New This Week – 6/4/21

In this new Dekkoo-original series two very different young men come together in an episodic series that follows their relationship – from beginning to end. Watch the official trailer now!

When Lucas travels to visit his sister he meets Antonio who works as a boatswain in a local fishing boat. An intense romance blossoms between the two of them, and with it their strength, their independence and their adulthood become immovable with the ebb and flow of the tide. ‘The Strong Ones’ is available now on Dekkoo!

Felix is a friendless achiever in high school whose life changes after the arrival of the half-American Snyder brothers, entangling him in their dark ambitions. Watch ‘2 Cool 2 B 4Gotten’ now on Dekkoo!

Bernardo is an old Art History teacher recently retired and widowed from his wife Cecilia. One day he runs into Víctor, a piano player and long lost love from Bernardo’s past that he hasn’t seen in almost 40 years. ‘Chords’ is available now on Dekkoo!

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Coming next week: “Both sprawling and intimate, it tells a story dealing with life, love, friendship, mortality and, yes, AIDS, in a manner that is relentlessly and deliberately unsentimental in tone but which nevertheless proves to be quite affecting.” – rogerebert.com

Now Available: Romeos

How do you love someone if you don’t show who you are?

Twenty-year old Lukas (Rick Okon) is a prisoner in his own body. As a pre-op trans person, he is constantly finding himself trapped in uncomfortable, compromising positions.

His best friend, Ine (Liv Lisa Fries) introduces him to the gay scene in Cologne where he meets the confident and gorgeous, Fabio (Max Befort). The two develop a romantic relationship that tests the boundaries of love.

Originally released in 2011, this critically-acclaimed debut feature from German writer-director Sabine Bernardi forgoes stereotypes and conventions to offer an honest and humorous examination of the most basic of human conditions: friendship, sex, and love.

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

New This Week – 5/28/21

Twin 18-year-olds hitchhike to their mother’s funeral in Spain. The journey changes their lives forever. ‘Give Me Your Hand’ is available to stream now on Dekkoo!

Two men who have an unacknowledged relationship five years ago meet each other during the pandemic. Will they finally have a happy ending or a mother’s love get in the way to protect her son? Watch ‘Memories of Forgetting’ now on Dekkoo!

After drinking the California kool-aid, Ronnie decides to reinvent himself and move to LA. He soon discovers he has been forced down a path with no return. Stream the short film ‘You’ve Changed’ now on Dekkoo!

On one particular night, Jason drunkenly confesses his feelings to Daniel, irreparably changing their relationship forever. ‘Good Seeing You’ is available now on Dekkoo!

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Coming next week: Two unmoored men in the chilly Chilean boondocks find warmth and solace in each other.

Short Film Spotlight: More Than He Knows

Ryan (screenwriter Chris McNeany) and Taya (Helena-Alexis Seymour) have a happy and loving marriage. When they go on a routine staycation, Ryan instantly connects with a man (Julian Fletcher) at the hotel pool.

Conflicted by this attraction, Ryan explores a part of himself that he has long suppressed. This encounter opens up the chance for a whole new level of honesty between Ryan and Taya, if they are willing to explore bisexuality and an open relationship.

From director Fiona Dawson, the new 13-minute short film More Than He Knows examines the complexity of human connections; our self-awareness, awareness of others, the spectrum of sexuality and models of marriage.

Watch the trailer for More Than He Knows below. The full short film is now available on Dekkoo.

Don’t miss the charming new “anti-romantic comedy” Stone Fruit

“I had been wanting to write a film with my friend Robert Andrew Perez… we came up with a general concept after watching Andrew Haigh’s movie Weekend. We were also really inspired by Richard Linklater’s Before trilogy. We wanted to make a movie that kind of jumped ahead in terms of gay storytelling – get past the marriage, and look at now. What happens when a gay marriage, a gay relationship, falls apart – because its sort of been normalized now since marriage equality passed.” – Stone Fruit director Brandon Krajewski

When long-term couple Manny and Russ (Matt Palazzolo and Rob Warner) decide to call their marriage quits and get a divorce, they also – quite strangely – decide to celebrate the occasion together. The pair head to the Central Coast of California for some wine, sun… and more wine! When Byron (Thomas Hobson), their close friend, joins up with them, an unexpected threesome ensues and the trip becomes the post-divorce party to end all post-divorce parties.

