Category: Romance

Sun, Sand & Summer Flings: The Best Gay Summer Romance Movies to Stream

Summer has always been the perfect backdrop for romance. Long days at the beach, unforgettable vacations, unexpected encounters, and relationships that change us forever have inspired some of the most memorable LGBTQ+ films ever made.

Our newest Dekkoo Selects collection, Sun, Sand & Summer Flings, celebrates everything we love about summer romance. Whether you’re looking for heartfelt drama, passionate love stories, or films that capture the excitement of discovering someone new, this collection is the perfect place to start.

If you’re searching for the best gay movies to watch this summer, you’ll find plenty to love in this carefully curated selection.

The Summer with Carmen

Set against the breathtaking coast of Greece, The Summer with Carmen follows two lifelong friends as they spend a relaxing holiday reflecting on past relationships, creative ambitions, and the complicated nature of love. It’s funny, thoughtful, and beautifully photographed—the kind of film that makes you wish summer would never end.

The Best Friend

One of the standout films in this collection is The Best Friend, a touching romance set along Brazil’s stunning coastline. When Lucas reconnects with an old college crush, what begins as a casual reunion slowly develops into something much deeper.

Learn more about The Best Friend here!

Check out the entire Sun, Sand & Summer Flings collection here.

More LGBTQ+ Movies for Every Mood

Looking for even more recommendations?

Explore our collection of gay movies featuring romance, comedy, drama, thrillers, documentaries, and exclusive originals.

If emotional storytelling is what you’re after, don’t miss our collection of gay drama movies.

Still wondering where to discover the very best LGBTQ+ cinema online? We’ve also put together a complete guide to where to watch gay films online.

Start Your Summer Movie Marathon

Whether you’re planning a beach weekend, relaxing by the pool, or simply escaping the heat indoors, Sun, Sand & Summer Flings offers the perfect lineup of LGBTQ+ romance.

When you’re ready to discover even more great films and series, browse the complete Dekkoo library and find your next favorite story.

Happy streaming—and happy summer!

Short Film Spotlight: Turn It Around

Set at a teen house party, the 9-minute short Turn It Around follows fifteen-year-old Bram (Valentijn Avé), a young man who is surrounded by his friends and draws the Turn It Around Captures the Heart-Racing Intensity of a Teenage Crush

What starts as an ordinary house party quickly becomes a life-changing night in Turn It Around, the tender and emotionally honest LGBTQ+ short film now streaming on Dekkoo.

At the center of the story is Bram, a shy teenage boy trying to blend into the chaos of a crowded party. While he attracts the attention of several girls throughout the evening, Bram’s heart is focused elsewhere. Across the room is Florian (Tonko Bossen), the effortlessly cool, denim-clad boy who instantly captures his attention.

As the night unfolds, the chemistry between the two boys becomes impossible to ignore. There’s just one complication: nobody at the party knows Bram is gay.

The tension slowly builds through stolen glances, awkward moments, and the overwhelming fear that comes with wanting to be seen for who you truly are. When a game of spin the bottle begins, Bram is suddenly faced with a choice that could change everything — not just for the night, but for the rest of his life.

Directed by Dutch filmmaker Niels Bourgonje and written by Paul Bontenbal, Turn It Around became an award-winning festival favorite thanks to its authentic emotional storytelling and heartfelt performances from its young cast. The film perfectly captures the nervous excitement, vulnerability, and longing of a first crush while exploring the fear and freedom that come with coming out.

Fans of emotional coming-of-age stories and romantic LGBTQ+ cinema will find a lot to love here. If you enjoy intimate queer dramas, you can also explore Dekkoo’s collection of gay romance movies and discover even more heartfelt stories on the platform’s LGBTQ+ movies collection.

Why Turn It Around Works So Well

What makes Turn It Around stand out is its simplicity. Rather than relying on melodrama, the short film focuses on small moments — eye contact across a crowded room, hesitation before speaking, and the anxiety of wondering whether your feelings might actually be returned.

