The clever short film ‘Beast’ tells an unusual, genre-twisting story of forbidden gay love

A 24-minute short film from Swedish writer-director Valentina Chamorro Westergårdh, Beast begins as a romantic drama and turns into something else entirely.

The film follows Vincent (Andreas La Chenardière), a reclusive young man who lives in a remote lakeside town that only attracts visitors during the warmer months. When he attends a bonfire and meets the strikingly handsome Gustav (Robert Noack), an instant attraction is sparked.

Gustav visits Vincent again later on, hoping to bring his seemingly shy newfound acquaintance out of his shell and act on their clear desire for one another.

Attracted to Gustav, Vincent soon gives in to temptation, and the two men begin a passionate affair. But Vincent has a good reason for keeping most people at a distance – and his secret may just destroy Gustav and their burgeoning romance if the pair aren’t careful.

Clever and beautifully constructed, Beast straddles two specific genres to tell an unusual tale of forbidden gay love.

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

An accomplished figure skater reveals his truth in the documentary ‘Go Figure: The Randy Gardner Story’

In Go Figure: The Randy Gardner Story, two-time Olympian and World Champion, the legendary Randy Gardner, explores his true identity through figure skating and his own one man show.

With his skating partner of over fifty years, Tai Babilonia, the pair experienced the heights of worldwide glory and devastating personal tragedy.

Now that the intense glare of the public spotlight has softened, he is free to finally reveal his untold magical and meaningful journey… both on and off the ice.

Go Figure: The Randy Gardner Story is a moving film filled with family secrets, closeted sexuality and the price that one gifted and wildly accomplished man paid to keep everything quiet.

Watch a short trailer for Go Figure: The Randy Gardner Story below. The film is now streaming on Dekkoo.

A sex-worker embarks on an unusual odyssey in the surreal erotic drama ‘Strapped’

The strikingly handsome Benjamin Bonenfant stars in the sexually-charged 2010 indie film Strapped as an unnamed hustler on an unusual odyssey.

Stunningly photographed by writer-director Joseph Graham, the film follows the young man during a routine trick that soon leads him through a series of life-changing encounters.

This amicable and sexually efficient rent boy begins to look at himself differently when he finds himself lost in a maze-like apartment building. On his journey through the building, he meets up with a variety of different clients. Sex is the commonality, but out of that commodity comes raw, unguarded emotions for all involved.

Witty, sexy, surreal and ultimately touching, Strapped offers up an unforgettable look into one young man’s moving journey toward understanding himself and the world around him.

Watch the trailer for Strapped below. Though it’s long been difficult to find, Strapped is now finally available to stream on Dekkoo! We also have an interview with director Joseph Graham where he discusses this provocative film, plus a making-of documentary available now.

Short Film Spotlight: I Get So Sad Sometimes

The debut short film from Filipino writer-director Trishtan Perez, I Get So Sad Sometimes is a sexually-charged drama about the isolation of youth.

Starring newcomers JC Santiago, Karl Louie Caminade and Russ Ligtas, the film follows a lonely high school boy who, unbeknownst to his family, is secretly spending a lot of time on the internet chatting with a mature man whose face he hasn’t seen.

Cleverly shot in a claustrophobic aspect ratio to capture the lead character’s sense of being boxed in, this provocative film offers up a keen observation of this modern generation’s ethos – expressed through an intimate and contemporary visual language focusing on the immediacy of online interaction and instant gratification.

One could also read the film as a stern warning of the dangers of the internet and social media as a surrogate to real life bonds.

Check out the poster for I Get So Sad Sometimes below. The full 20-minute short film is now streaming on Dekkoo.

Nico Greetham co-stars in the charming ’90s-set theater kid comedy ‘Dramarama’

It’s the end of the summer of 1994 and Gene (Nick Pugliese) is preparing for his high school drama friends’ final murder mystery slumber party!

The theatrical hostess, Rose (Anna Grace Barlow), will fly off to start college the next morning, followed by the earnest Claire (Megan Suri), charismatic Oscar (‘Love, Victor’ and ‘American Horror Story’ heartthrob Nico Greetham) and sarcastic Ally (Danielle Kay).