Stone Fruit is a witty, sharply-written new film that gives freshness to the classic break-up movie by bringing in a queer perspective and exploring the complicated similarities that many couples, both queer and straight, face throughout their love stories. It’s a charming new “anti-romantic comedy.”

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

Take a trip through Queer Japan from the comfort of your own home

In this new documentary, trailblazing artists, activists, and everyday people from across the spectrum of gender and sexuality defy social norms and dare to shine in this kaleidoscopic view of LGBTQ+ culture in contemporary Japan.

From glossy pride parades to playfully perverse underground parties, Queer Japan pictures people living brazenly unconventional lives in the sunlight, the shadows, and everywhere in between.

Dazzling, iconoclastic drag queen Vivienne Sato peels back the layers of language and identity. Maverick manga artist Gengoroh Tagame tours the world with his unapologetically erotic gay comics. Councilwoman Aya Kamikawa recounts her rocky path to becoming the first transgender elected official in Japan. At the legendary kink-positive hentai party Department H, non-binary performance artist Saeborg uses rubber to create a second skin.

Culled from 100+ interviews conducted over three years in locations across the entire country, Queer Japan features dozens of individuals sharing their experiences in their own words. Get to know a vibrant and inspiring group of human beings in a country with a unique history of queer expression.

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

Both Seasons of the Dekkoo Original Series Soul Mate are Now Available

Soul Mate is a new two-season, ten-episode episode Dekkoo Original Series series from writer-director Kevin James Thornton, the filmmaker behind the indie sci-fi drama How to Get from Here to There and the romance series Stranger Hearts.

Starring Daniel Mark Collins and Anthony Granda, Soul Mate infuses the story of a strange romance with elements of of horror and suspense. As Eliot and Bryan settle into a new life with each other, one of them develops strange powers. This sets off an imbalance of energy that they must struggle to restore before it’s too late.

Watch the trailers for Seasons 1 and 2 of Soul Mate below. Both seasons are now available on Dekkoo.

New This Week – 5/14/21

Lukas is a prisoner in his own body. As a pre-op transgendered person, he is constantly finding himself trapped in uncomfortable, compromising positions. His best friend, Ine introduces him to the gay scene in Cologne where he meets the confident and gorgeous, Fabio. ‘Romeos’ is available to stream now on Dekkoo!

When a happily married couple go on a routine staycation, the wife demonstrates that she knows her husband better than he knows himself. ‘More Than He Knows’ is available now on Dekkoo!

Trailblazing artists, activists, and everyday people from across the spectrum of gender and sexuality defy social norms and dare to live unconventional lives in this kaleidoscopic view of LGBTQ+ culture in contemporary Japan. Stream ‘Queer Japan’ now on Dekkoo!

Leo had never imagined he would see his Dad kissing another man in the middle of a party – Until it happened. Now, with the help of Carol, his best friend, he has to find the most perfect way to tell his Dad that he found out about his secret. Watch ‘After That Party’ now on Dekkoo!

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Coming next week – A prodigal son and a Syrian refugee are thrown together in the Finnish countryside in this spare, intense gay romance. – Variety

Short Film Spotlight: The Gust

Set in 2011, weeks after Hurricane María devastated Puerto Rico, this provocative, sexy and deeply moving new thirty-minute short film follows a lonely middle-aged man finds himself obsessing with his squatter neighbor, a young closeted and tormented athlete who insistently pursues his attention.

A massive hit at film festivals all around the world, writer-director Edgar Garcia’s The Gust deals with fragility issues of living in a forgotten paradise, in the world’s oldest colony, still half-torn, half-supported, with half-citizens, half-gods and half-demons.

Check out a few stills from The Gust below. The film is now available on Dekkoo.

Now Available: My Dead Ones

The feature debut of director Diego Freitas, the new Brazilian thriller My Dead Ones follows a troubled young man as his mind slowly begins to unravel.

Davi (Nicolas Prattes) is a shy film school student who spends most of his life looking through a lens. When he meets Jonatas (Andre Hendges), an alluring man who brings the young voyeur out of his shell, their budding romance is threatened by a spate of gruesome murders that may be connected to Davi’s troubled and mysterious past.

When whispers of a killer lurking around campus sweep the school, Davi’s two worlds begin to collide and the truth rises ever more closely to the surface.

Watch the trailer for My Dead Ones below. The film is now available on Dekkoo.