Drama – Page 22 – Discover great gay stories.

DEKKOO DISPATCH 027 – ‘PROTEUS’ AND ‘TONIGHT IT’S ME’

Title – ‘Proteus‘

Director – John Greyson, Jack Lewis

Starring – Brett Goldin, Jeroen Kranenburg, Rouxnet Brown, Tessa Jubber

Release Date – 2003

Title – ‘Tonight It’s Me‘

Director – Dominic Haxton

Starring – Neil Elliot, Caleb James, Christian Patrick, Jake Robbins

Release Date – 2014

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In case you hadn’t noticed, we’ve added another one of Dominic Haxton’s brilliant short films to Dekkoo. ‘Tonight It’s Me‘ stars Jake Robbins who appears in 2 of Dominic’s other films (to be added in the future!) and is also the star in Robert Hawk’s super sexy short ‘Home From The Gym‘. In ‘Home’ Jake felt far away and objectified. Here he feels merely objectified which isn’t bad for us! But seriously, in ‘Tonight’ we actually get to know more of what makes a muscled hustler like him tick.

The films starts off with CJ (Jake Robbins) dealing with one his usual ‘johns’; A fat older man who can’t stop insulting him and making his life miserable. Later on CJ stops off at a new trick’s house, Ash, who with his effeminate manner and his openness about sexuality and gender strikes a chord within CJ and he begins to open up more than he has with others in the past. The film is a masterpiece in subtle characterization and the hot interplay between the two main characters is the icing on top.

At Dekkoo we’re really proud to bring queer classics to the platform and John Greyson’s ‘Proteus‘ is one of those. Greyson has been a pioneering voice in the realm of queer cinema ever since hitting it big with the HIV/AIDS musical ‘Zero Patience’ back in 1993. His signature style of Derek Jarman-esque experimental narratives mixed with historical context and a few musical numbers thrown in for good measure combine to create significant works of cinematic art that still makes the festival and art-house cinema rounds to this day.

‘Proteus‘ was written and co-directed with Jack Lewis and concerns two men who were SPOILER ALERT! executed for sodomy in 1735 in South Africa. Normally I hate spoilers, but this is a historical film and it’s important to understand a little bit about history in order to grasp the subtle nuances throughout the film. Furthering the issue at the time was that they were a bi-racial couple.

Claas Blank and Rijkhaart Jacobsz are the two men at the heart of this story. Both of them are prisoners on Robben Island (an island on the west coast of Cape Town where Nelson Mandela was held for 18 years of his prison term). Claas is a Khoi, a native of southwestern Africa and Rijkhaart is from the Netherlands whose government had control over the so-called ‘Cape Dutch’ area until 1795 when the British stepped in. A botanist named Virgil realizes that Claas has a deep knowledge of the South African flora and puts him in charge of the prison garden. Rijkhaart becomes one of his helpers and then eventually his lover. At first their relationship is joked about and ignored, but eventually simmering tensions between some of the other prisoners and the guards becomes too much to ignore.

Greyson combines this intimate historical drama with fun quirks such as incorporating modern technology like typewriters complete with busybody secretaries that give us historical context for courtroom scenes. The scenes towards the end of the film are of course saddening, but this is the 18th century and it would be dishonest to present a ‘happily-ever-after’ scenario.

If you like this film stay tuned because there will definitely be more classic queer gems like this one to grace Dekkoo in the future!

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Watch ’em with: A friend or two who like historical dramas.

Mix it with: A white wine.

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DEKKOO DISPATCH 026 – ‘Animals’

Title – ‘Animals‘

Director – Marçal Forés

Starring – Oriol Pla, Augustus Prew, Dimitri Leonidas, Roser Tapias

Release Date – 2012

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Happy Outfest! I hope everyone who’s in sunny Los Angeles is having lots of fun and watching lots of sexy cinema at the film festival. If you’re not in LA then you should join in on the fun by watching the Outfest award-winning film ‘Animals‘ on Dekkoo which took home the Artistic Achievement prize back in 2013. I’m really psyched this film finally has arrived because it’s one of my all time favorites!! This is the first feature film of Marçal Forés who also directed ‘Everlasting Love‘ and while the two films are actually very different thematically, they’re very similar in regards to gorgeous cinematography (by Eduard Grau – ‘A Single Man’), exciting musical choices, and extremely attractive men. The soundtrack to the film in on vinyl and it’s one of my most played records. Soooo good!

