This Weekend’s VOD Favorites
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.
The Blonde One
In the suburbs of Buenos Aires, Gabriel (Gaston Re) has just moved in with his colleague, Juan (Alfonso Baron). Shy and reserved, Gabriel is reluctant to follow Juan’s wandering hands and meaningful looks. With a revolving door of beauties streaming out of Juan’s bedroom, his machismo seems firmly in place. However, the attraction between the two men is undeniable. What starts out as a sexual relationship based on convenience of location soon develops into the engrossing evolution of a tender and intimate relationship, which is as sweet as it is heartbreaking. But, as reality begins to set in on their homemaking fantasy, something needs to give… or does it? Written and directed by Marco Berger (the same filmmaker behind Plan B, Hawaii, Sexual Tension: Volatile, Absent, Taekwondo and more), The Blonde One is one of the year’s hottest gay movies.
We Are Thr3e
Nacho (Carlos Etchevers) is an accountant, a seemingly average guy. At a party he meets Ana (Flor Dragonetti), an attractive and self-confident, recently divorced young woman. As the pair are getting to know one another, they also meet an exceedingly charismatic bartender named Sebastian (Juan Manuel Martino), who starts flirting with both of them. Despite their doubts, Nacho and Ana accept Sebastian’s invitation to spend the night at his place. Initially, nothing happens (nothing sexual or overtly romantic, at least). A few days later, they decide to go on a weekend trip to a secluded farm. There, it seems like things will evolve – possibly leading to a a fun and fleeting one-night stand… until Sebastian confesses that he desires a long-term relationship with a man and a woman together. Featuring casual, committed, naturalistic performances, this unique indie film from Argentinian writer-director Marcelo Briem Stamm takes a sexy and provocative look at a modern three-person courtship.
And Then There Was Eve
Alyssa (Tania Nolan) is a successful photographer. She wakes one morning to find that her apartment has been ransacked and her husband has gone mysteriously missing. Left without even a photograph to offer the police, she turns to his colleague Eve (Rachel Crowl), a talented jazz pianist with flirtatious charm and disarming grace. Eve helps Alyssa confront her husband’s longtime struggle with depression, and to, over time, accept his absence. While getting to know this woman through such unusual circumstances, Alyssa is surprised to find herself falling in love again. Featuring stellar performances and an evocative jazz score by Robert Lydecker, writer-director Savannah Bloch’s debut, And Then There Was Eve, is insightful and original, both an engaging psychological thriller and a uniquely frank depiction of the difficulty of retaining one’s own identity within the confines of a romantic relationship.
Paths
How long is an eternity? A few years, or as fast as the breaking of the waves at the rugged Baltic coast? Partners Andreas and Martin (Mike Hoffmann and Mathis Reinhardt) have shared all the ups and downs of life. Now that their beloved young son (played as a young child by Cai Cohrs and as a college-aged young adult by Tom Bottcher) has matured and moved out on his own, they have more free time to focus on themselves again. But when they are left alone with only themselves, will the spark still be there? A cautious approach to the traces of a long-term relationship, Paths is a remarkable achievement reminiscent of Richard Linklater’s Boyhood. It tells the full story of this central romance – a touching, deeply emotional warts-and-all examination of the deep, abiding love shared between two men, fathers and lovers. Audiences are invited into Andreas and Martin’s most touching and intimate moments – from the first kiss to the present, and everything in between.
Silent Youth
Infectiously sweet, Silent Youth follows a young man who feels locked inside his own mind, but finds a new love who may hold the key to his emotional freedom. Marlo (Martin Bruchmann), a melancholy dreamer, travels to Berlin to visit a friend and ends up spending most of his time wandering around the city streets, lost in his thoughts. He has a chance encounter with Kirill (Josef Mattes), a like-minded youngster who wears battle scars from a recent run-in with a group of homophobic thugs. A cautious, but complimentary relationship begins to develop, but the more Kirill opens up, the more intrigued (and confused) Marlo becomes about how their relationship should proceed. Writer/director Diemo Kemmesies keeps the plot simple and the pace casual while ratcheting up the romantic tension during quiet, observational moments. His camera lingers on these two subtly charming characters during their most awkward silences, as they try to work up the courage to embrace one another fully. When these adorable misfits finally do come out with their feelings, the scene is all the more heartwarming thanks to the refreshingly casual moments that have preceded it.