Two men’s marriage plans cause a media firestorm in the romantic drama ‘Mysterious Ways’

From Paul Oremland, the New Zealand-based filmmaker behind 100 Men, Surveillance 24/7 and Like It Is, Mysterious Ways tells the powerful and courageous story of two men who become torn between their faith, their families and their love for one another.

Anglican priest Peter (played by British actor Richard Short, from The Tragedy of Macbeth and the Canadian TV series ‘Mary Kills People’) and boyfriend Jason (played by newcomer Nick Afoa) want to get married.

For Anglicans, this is not allowed – and homosexuality itself is still taboo in Samoan culture. Samoan-Kiwi Jason has to deal with his family’s strict cultural beliefs while Peter clashes with the Anglican Church hierarchy.

When news of their marriage plans make headlines, it scandalizes the devout local community and unleashes a media storm that pushes the couple’s relationship to the limit.

A searing critique of the church’s attitude towards the LGBTQ+ community, Mysterious Ways is an impassioned and moving drama.

In the words of director Oremland, “Most religions still see being gay as sinful. This does huge harm to millions of people in terms of self-esteem, family rejection and legitimizing hatred. A love story where God is on our side is a powerful statement that is needed now more than ever.”

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

A gay playboy tries to stop his best friend’s wedding in the adorable rom-com ‘John Apple Jack’

A charming gay indie rom-com from director Monika Mitchell, John Apple Jack follows John and Jack (Chris McNally and Kent S. Leung). As kids, they were best friends. Twenty years later, they’ve grown apart and now barely recognize each other.

A handsome gay man and heir to a restaurant empire, John lives with extravagance, bedding nearly every hot guy in town. But when he learns that his sister Vivienne is about to marry his childhood crush Jack, repressed passions ignite and he comes to believe that the wedding must be stopped.

Years of mounting tensions culminate into an over-heated argument in the kitchen. The spoiled, promiscuous John was once easy for Jack to ignore. But the newer, penniless, more soulful version might just prove too hard to kick to the curb.

Before the fresh, bountiful ingredients rot away in a glamorous but empty kitchen, the challenge for both John and Jack is to find a way to blend money, sex, love and family into one sumptuous recipe for life.

Lead actors McNally and Leung do an amazing job selling their romantic and sexual chemistry in this funny, sexy, uplifting and positively adorable gay romantic comedy.

Watch the trailer for John Apple Jack below. The film is now streaming on Dekkoo.

Short Film Spotlight: Life In Love with Nick and Kaiden

Meet new couple Nick and Kaiden. They’re navigating an unconventional work life and the politics of London’s queer community, as well as their blossoming partnership. Will their relationship, first built on sexual desire and lust, turn into the year’s sweetest love story?

Love should be a safe space, and Nick and Kaiden have spent the first few weeks of their relationship crafting that intimate, personal enclave. Shaving one another’s butts, talking about the complexities of sex work, and clubbing at queer parties in Leeds – it’s all there.

As we find out, their tentative first steps together reflect how important it is to stay raw and playful with each other.

Filmed as part of a docudrama series exploring Gen Z’s relationships, trysts and every encounter in between, Life in Love with Nick and Kaiden has been released as a stand-alone short film offering a glimpse into the most intimate moments of one young couple’s blossoming love affair.

Watch the trailer for Life in Love with Nick and Kaiden below. The short documentary is now streaming on Dekkoo.

Bed-hopping shenanigans ensue in the racy Belgian drama ‘Even Lovers Get the Blues’

A contemporary pansexual drama from director Laurent Micheli – that can best be described as the darker, equally sexy Belgian version of John Cameron Mitchell’s Shortbus – Even Lovers Get the Blues follows a group of close, sexually-liberated friends who are coming to grips with a tragedy.

Ana (Marie Denys) is sleeping with Hugo (Gaël Maleux), Dalhia (Adriana da Fonseca) with Graciano (Gabriel Da Costa), Leo (Séverine Porzio) with Louis (Arnaud Bronsart), and Arthur (Tristan Schotte) with just about anyone who will have him.

All of the wild parties and one-night-stands satisfy their individual desires to live life to the fullest… until one of them passes away quite unexpectedly.

In the cold light of day, each member of this tight-knit group begins questioning the path they find themselves on.

Featuring a ton of nudity and some truly explicit sex scenes, Even Lovers Get the Blues is an effortlessly cool, adults-only exploration of the romantic and sexual lives of a group of fascinating young lovers.

Watch the trailer for Even Lovers Get the Blues below. The film is now streaming on Dekkoo.

Dekkoo In Depth: Get to know ‘Bad Together’ director Jono Mitchell and actor Andrés Erickson

In this installment of ‘Dekkoo In Depth,’ Ross sits down for a chat about the new Dekkoo-original series Bad Together with director Jono Mitchell and lead actor Andrés Erickson.

Bad Together follows the evolving ‘situationship’ between two gay men as they learn to accept and love both themselves and one another… as friends or whatever else.

Robbie (Erickson) is a sensitive young casting associate who is reeling after a recent break-up. When his best friend drags him to a party to cheer him up, he meets the charming and freewheeling Cameron (Queer Niro).

Over six time-jumping episodes, the show checks in with the pair at different moments throughout the years-long relationship that develops. Are these two just friends or are there deeper feeling that aren’t being expressed? And, more importantly, are they even a good match for one another?

Intelligently written, acted and directed, Bad Together examines modern queer relationships with a keen eye and a lot of heart.

Check out Ross’s conversation with Jono and Andrés below. A warning, though: this chat includes some spoilers for the first season. We strongly recommend watching the show first. All episodes of Bad Together are currently streaming on Dekkoo!

Short Film Spotlight: Paper Airplanes

A teen boy’s spiritual and sexual awakenings coincide in the poetic 17-minute short Paper Airplanes.

Santiago Cabrera stars in the film at Mateo, a young man who is living with his casually overbearing aunt while grappling with the loss of his mother.

In this vulnerable state, he finds himself unexpectedly connecting with the spiritual realm. Suddenly he’s being followed by the ghost of Enrique (Alex Orellana), a recently deceased classmate, who is rumored to have killed himself after his parents discovered that he was gay.

Comforted by Enrique’s spectral presence, the two grow increasingly closer. But is Mateo really experiencing supernatural visions – or is this his mind’s way of dealing with his own grief and repressed desires?

A meditative film from Ecuadorian writer-director Rob Mendoza, Paper Airplanes is a thoughtful and romantic queer ghost story, as well as a coming-of-age fable about growing into your own skin and learning to say goodbye.

Watch the trailer for Paper Airplanes below. The full short film is now available on Dekkoo.

Binge all six episodes of the Dekkoo-original series ‘Bad Together’ – available now!

From creator Jono Mitchell, the writer, director and actor behind Making a Scene, Thirty Candles and Miles from Nowhere, Bad Together is a brand-new Dekkoo-original series that follows the evolving friendship between two gay men… as they learn to accept and love both themselves and one another.

Andres Erickson stars as Robbie, a sensitive young casting associate who is reeling after a recent break-up. When his best friend Emma drags him to a work party, looking to cheer him up, he meets the charming and freewheeling Cameron, played by Queer Niro.

The story checks in with the pair at different moments throughout the years-long relationship that develops. Are these two just friends or are there deeper feeling that aren’t being expressed? And, more importantly, are they even a good match for one another?

Intelligently written, acted and directed, Bad Together examines modern queer relationships with a keen eye and a lot of heart.

Watch the trailer for Bad Together below. All six episodes from the first season are now available to binge on Dekkoo!