When I was growing up there was always lots of talk about having an imaginary friend. I was always sort of jealous when I’d watch movies and all these kids that were my age had this intense connection to something that I couldn’t really fathom. I wanted to be crazy too!! While I didn’t have an imaginary friend I certainly had a favorite teddy bear. I slept with it every night all the way through high school in fact (there were one or two replacements along the way). But right when I went to college he went in the closet and I don’t really miss him. In the film ‘Animals‘ though a teddy bear named Deerhoof is both Pol’s imaginary best friend and sole companion.

Deerhoof can walk and talk (in English bizarrely enough!) and talks to Pol about life, music, and comic books. Early on in the film we see Deerhoof grabbed by a dog and we get our first glimpse of how attached Pol is to his best friend and companion. But its not only the dogs that want to steal away Deerhoof, but also Pol’s brother who you can tell used to have a closer relationship before he joined the police force. Now he just acts as a demanding parental figure that wants Pol to get rid of Deerhoof and face reality. Luckily Pol has a few friends at school like Laia (who has a major crush on him) and Mark.

Complicating Pol’s serene yet angsty life of comic books and cool Spanish punk music is Ikari, the new incredibly sexy boy in school. Pol can’t keep his eyes off him and eventually Ikari lets him inside a world that well… I don’t want to ruin the surprise, but the film definitely takes a turn! I feel like I’ve been making this movie seem normal minus the teddy bear, BUT IT’S NOT! Most people compare it to ‘Donnie Darko’ and I can’t really argue against that. It’s very surreal, goes unexpected places, and is quite serene and thought-provoking by the end. I had the privilege of being able to talk to the director right after watching it for the first time and I immediately asked him how much of an influence the short film ‘BUGCRUSH’ (which happens to be my favorite short film of alllll time) had on it and he smiled knowingly and said, ‘Quite a bit’. So if you’ve seen that then you know a little bit of the tone of the film at least.

Take a trip with Pol, Deerhoof, and the rest of the gang in the genre-bending and very queer film ‘Animals‘. On Dekkoo now!

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Watch it with: With a few of your ‘cool’ friends.

Mix it with: Being stoned sativa-style works for this one.

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DEKKOO DISPATCH 025 – ‘The Country Teacher’

Title – ‘The Country Teacher‘

Director – Bohdan Sláma

Starring – Pavel Liška, Zuzana Bydžovská, Ladislav Šedivý, Marek Daniel

Release Date – 2008

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It’s Wednesday!! Only 2 more workdays until 4th of July weekend! I don’t know what your plans are, but I’m venturing into the desert and drinking Tiki drinks poolside for 4 days straight. Heaven… Did everyone see the exciting news about ‘Screwed’ being picked up by Dekkoo out of Frameline?? I’ve seen it and it’s an incredibly sexy Finnish tale of first lust with a great sense of humor about it. I talked to a few people who saw it at the sold-out screening at Frameline and they said it was a super high energy screening. Get psyched!

As a city-living boy for most of my life I’ve always romanticized the life lived in the countryside. When I saw ‘The Country Teacher‘ at the Miami Gay and Lesbian Film Festival back in 2008 it completely fed into that romanticism and I was swept away by the golden fields of hay and the ancient practice of drawing of water from wells. Of course we’re also talking about a movie from the Czech Republic so in addition to the romantic stuff we’re also talking about insane Eastern European drunks that harass people and beat each other up. Although come to think of it that seems sorta romantic as well…

Anyways let’s talk about the characters at the heart of this emotional drama. Petr is a teacher that decides to move to the countryside from the busy city for unspecified reasons. After arriving and settling in (his landlord/boss gives him 6 months before he can’t stand the small town anymore and runs away) he falls asleep on a bed of hay and wakes up to find Marie standing over him, the woman who owns the farm he’s wandered into. She’s kind to him and invites him out to socialize with some of the villagers. He comes to realize that Marie is falling in love with him, but he’s too awkward to admit what we here at Dekkoo realize right away… he’s gay. He really likes her and feels affection for her, but he’s much more interested in her teenage son and offers his teaching skills to become more ingrained in his life.