The result is a deeply relatable story for anyone who remembers the intensity of a teenage crush or the fear of revealing a hidden part of themselves.

The chemistry between the leads gives the film its emotional core, helping transform an ordinary party setting into something unforgettable.

Watch Turn It Around on Dekkoo

Turn It Around is now streaming exclusively on Dekkoo, home to a growing library of award-winning queer cinema, romantic dramas, international LGBTQ+ stories, and original series.

Looking for more emotional and romantic stories? Browse Dekkoo’s collections of:

Watch the trailer for Turn It Around below and experience this touching coming-of-age short for yourself.

Season 2 of Open to It Is Now Streaming on Dekkoo

Open to It Season 2 promotional image featuring Cam and Greg embracing while exploring love, relationships and life as a throuple

Ready for more romance, chaos and complicated relationships? Season 2 of Open to It is now streaming on Dekkoo.

Created by, written by, directed by and starring Frank Arthur Smith, Open to It returns with more laughs, more chemistry and even more unexpected twists as one couple continues exploring what happens when love doesn’t always fit inside traditional boundaries.

Looking for more queer stories to stream? Explore our collection of gay movies and series here!

Love Gets More Complicated in Season 2

After opening up their relationship, Cam (Frank Arthur Smith) and Greg (Tim Wardell) quickly discover that being in a throuple isn’t always as effortless as it seemed.

Season 2 follows the pair as they navigate attraction, intimacy and difficult questions about what they really want — and whether opening their relationship solved anything at all.

Meanwhile, Princeton (Jason Caceres) is forced to take a closer look at himself and confront truths he wasn’t expecting. Elsewhere, Elsa (Kimberly Pace-Nieva) and Reggie (Elizabeth M. Boone) continue figuring out whether threesomes are better as an idea, an experience… or something in between.

Featuring Drag Favorites and New Faces

Season 2 opens with a special Drag Queen Story Hour episode and welcomes appearances from RuPaul’s Drag Race fan favorites including Manila Luzon, Laganja Estranja, Pandora Boxx and Honey Davenport.

Packed with sharp comedy, relationship drama and plenty of sexy moments, Open to It continues to explore queer love in ways that are funny, messy and relatable.

If relationship-driven stories are your thing, browse more gay romance movies and series here!

Stream Open to It on Dekkoo Today

Whether you’re single, coupled or throupled, all of Season 2 of Open to It is available to stream now on Dekkoo.

Watch Open to It now!

Exploring Allen Ginsberg’s Howl: A Cinematic Journey

From Academy Award-winning documentarians Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman, filmmakers behind celebrated queer classics like The Celluloid Closet and The Times of Harvey Milk, the 2010 docudrama Howl bends genres to depict the story behind the literary revolution that was Allen Ginsberg’s “Howl.”

James Franco stars as a young Ginsberg on the precipice of making waves with his incendiary, culture-shifting poem.

The film takes us to a famous reading of “Howl” at the Six Gallery, a recreation of an unpublished interview allegedly given to Time in 1957 and the poem’s infamous obscenity trial.

We’re also witness to the beginnings of Ginsberg’s relationship with lover, Peter Orlovsky, played by “Gossip Girl” alum Aaron Tveit. Featuring an impressive supporting cast – including David Strathairn, Jon Hamm, Jeff Daniels, Treat Williams and Mary-Louise Parker – Howl offers up a fascinating and idiosyncratic portrait of an epic literary work and its iconoclastic creator.

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

Exploring LGBTQ+ Life in Singapore: People Like Us Season 3

Following the lives of four gay men, People Like Us, a short-form series from creator Leon Cheo, offers up a poignant reflection and insightful look at being gay in modern-day Singapore. The characters drift into one another’s worlds – and beds – as they navigate love, lust and life in the big city.

