Category: Short Film

Short Film Spotlight: The Gift

A mysterious, sexually-charged 17-minute short film from Brazil, The Gift follows Zeca, played by Luiz Felipe Bianchini.

Opening with his narration, we learn that he is lonely – searching night after night for a lover who has yet to appear. When he cuts out of work to buy his sister a birthday present, he instead meets up with Lino, an attractive stranger played by Fabricio Licursi.

The two men share a strange sexual encounter in an empty apartment. Later, when Zeca arrives at his sister’s birthday party, he gets an unexpected surprise of his own.

Filming in a spare, naturalistic style, director Daniel Wierman breaks up scenes of mundane, day-to-day activities with sublimely-staged eroticism. The Gift doesn’t offer much in the way of narrative – if anything, the film ends up leaving audiences with more questions than answers – but it does an excellent job presenting the feelings and deep interior worlds of the characters.

Watch a short, tension-filled trailer for The Gift below. The film is now available on Dekkoo.

Short Film Spotlight: Plum

From writer-director Blake Snawder, Plum is a sleek and sexy new 9-minute short film that explores the blossoming of a romantic relationship between two young male models.

Isaac Dice Vega and Hunter Swindle star in the film as Caelum and Lyle. The film looks at the stages of their relationship as the pair spend a fleeting summer together while working in the fashion industry. Throughout the short film, we hear continuous audio, a reading by the lead actors of an original poem written by the director.

At the same time, the film jumps ahead in time, giving us quick glimpses into the progression of the love story and its ultimate decay as the summer comes to a close.

Using fruit as a metaphor to reflect on relationships that turn from sweet to sour, Plum is a skillfully made short about how love can grow less delicious over time.

Watch a short trailer for Plum below. The film is now available on Dekkoo.

Short Film Spotlight: Unicorn

A new 30-minute short film from Rodrigo Bellott, the writer-director behind the award-winning 2019 drama Tu Me Manques, Unicorn tells a poignant story about religious fundamentalism, homophobia and a romance that helps one character break free.

Doug Porter stars as Isaac, a young man whose family’s strict religious code prohibits them from all modern-day technology. So strict is his pious father that Isaac sometimes finds himself locked away in a cell for even daring to interpret the Bible differently.

When he’s finally freed thanks to intervention from the local police, he finds himself shunned by everyone in his orbit – including his siblings. His work on a dairy farm in the neighboring town brings him into contact with Fernando, played by Eric Robles. An immediate spark is felt between the two, but in Issac’s homophobic and watchful religious community, his sexual awakening will come at a heavy cost.

Inspired by a true story, Unicorn is a gripping film from a talented director at the height of his powers.

Watch a trailer for Unicorn below. The film is now available on Dekkoo.

Short Film Spotlight: Stockholm

Stockholm is a powerful and stylishly-crafted new short film from British writer-director Tom Wright.

Alex Britt stars as Alex, a young gay man who, during what initially seems to be an unusual first date, attempts to gain control over a traumatic event from his past. Things, however, are not as simple as they initially appear.

Wright uses deliberately disorienting cinematography and quick editing to jump around in time. And while the exact nature of Alex’s trauma is kept mysterious, what we do know is that he met another young guy who ended up hurting him.

Taking us through a montage which shows the consequences of the incident, we see Alex spiral into a chasm of self-destructive behavior before finally taking the first steps toward dealing with his emotions in a healthier way.

Stockholm shows us, in an intelligent and even elegant way, the deep effects of sexual assault and examines how the circumstances of recovery are never just black and white.

Watch a short trailer for Stockholm below. The film is now available on Dekkoo.