I don’t want to go into much more detail because Petr goes through quite a journey in the film and it’s very emotional. By the end of the film you’ll absolutely fall in love with Marie who is so unbelievably kind and I fear that there aren’t many of her sort left in the world. ‘The Country Teacher‘ is a striking picture that combines the best of European art-house cinema and Queer self-discovery cinema into one wondrous picture that will leave you swooning.

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Watch it with: By yourself or someone else that won’t talk much. It’s very meditative.

Mix it with: Coffee.

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DEKKOO DISPATCH 024 – ‘I’M FINE’ IS BACK!

Title – ‘I’m Fine‘

Director – Brandon Kirby

Starring – Perry Powell, Lee Doud, Shaughn Buchholz, Ulysses Morazan

Release Date – 2017

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The wait is finally over! Episodes 5-8 of Dekkoo’s Original Series ‘I’m Fine‘ are online for your immediate on-the-go entertainment. Nate, Jeff, Andy, Brian, and yes even the legendary love-of-Nate’s-life Joey are back in action!

After binging the last 4 episodes of Season 1 I had soooo many questions for director Brandon Kirby. Below are a few of them for your enjoyment:

FD: So at the end of episode 4 Jeff reveals his more-than-friends feelings for Nate which to me was what I was most excited about with the release of episodes 5-8. Has that situation ever happened to you?

BK: Since moving to LA, I’ve played the Jeff role in that scenario numerous times, admitting my feelings to friends of mine, and once I was in the Nate position. With that friend, we actually ended up trying to be romantic with each other, but ultimately decided we are DEFINITELY only meant to be very close friends.

FD: Was there any inspiration for that hilarious party scene in Episode 5?

BK: The whole situation with the grandma’s painting, that actually happened to me a couple years ago at a house party in Hollywood on New Year’s Eve. I was drunk, waiting in line for the bathroom and bumped into a painting on the wall. The host called me out for it. The version of that happening in Ep5 is obviously dramatized.

FD: Speaking of dramatized… from money-hungry party hosts, to shady pool boy escorts, to awkward brunch guests you’ve painted a slightly depressing view of LA. At the end of the day do you have a positive view of gay life in Los Angeles or are we all doomed?

BK: Ha! I mean, we might all be doomed for other reasons. But in terms of Los Angeles and West Hollywood specifically, I do love living here but it took me a while – years, actually – to fully come around to it. So, in that time in between, I found a lot of the flaws and a lot of the things in the gay community that, y’know, aren’t the best. But of course any skewering I’m doing here comes from a place of love.

FD: You’ve teased a lot of new characters in the second half of Season 1. Which of them are you most excited to explore?

BK: I’m excited to explore Jeff’s roommate Louis, who we haven’t met before, and their new mutual friend Zachary, who plays an especially important role in Season 2.

FD: Well then you should totally dish on what’s going to happen in Season 2!

BK: Let’s just say the storylines go beyond just exploring why Nate is clinging to being “fine” but to his circle of friends, as well. We dive a bit deeper into everyone’s individual existential crises. And yes, it’s still a comedy!

FD: Well I’m super psyched for it. I’ll leave you alone after you tell me your top 3 films on Dekkoo.

BK: ‘Edge of Seventeen‘, ‘Concrete Night‘, & ‘Parting Glances‘

WATCH IT NOWWWW!

DEKKOO DISPATCH 018 – ‘FOGI IS A BASTARD’ & ‘BOYGAME’

Title – ‘Fogi Is a Bastard‘

Director – Marcel Gisler

Starring – Fredric Andrau, Vincent Branchet, Urs Peter Halter, Jean-Pierre Von Dach

Release Date – April 28, 1999

Title – ‘Boygame’ (as part of ‘Straight Men and The Men Who Love Them: Vol. 3‘)

Director – Anna Ã–sterlund Nolskog

Starring – Charlie Gustafsson, Joakim Lang, Sophie Adolfsson, Palmira Koukkari Mbenga

Release Date – December 3, 2013

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This week on the Dekkoo Dispatch we’re covering two films that center on youth and sexuality and the angst that arises from that potent combination.

