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 that you may have missed – ALL available to watch INSTANTLY! Stay home, stay safe and enjoy a movie!

 

The Strong Ones
Based on an original short film, which won the coveted Teddy Award at the Berlin International Film Festival, The Strong Ones follows the romantic saga of two beautiful Chilean men on different life paths. Lucas (Samuel Gonzalez), an architect, travels to visit his sister, who lives in a remote town in Southern Chile. Beside the ocean, shrouded in the wintery mist, he meets Antonio (Antonio Altamirano), a boatswain on a local fishing boat. When an intense romance blossoms between them, their strength, independence, and adulthood become immovable, just like the ebb and flow of the tide. Confidently directed by Omar Zúñiga Hidalgo, The Strong Ones took home both the Audience Award and Grand Jury Prize at Outfest this past year.

 

Cas
From filmmakers Joris van den Berg, Matt Guerin and Reid Waterer comes a sexy and thoroughly entertaining collection of three short films that examine the different effects the addition of a third party has on a modern gay relationship. In Cas, Pepijn and George’s steady, seven-year relationship is shaken after they allow a hot young student named Cas to sleep on their couch while he finds a place of his own. Gradually, both men fall head over heels for the attractive younger man’s laconic charm, forcing them to reconsider their many long-term plans. Is Cas’s presence endangering their relationship or is he a blessing in disguise? In Tri-Curious, last minute anxiety threatens to ruin a young gay couple’s first threesome together. The final short in the collection, Bed Buddies, is a comedy about three gay friends who wake up after sleeping together and try to make sense of the unclear line between friendship and love.

 

Redwoods
Both original and incredibly romantic, the 2009 film Redwoods tells the story of an already-partnered man whose love is tested when a mysterious drifter passes through his small Northern California town. Everett (Brendan Bradley) and Miles (Tad Coughenour) are in a comfortably platonic relationship, which is held together by raising their son. While his family travels out of town, introverted Everett finally has time to himself – that is until Chase (Matthew Montgomery), a striking writer, pulls up in front of his house. Shot amidst the ancient and gorgeous redwoods of California, writer-director David Lewis‘s film is a stunning ode to the power of love and something of an homage to The Bridges of Madison County with a decidedly gay twist.

 

Lovebirds
Mario (Joseph Ison) has found true love. For the past few months he has been corresponding with Alexis (Andres Alexis), a handsome young man from Spain, over the internet. Even with only an online connection to speak of, Mario is just wild for the guy. Alexis has already decided he feels the same. The pair decide to finally meet in Mario’s hometown in the Philippines. But there is one small problem: Mario has never told his family that he is gay. Things are turned upside when Alexis arrives and Mario’s mom figures out that he is not a girl. Alexis’ arrival, and the subsequent feast meant to welcome him, causes a series of misunderstandings, outright lies and hurt feelings. People just need some time to come around in this tender, humorous and heartfelt story. Ultimately, Lovebirds tells a wonderful and touching story about family, growing up and finding love.

 

Retake
Jonathan (Tuc Watkins), a handsome businessman, hires a young hustler (Devon Graye) to accompany him a road trip to the Grand Canyon… with a catch. He must role-play as someone named “Brandon.” On the road, “Brandon” comes to realize he’s playing a vital role in the recreation of Jonathan’s lovelorn past. As the hustler digs for clues, Jonathan insists that he stick to the role he was hired for. Eager to leave his own past behind and feeling a strange connection with his unique client, he sheds his own identity and plays the part. An amorous game of obsession and manipulation commences, as these two broken souls get closer to their destination. A scorching romantic mystery, Retake has been earning rave reviews. The San Francisco Bay Times called it “Palpable and heartbreaking.” The Hollywood Reporter said that it’s “carving out some distinctive new territory in the well-trod world of queer cinema.”

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