The Gay Cinema Video On Demand experience at TLAgay.com has your entertainment needs covered! We’re always working to expand selection of new and old gay-themed movies available for your viewing pleasure. Here’s just five of our current favorites, from various years, that you may have missed – ALL available to watch INSTANTLY! These aren’t our TOP 5, by any means – just a handful of flicks we want to highlight.
From Beginning to End © TLA Releasing
2009, Brazil
Set in a sun-burnished Brazil, two boys, Francisco (Joao Gabriel Vasconcellos) and his younger half-brother Thomas (Rafael Cardoso), are being raised in upper-class comfort in Rio by their doting mother. Five years apart, the boys are best friends and unusually close to each other – so much so that their intimacy brings vocal concerns from relatives that maybe they are too close. Several years later, Francisco and Thomas are now strikingly handsome, bronzed young men… and their childhood intensity has evolved into a torrid sexual relationship. But when Thomas is offered a chance to train for the Brazilian swim team in Russia for a long period of time, the proposed separation brings fears that their love will be threatened. Spectacularly shot amidst the mountains, beaches and grand estates of Brazil, this intense drama does not exist for the controversial subject matter alone. Rather, From Beginning to End is a strikingly evocative romance about two men fighting against societal conventions.
Men for Sale (c) Breaking Glass Pictures
2008, Canada
Men For Sale, from award winning director Rodrique Jean, takes a mesmerizing look into the lives of the young guys who work the male sex trade industry on the streets of Montreal. This is a frank and fascinating documentary that chronicles a year in the lives of eleven men – most of whom are only in their early twenties – as they attempt to explain how they all arrived at the same profession. With a humanistic eye, the film uncovers the vulnerabilities of its subjects as they struggle to affirm their masculinity and make sense of their conflicting sexual practices. Some of them envision themselves escaping the sex trade industry, while others feel like prisoners in a vicious cycle of drug use and prostitution. Artfully weaving together piercing confessionals and scenes of Montreal’s nighttime cityscape, Jean creates a dreamlike vision of a rarely-glimpsed world – one that often goes unnoticed even when in plain sight.
Release © TLA Releasing
2010, United Kingdom
Jack Gillie (Daniel Brocklebank), a young priest convicted of a serious crime, is incarcerated. Angry that his church has abandoned him, he suffers a lapse of his faith. Yet he attempts to help and befriend his vulnerable cellmate Rook (Wayne Virgo). But no amount of comfort can protect Rook (and eventually the priest) from the threatened violence from one particularly sadistic inmate. Amidst all of this, Jack’s only beam of hope comes in the form of prison guard Martin (Garry Summers), with whom he begins a passionate but clandestine affair. When tensions rise and violence explodes within the walls, both men’s dreams of escaping together are threatened. Not your usual lightweight gay indie, Release makes for a visceral, gut-wrenching affair touching on the subjects of justice, retribution, repression, religion and romance.
Triple Crossed © TLA Releasing
2013, United States
With a tour in Afghanistan behind him, war-addled veteran Chris Jensen (Jack Brockett) struggles to assimilate back to life in California. Drifting and living out of his car, he soon discovers that few civilians are willing to deal with the remnants of a damaged military career. Chris is self medicating; desperate to silence the echoes from the front lines. When an opportunity finally presents itself, he makes the hard decision to employ the coveted talents he has honed in special ops. A job is a job and Chris knows civilian life can be just as cut-throat as time in active duty. But just how close does he have to get to Andrew Warner (Sean Paul Lockhart) to secure the kill? Triple Crossed, the steamy romantic drama/thriller that marks the directorial debut of Lockhart (also known as gay porn superstar Brent Corrigan), is sure to get your pulse racing.
Whispering Moon (c) Water Bearer Films
2006, Austria
Jannis (Julian Stampfer), a cute, young gay man, and his adorable mute boyfriend, Patrick (Dominik Hartl), infiltrate a circus to shoot an undercover documentary exposing an underground political conspiracy responsible for a recent spate of assassination attempts. But when Patrick meets Mo (Julia Schwarz), a young woman whose sensitivity to sunlight forces her to live only by night, Jannis’ jealousy threatens the entire project. Only Patrick’s unwavering devotion to the man he loves will help save the day and reveal the truth of who is behind the conspiracy. Set in a not-so-distant future, Whispering Moon is visually stunning and deliberately surreal. Blending media, narratives and skin to tell an enticing story about storytelling itself, the film uses them-cutting-edge techniques to move the plot along. As we see the story unfold, Jannis, the storyteller, interacts with the characters and their environments, creating an eye-catching visual landscape that challenges the audience even as it entertains.