‘Boygame’ (part of ‘Straight Men and the Men Who Love Them Vol: 3‘) is a masterful investigation into the limits (or lack thereof) of male bonding from Swedish director Anna Ã–sterlund Nolskog. Yup that’s right. One of the sexiest and deepest probing studies into straight guys maybe not being that straight is from a woman. The short centers around best friends John and Nicholas. They joke together, encourage each other to chase after their girl crushes, and even jerk off together. But once conversation turns to
the mechanics of sex and how they’ll be able to keep from cumming too quickly that’s when the line between friends and something more gets a little blurry. There’s so much about this short film to fall in love with, but personally my favorite part is right at the end studying the character’s faces to determine exactly what they’re thinking. Each time I come up with something different and it never fails to make me feel giddy in one way or another.

After you’ve fallen in love with John and Nicholas from ‘Boygame’ it’s time to keep up those reading skills with another foreign film. This time from Switzerland (French language), the land of mountains, watches, chocolates, and drug addicted rockers like Fogi, one of the main protagonists (although he could also be considered the antagonist) of ‘Fogi is a Bastard‘. I watched this movie for the first time when I was in high school or early college and really felt a connection with Beni, the main character since he was a
similar age and also looking for love. Now re-watching it later I’ve fallen in love with it even more since I can now recognize many of the tell-tale signs of impending romantic disaster which occur in the film quite frequently – that and I’m also just really into guys in collars now more than I was before.

15-year-old Beni goes to a rock concert one night and falls in love with Fogi, the lead singer of a so-so rock band. He quickly becomes a ‘roadie’ and Fogi introduces him to sex and tenderness which Beni sucks in like a sponge. At first Fogi isn’t really a ‘bastard’ as the title would suggest. He’s vulgar and off-putting, but those are qualities that rock stars usually posses and Beni admires that. After a while though one of Fogi’s band members
gets him back into heroin which has negative consequences on their relationship (obviously). Beni is persistent in his love for Fogi and won’t let go even when Fogi prostitutes him out to older men for drug money.

‘Fogi is a Bastard‘ is definitely a film that stands out from the pack for its tender study of drugs affecting a loving relationship. Parallels could be drawn to Ira Sachs’ ‘Keep the Lights On’ for it’s portrayal of two souls battling it out in the name of affection and love.
There are also some fantastic images in this film that refuse to leave my memory like when Beni curls up at Fogi’s feet and then Fogi pours milk on his face. Lactosploitation indeed!

Watch these films! You won’t be disappointed.

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Watch ’em with: A friend who enjoys sexy foreign films

Mix ’em with: A 6-pack of good beer

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DEKKOO DISPATCH 013 – ‘THE CONSEQUENCE’

Title – ‘The Consequence‘

Director – Wolfgang Petersen

Starring – Jurgen Prochnow, Ernst Hannawald, Werner Schwuchow, Hans-Michael Rehberg

Release Date – December 2, 1977

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It’s time for a deep cut from the vaults! ‘The Consequence‘ (Die Konsequenz) is a film directed by Wolfgang Petersen, famous for directing films such as: ‘Das Boot’, ‘Air Force One’, ‘The Perfect Storm’, ‘Troy’ and one of my all time favorite films: ‘The Neverending Story’ (cue Limahl!).