Before they head off to begin their separate lives, however, Gene wants to come out of the closet – but he’s terrified of what his sheltered Christian friends might think… especially Oscar.

The feature-length debut of prolific short film director and producer Jonathan Wysocki, Dramarama is like a perfect mix of The Breakfast Club and The Big Chill. Featuring winning performances from the pitch-perfect ensemble cast, the film offers up a nostalgic and deeply funny coming-of-age tale and a poignant love letter to drama nerds, late bloomers and the intense friendships that mark our youth.

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

Short Film Spotlight: The Station In-Between

Swiss actors Peter Fischli and Carlos Leal star in the tender and visually lush short film The Station In-Between as Theo and Louis, two gay men with little in common who are compelled to go on an emotional journey together.

Louis’s husband, who was also Theo’s best friend, was recently killed during a homophobic attack. The pair are traveling by train to Paxmal, a spiritual peace monument in the Swiss Alps, to scatter their beloved friend and partner’s ashes.

Along the way, almost as if by fate, they meet a variety of memorable characters. Some confront them with traumas of the past, while others remind them of the good things in life and the beauty that surrounds them even in the darkest of times.

Gorgeously crafted by director Sven Schnyder, this touching and compassionate 19-minute short film is an ode to unexpected friendships, as well as life, death and everything in between.

Check out the poster for The Station In-Between below. The film is now available on Dekkoo.

The 1974 gay classic ‘A Very Natural Thing’ is now available on Dekkoo

Originally released by New Line Cinema in 1974, director Christopher Larkin’s A Very Natural Thing is considered one of the first films about gay relationships intended for mainstream, commercial distribution.

The plot concerns a young monk named David, played by Robert Joel, who leaves the monastery to become a public school teacher by day, while looking for true love in a gay bar by night.

Though it didn’t reach the large, mainstream audience the distributors had been seeking, the film offers a unique look at a specific period in the LGBTQ history – beginning with a mini-documentary about New York City’s 1973 Gay Pride Parade and continuing on to take a refreshingly positive and optimistic look at then-modern same-sex relationships.

While earlier queer films were dominated by tales of gays and lesbians being outcasts of society, mentally disturbed or committing suicide – and later queer films were sadly dominated by the emergence of the AIDS crisis – A Very Natural Thing represents a short period in time where gay liberation flourished, and filmmakers could explore relationships in much the same way that films with heterosexual characters did.

Check out the original poster for A Very Natural Thing below. The film is now available on Dekkoo.

Short Film Spotlight: After Sunset, Dawn Arrives

A 17-minute short film from writer-director Andy Yi Li, After Sunset, Dawn Arrives tells an inspiring story about how it’s never too late to embrace a new passion.

Set in Los Angeles in 2005, the film follows Wen (Jesse Wang), a recent widower who has been suppressing his sexuality for a long, long time.

Happening upon a ballroom dance class for men, he peers through the window with curiosity, but his old-fashioned masculine ways prevent him from going inside.

When he later runs into Ken (Todd Lien), the ridiculously hot class instructor, at a local bathhouse, he’s convinced to come by and give the class a try. This sends Wen on an emotional journey where he is finally able to open up – not only to himself, but also to his deceased wife.

Check out the poster for After Sunset, Dawn Arrives below. The short film is now streaming on Dekkoo.

Russell Tovey and Arinzé Kene release some long-simmering sexual tension in ‘The Pass’

Young adults Jason and Ade have been members of a famous London football club since they were eight years old. On the night before their first-ever Champions League match, they find themselves sharing a hotel room in Romania.

Though both of them should be sleeping, they’re over-excited. They skip, fight, mock each other, prepare their kit and even watch a teammate’s sex tape. And then, out of nowhere, one of them kisses the other.

In a sporting world where macho image is everything, the impact of this “pass” ends up reverberating through the next ten years of their lives – a decade of fame, failure, secrets, lies… and intense longing.

Based on a stage play of the same name by John Donnelly, The Pass is an intelligent and thought-provoking drama featuring exceptional performances from lead actors Arinzé Kene and Russell Tovey who commit wholeheartedly to the story’s simmering sexual tension.

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