.

What begins as a romantic holiday for the young couple soon turns into an unexpected test of their relationship. Cairo is faced with the reality of his imminent departure while Gavreel is compelled to make a life-changing decision.

After defying distance – and even the pandemic – will the two boys be able to prove that their love to one another is strong enough to withstand fate and circumstance?

Watch the trailer for Gameboys below and catch up on all the swoon-worthy action now on Dekkoo. The first eight episodes are currently available.

‘Velociraptor’ celebrates it’s 10th Anniversary this year on Dekkoo!

It’s the end of the world as you know it in director Chucho E. Quintero’s award-winning oddball indie Velociraptor – which is celebrating it’s 10-year anniversary this month on Dekkoo.

Set on the eve of an imminent apocalypse, the film offers up an unusual cross between Before Sunset and A Clockwork Orange while following two attractive young buddies from Mexico – one gay, the other “undecided” – as they wander the streets, awaiting their seemingly inevitable demise.

Deep in conversation, Alex and Diego (Pablo Mezz and Carlos Hendrick Huber) bond while sharing their fears and desires about sex and intimacy. Once they make their way to Alex’s bedroom, the true nature of their relationship is made clear.

The strength of their unbreakable friendship helps them test the limits of trust and loyalty while pushing one another into exciting new realms of sexual exploration. There isn’t much time left, after all – why not make the most of it?

A smartly written, heartfelt mix of comedy, drama, science fiction and romance, Velociraptor offers up a clever examination of what it means to be young man, exploring male friendship and desire in an entirely fresh way.

You can catch up on the pre-apocalyptic action of Velociraptor now on Dekkoo. We also have a trio of new special features available, including interviews with production designer Irina Miroslava and lead actor Carlos Hendrick Huber; and a conversation between director Chucho E. Quintero and filmmaker H.P. Mendoza. Watch the trailer below.

Short Film Spotlight: Intermission

Life imitates art in Intermission, a 25-minute drama from Spanish writer-director Arnau Vilaró. The film follows David (David Selvas), a middle-aged actor who is preparing to star in a new stage production.

After rehearsing a dramatic monologue about nostalgia and melancholy, he receives an unexpected phone call that sends him on a journey of his own. Though we don’t immediately know why, David is suddenly compelled to seek out a former long-term partner named Gerard.

The news he has to share, concerning a mysterious matter set in motion years prior, has the potential to change both of their lives… as long as it’s not too late.

Deliberately paced and packed with mystery, Intermission is a stylish drama about aging, self-reflection, and the relationships that make us who we are.

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

‘The Summer with Carmen’ is now streaming exclusively on Dekkoo!

The playful gay comedy The Summer with Carmen follows actors, writing partners, and best friends Demos and Nikitas (Yorgos Tsiantoulas and Andreas Labropoulos) as they spend a sweltering day together at a nude beach in Athens.

Nikitas, fed up with only being considered for stereotypical queer roles, becomes determined to create his own opportunities in the Greek film industry by directing his first feature.

As the two friends soak up the sun, they begin to brainstorm a screenplay idea based on the colorful events of a previous summer – a life-changing period that involved a devastating break-up and a dog named Carmen.

Taking a fresh, rule-breaking perspective on storytelling, writer-director Zacharias Mavroeidis has devised a clever ‘film within a film,’ playfully shifting between timelines while delivering a funny and poignant look at queer romances, friendships, and intimacy – not to mention pet ownership – all set against multiple steamy Greek summers.

Watch the trailer for The Summer with Carmen below. The film is now streaming on Dekkoo.

Short Film Spotlight: The Cure

Renal (Nikita Kochnev), a 17-year-old from Russia, is suffering at the hands of his abusive father (Aleksandr Dzuba), who feels his son does not live up to typical masculine ideals.

After a particularly violent incident, Uncle Dayan (Oleg Kamenshikov), his father’s well-meaning, but woefully ignorant brother, swoops in looking to save the day. In an effort to make a man out of Renal and prove his masculinity, he brings the shy, introverted teen to a small brothel where he can pay to lose his virginity.

Though he’d never dare say it out loud, Renal isn’t particularly interested in the sex workers that are offered to him.

A heartbreaking 12-minute drama from Ukraine-based director Taisia Deeva, The Cure features very little dialog, but manages to convey a lot of emotional subtext about growing up gay and struggling against the oppression of homophobia and toxic masculinity in modern-day Russia.

Watch a short teaser for The Cure below. The short film is now streaming on Dekkoo.