‘The Consequence‘ was a radical film for Western Germany at the time. A story involving two completely open homosexuals (and dealing with underage sex between men) was something unique at the time and even caused a Bavarian television station to completely halt their transmission of it in 1977. The film stars long-time Petersen collaborator Jurgen Prochnow (‘Das Boot’, ‘Dune’) as Martin, a convicted homosexual facing 2 1/2 years in jail for his relationship with a 15-year-old. While in jail he meets
one of the guard’s sons, Tomas, whom he immediately forms a bond with. After Tomas and Martin spend a night together in the prison they fall madly in love and consequently their relationship in the movie matures over the span of several years mostly involving waiting for each other to leave various prisons and reformatories. It’s an epic in the best way possible and lovingly tended to by both the director and the actors who throw themselves into the creation inspired by Swiss writer Alexander Ziegler who had to live through many of these same trials.

Ultimately I can’t promise an extremely happy ending, but I can promise a journey that is well worth it. By the end you’ll feel like you’ve watched both of these characters grow up and learn some hard facts of life. Der Speigel said, ‘it is, above all, a natural love story in black and white – one of the most private and credible to have been seen on the screen in a long time.’

Oh and just a heads up: You’ll notice that the subtitles are a little hard to read in places, but currently this is the only available element that has English subtitles.

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Watch it with: A friend who appreciates historical queer
cinema.

Mix it with: A good bottle of German wine.

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Coming next week: A sexy romantic comedy from
the director of ‘eCupid‘ and ‘Is it Just Me?‘

DEKKOO DISPATCH 012 – ‘EVERLASTING LOVE’

Title – ‘Everlasting Love‘

Director – Marcal Fores

Starring – Joan Bentalle, Aimar Vega, Hugo Alejo, Adrian de Alfonso

Release Date – April 25, 2015

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Is anyone else feeling a little dark these days? Is it just me? I’ve been thinking a lot about Marcal Fores’ film ‘Everlasting Love‘ lately and if you haven’t seen it and you’re in the mood for a sexy film involving intergenerational relationships and weird Spanish kids that take heartbreak a little too seriously keep reading!

I’ll set the scene for you: Dusk is still an hour or so away. You’re in a forest in the Northeastern area of Spain where various men and women are cruising for love and sex, but mostly sex. An older stud, Carlos, prowls the forest looking for his next trick, but instead happens upon one of his students, Toni. He doesn’t want to lose his job, but he also appears to have a voracious appetite for sexual pleasures and decides to have sex with Toni in his car (an incredible 4-minute sex scene taken in one continuous zoom
shot). I don’t really want to say what happens next, but I will say that I won’t mess with a group of Spanish youth ever!

Marcal Fores is a truly fantastic director and his first feature film ‘Animals’ (which you’ll be seeing soon on Dekkoo) also has a very similar surreal feeling. Marcal, like many young directors, puts a lot of emphasis on music in his films and in ‘Everlasting Love‘ he finds some very creepy tracks to put you on edge while at the same time keeping an humorous sensibility (especially in the end credits). I also really appreciate the honest nature of cruising in the film combining the reality of the endless hunt for sex (you can’t get lucky every time) with the fantastical element of women also being in the woods (a joke made early on in the film ‘Stranger by the Lake’ which many people compare to ‘Everlasting Love‘).

Combining sexiness, art-house techniques, horror elements, and honest-to-god romance, ‘Everlasting Love‘ is a 69-minute trip that you won’t soon forget!

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Watch it with: Someone you can cling on to if you get scared…or horny.

Mix it with: Spanish wine and tapas! Maybe some poppers too.

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DEKKOO DISPATCH 008 – ‘THE BUBBLE’

Title – ‘The Bubble‘

Director – Eytan Fox

Starring – Ohad Knoller, Yousef Sweid, Daniela Virtzer, Alon Friedman

Release Date – September 7, 2007

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Alright last week was light and sexy. This week I’d like to challenge you to watch a film that has more than shirtless boys at the center of its conflict (although they are present, don’t worry). For years conflict has plagued the Middle East, but throughout all of it there’s always been a strong spirit of life from the people that live there. No other film shows the intensity of the spirit of fun and being yourself throughout conflict than ‘The Bubble‘.

Eytan Fox (who also helmed the classic films ‘Yossi & Jagger’ and ‘Yossi’) returns to show the story of three best friends living in Tel Aviv together whose lives are changed forever by the presence of Ashraf, a Palestinian. Noam, a handsome Israeli soldier, falls head over heels for Ashraf and decides to conceal him in their bohemian apartment. He manages to get him a job and even bring him to parties. But eventually he’s recognized as a Palestinian and the pressure of his past family life threatens everyone.

