There’s nothing quite like going back to school. New classes. New friends. New crushes. And, sometimes, the first glimpse of the person you’re becoming.
For September, Dekkoo Selects is going Back to School with a collection of gay coming-of-age movies and LGBTQ+ short films about first love, friendship, sexual discovery and those unforgettable moments when everything begins to change.
From high school crushes and complicated friendships to first encounters and unexpected awakenings, these ten films capture growing up in all its exciting, awkward and occasionally heartbreaking glory.
Explore the complete Back to School collection on Dekkoo
Wild Tigers I Have Known
Director Cam Archer’s provocative queer classic follows Logan, a lonely teenage boy navigating his emerging sexuality and an intense, unrequited attraction to an older boy at school.
Unable to express what he wants openly, Logan creates a female alter ego over the phone, blurring fantasy, identity and desire. Dreamlike and deeply personal, Wild Tigers I Have Known captures the confusion and longing that can accompany discovering your sexuality before you have the words to fully understand it.
Screams From the Tower
It’s 1995, and best friends Julien and Cary are heading into their junior year of high school.
When Julien gets the chance to host an edgy local radio show, the experience forces him to confront more than his ambitions. Writer-director Cory Wexler Grant turns the teenage search for identity into a funny and heartfelt gay coming-of-age story about friendship, self-expression and figuring out where you belong.
Watch Screams From the Tower and more gay movies on Dekkoo
One Kiss
Being an outsider is a little easier when you don’t have to do it alone.
In the Italian drama One Kiss, high school outcasts Antonio, Lorenzo and Blu form a close friendship as they push back against the bullying and judgment surrounding them at school. But when Lorenzo reveals his feelings for Antonio, jealousy and complicated emotions begin testing their bond.
Director Ivan Cotroneo’s acclaimed film is a powerful story about friendship, sexuality, homophobia and the consequences of being treated as different.
Big Boys
Sometimes your first big crush arrives when—and where—you least expect it.
In Corey Sherman’s warm and funny coming-of-age comedy Big Boys, teenager Jamie heads out on a family camping trip only to discover himself increasingly attracted to his cousin’s boyfriend.
What follows is a tender sexual awakening filled with confusion, embarrassment and the realization that Jamie’s feelings might be telling him something important about himself.
Big Boys is a charming reminder that figuring out who you are rarely happens according to plan.
Discover more gay movies streaming on Dekkoo
Golden Boys
Going back to school can mean something very different when you’re no longer a student.
In the short film Golden Boys, three thirty-something friends break into their old private school hoping to recapture a little of their youth. Instead, memories from their adolescence force them to confront the difference between the boys they once were and the men they have become.
It’s a thoughtful look at the way our formative years can continue shaping us long after we’ve supposedly grown up.
Boyfriends
Billy and Kevin reunite after spending a long time apart, and their reunion quickly becomes intimate. But as the encounter unfolds, it becomes clear that their relationship—and what this moment means—is more complicated than it initially appears.
Director C.J. Arellano’s Boyfriends is a sexy, surprising short about intimacy, love and the stories we tell ourselves about our relationships.
Boy Undone
After meeting at a gay nightclub, two young men go home together. The next morning, one of them discovers that he can’t remember who he is.
As the pair searches for clues about his identity, their attraction continues to grow—but so does the sense that something dangerous may be waiting beneath the surface.
Part romance, part mystery and part journey of self-discovery, Boy Undone gives the idea of “finding yourself” an unexpectedly literal twist.
Shower Boys
How do boys learn the rules about masculinity—and what happens when friendship crosses a line they’ve been taught not to cross?
In Christian Zetterberg’s acclaimed Swedish short Shower Boys, two young teammates challenge one another’s boundaries after a heated training match. What begins as an innocent game raises larger questions about intimacy, masculinity and what boys are allowed to feel for one another.
Explore gay short films on Dekkoo
Young Diego
First encounters can be exciting. They can also be terrifying.
In this intense short film from directors Osama Chami and Enrique Gimeno, a young gay man prepares to meet a stranger for his first sexual encounter.
Running just a few minutes, Young Diego captures the anticipation, vulnerability and uncertainty that can accompany taking a major step into the unknown.
The Last First Time
Leaving home can change everything.
In the award-winning Mexican romance The Last First Time, 18-year-old Eduardo travels from his small hometown to Guadalajara to take his college entrance exams. Away from his parents and the familiarity of home, a chance encounter opens the door to his first experiences with love, sexuality and independence.
Director Rafael Ruiz Espejo’s feature captures that exhilarating moment when the world suddenly becomes bigger—and when discovering another person can also mean discovering yourself.
Learn more about The Last First Time or watch it as part of September’s Back to School collection.
Class Is Back in Session on Dekkoo
Coming of age doesn’t happen in a single moment. It happens through friendships, first crushes, mistakes, heartbreaks, unexpected encounters and all the experiences that slowly reveal who we are.
September’s Dekkoo Selects: Back to School brings together ten gay movies and LGBTQ+ short films exploring those experiences from wildly different perspectives.
Whether you’re looking for a heartfelt gay romance, an acclaimed queer coming-of-age movie or a short film you’ve never seen before, consider this your September watchlist.
Watch Dekkoo Selects: Back to School →
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