Picking back up with our central group, Season Three finds Joel (Josh Crowe) dealing with grief, struggling with the dating scene and binge-eating his feelings. Meanwhile, Ridzwan (Ifran Kasban) distracts himself with work and sex as Isaac (Steven Lim) falls deeper into his substance addiction. Finally, post-‘honeymoon phase,’ Rai (Hemant Ashoka) and Haniff (Syaheeran Othman) are facing new and unexpected challenges as a serodiscordant couple, one being HIV+ and one HIV-.

In addition to the sexual escapades and relationships that unfold between these characters, People Like Us explores themes of acceptance, community support, the challenges of dating, substance abuse and HIV awareness in the local LGBTQ+ community.

Watch the trailer for the newest season below and catch up on all the drama of People Like Us on Dekkoo. All three seasons are available now.

Dark Comedy: Stimulants and Empathogens Review

An award-winning dark comedy from Poland, Stimulants and Empathogens follows Antek (Michal Murawski), a closeted gay teen from a wealthy family.

At the start of the film, Antek is harboring a hopeless crush on Kuba (Gracjan Kosyl), a fellow teen who just happens to be a drug dealer.

Looking to get closer, Antek invites Kuba to his family’s villa under the pretext of another deal. What he doesn’t know, however, is that Kuba is on a mission, ordered by his superiors in the drug trade, his father and brother. They suspect that Antek may be reselling their product at a profit.

What begins as a romantic comedy of errors soon turns into a social satire rollercoaster of clashing cultures.

Watch the trailer for Stimulants and Empathogens below. The short film is now streaming on Dekkoo.

Front Cover: A Heartfelt LGBTQ+ Love Story

Ryan (Jake Choi) is a handsome fashion stylist living in New York City. He openly rejects his traditional Asian-American upbringing, fearing that it will prevent him from enjoying his life as an openly gay man.

Everything starts to change, however, when Ryan is given an assignment and begins working with Ning (James Chen), a famous and alluring Chinese actor.

Despite a rocky start, an unlikely romance develops between the two, leading Ryan to re-examine his roots and consider an enticing new path for his career, as well as his love life.

With Front Cover, Ray Yeung, the acclaimed director behind Cut Sleeve Boys, All Shall Be Well and Twilight’s Kiss, crafts a tender and entertaining look at clashing cultures and the ultimate triumph of romance, guaranteed to make you swoon.

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

The Magic of First Kisses in LGBTQ+ Films

First Kiss: Where Every Love Story Begins

There’s nothing quite like a first kiss—the moment nerves, excitement, and possibility collide.

With our newest Dekkoo Select, “First Kiss,” we’re celebrating that spark: the instant when attraction becomes something more. This curated collection of LGBTQ+ romance films captures the beauty, vulnerability, and thrill of first love across cultures and experiences.

Films That Capture the Spark

At the heart of this collection is First Kiss, a tender coming-of-age story set in Madrid, where a shy teen’s long-awaited date turns into a life-changing moment.

You’ll also find:

  • My Partner — a heartfelt exploration of young love and identity set against the backdrop of Hawaii
  • I Love You More — a bold, messy, and honest look at attraction and emotional complexity

Each film brings a unique perspective, but they all share one thing: that unforgettable moment when everything changes.

A Global Look at Queer First Love

From Europe to the U.S. and beyond, Dekkoo Select: First Kiss highlights stories from around the world—proving that the excitement of first love is universal.

These films explore:

  • the courage to be vulnerable
  • the joy of connection
  • the discovery of identity

Whether soft and tender or bold and unexpected, every story captures the emotional intensity of that first spark.

Why First Kisses Matter

A first kiss is more than romance—it’s a turning point.

It’s about stepping into who you are, taking emotional risks, and embracing connection. These films don’t just show love—they show the moment it begins.

Watch Dekkoo Select: First Kiss

Ready to feel the butterflies?

Watch Dekkoo Select: First Kiss now on Dekkoo and rediscover the magic of queer first love.