The movie completely succeeds in both its portrait of youth living in the city of Tel Aviv (the gayest and most liberal city in Israel), but also its depiction of the angst that lies deep within the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Don’t expect a happy ending, but also don’t expect an entirely hopeless ending. Wars can end, but they only end when we all embrace each other and come to understand each other.

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Watch it with: Anyone who hasn’t seen this gay classic! Especially
someone who’s a bit clueless about the Middle East.

Mix it with: Manischewitz wine and hummus!

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DEKKOO DISPATCH 007 – ‘THE LAST MATCH’

Title – ‘The Last Match‘

Director – Antonio Hens

Starring – Milton Garcia, Reinier Diaz, Luis Alberto Garcia, Mirta Ibarra

Release Date – May 5, 2013

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Being gay in many parts of the world is still hard. Much harder than the glossy world of shows like ‘Glee’ would lead many to believe. In some countries and cultures it’s still all about being discreet and being smart about how you go about your ‘business’. Antonio Hens takes us into that world in Cuba, a country that’s seeming to get a new breath of life with trade relations being re-established with the United States.

After ‘Doors Cut Down‘ and ‘Clandestinos‘ (both of which are also on Dekkoo) Antonio continues to probe the world of machismo homosexuality in ‘The Last Match‘. However, this time in Cuba, in the steamy world of male locker rooms and gambling halls. Both of the main characters in this story have female partners; Yosvani has a fiancee who he seems very hesitant to have sex with. Renier straddles the worlds of life with his wife and child and the arena of hustling where he meets rich men who seem to fall in love with his chiseled handsome features and promise him the world. The two handsome men eventually meet and a downward spiral of sex and violence ensues.

Reasons for watching this film are numerous. If the fact that these super sexy guys aren’t enough then you should at least watch it for its extremely interesting commentary on modern life in Cuba which should be an academic reason for you to watch said sexy guys getting it on. Also there’s a crazy mother-in-law that’s so bat-shit crazy you’ll fall in love.

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Watch it with: Your best friend that you know has latin
fever!

Mix it with: A Daiquiri or a Mojito

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DEKKOO DISPATCH 006 – “DESIRE WILL SET YOU FREE”

Title – ‘Desire Will Set You Free‘

Director – Yony Leyser

Starring – Yony Leyser, Tim-Fabian Hoffmann, Chloe Griffin, Amber Benson

Release Date – May 5, 2016

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Christopher Isherwood once wrote of his time in Berlin, ‘I am a camera with its shutter open, quite passive, recording, not thinking.’ The director of ‘Desire Will Set You Free‘, Yony Leyser, who also co-wrote and stars in the film absolutely aligns with that principle
in this hybrid fiction-doc combo. After the wall came down in 1989 Berlin slowly started becoming the queer melting pot it was once famous for due to the growth of hedonistic techno clubs in large abandoned warehouses. ‘Desire Will Set You Free‘ documents this time around 2010-2013 when Berlin became the hip place for young people to move to for its cheap housing, plentiful parties, and sex positive atmosphere.

The film follows a group of queer friends led by Ezra (a Palestinian/Israeli writer) and Cat (a very fun and dominant bisexual) as they move through the clubs (and doing lots of drugs in said clubs), parks (and having lots of sex in said parks), and architecture (just architecture! get your heads outta the gutter. Jeez.) of modern Berlin. Along the way Ezra falls for Sasha, a Russian hustler who’s dealing with confusion regarding his gender identity.

The movie features an uber-large cast of famous cameos: Amber Benson (Tara on ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’), ‘Godmother of Punk’ Nina Hagen as Oracle, cult musician and performance artist Peaches, along with Rosa Von Praunheim, Rummelsnuff, Blood Orange, and Einstuerzende Neubauten and Blixa Bargeld (formerly of Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds).

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Watch it with: Your cool hipster friends

Mix it with: Weed, Cocaine, and MDMA

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