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!

 

Once a Year on Blackpool Sands
Once A Year on Blackpool Sands is a triumphant, comedy-drama based on real events, regarding an extraordinary night in Blackpool 1953, several days after the Queen’s Coronation. Tommy and Eddy (Macaulay Cooper and Kyle Brooks) are coal miners and secret gay lovers who spend their holiday at a quirky bed and breakfast in Blackpool, along with a few other “alternative” members of society. Together, they summon up the courage to do the first fabled walk towards Gay Pride. Written and directed by Karlton Parris, this true story offers a rare glimpse into an underrepresented era in LGBTQ history. Touching and poignant, Once a Year on Blackpool Sands offers up a portrayal of the lives of working-class gay men and the women who supported them, in a time when homosexuality was a crime.

 

Benjamin
British comedian Simon Amstell wrote and directed this charmingly offbeat gay romantic comedy about a filmmaker juggling the excitement of his upcoming film premiere with the fear and awkwardness of a burgeoning romance. Always ready with a self-defensive quip, indie film director Benjamin (Colin Morgan) nervously prepares for the premiere of his sophomore feature when he meets and falls for hard for Noah (Phenix Brossard), a young French musician. Will Benjamin’s insecurities and anxieties get in the way of success and happiness? Will his film be a critics-savaging disaster and he, a one-hit wonder? Benjamin is a charming, laugh-out-loud look at one man’s land mined road to success and love.

 

Cas
Get ready for a sexy and 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.

 

Bittersweet Waters
Writer-director Jesús Canchola Sánchez makes his assured feature debut with this emotionally complex tale of Atl (played by Sanchez himself), a quiet man living in rural Mexico, taking care of his devoted grandmother, Citalli, and verbally abusive mother, Soledad. Atl’s grandmother is unaware of his undercover affair with his longtime best friend, the handsome movie star Diego. But the two-faced, alcoholic Soledad knows and wastes no time in blackmailing her son in order to keep him compliant. Diego’s pregnant fiancée soon discovers the affair too, but in spite of her threats, Diego keeps seeing Atl on the side. In order to live truthfully, Atl must overcome his mother, Diego’s fiancée and the traditional community that surrounds him.

 

Hidden Kisses
16-year-old Nathan (Bérenger Anceaux), lives alone with his father Stephane (Patrick Timsit). A newcomer to his high school, he is invited to a party and soon becomes smitten with Louis (Jules Houplain), a boy from his class. They find themselves seemingly out of sight and kiss each other sweetly… not realizing that someone has taken a picture of them. Soon, the photo is published on Facebook and a storm overtakes their lives – putting them face to face with severe bullying and rejection. A highly-publicized film that originally aired on French television in 2016, this deeply affecting film is now available on DVD and VOD in the United States. The lead actors are both adorable and have great chemistry together. Hidden Kisses is a heartfelt, thoughtful, beautifully directed film that will linger with you long after the final credits.

 

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!

 

Here Comes Your Man
What begins as a simple hookup blossoms into an unlikely romance between two young men in this charming and deeply sexy gay romantic comedy. When Jordan (Calvin Picou) and Aaron (Jason Alan Clark) meet in person after exchanging pics, their initial tryst is fraught with the kind awkward tension that suggests they might not be a perfect match. On top of that, Aaron is unaware that Jordan is, for all intents and purposes, “straight.” Confused about his sexuality, Jordan blocks Aaron’s number. When they run into each other weeks later, the truth comes out… and they find something undeniable about their strange romantic chemistry. But turning a one-night stand into “happily ever after” is not quite as easy as it seems.

 

The Strong Ones
Based on an original short film, which won the 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 last year.

 

Bittersweet Waters
Jesús Canchola Sánchez wrote, directed and stars in this emotionally complex drama. Atl (Sanchez), a quiet man living in rural Mexico, is struggling under the influence of his verbally abusive mother (Jacqueline Blanca Bribiesca). He has been trying to keep his undercover affair with his longtime best friend, the handsome movie star Diego (Ramón Varela), a secret. But his two-faced, alcoholic mom knows and wastes no time in blackmailing her son in order to keep him compliant. Diego’s pregnant fiancée soon discovers the affair too, but in spite of her threats, Diego keeps seeing Atl on the side. In order to live truthfully, Atl must overcome his mother, Diego’s fiancée and the conservative community that surrounds all of them.

 

Siberia & Him
Reminiscent of Brokeback Mountain and God’s Own Country, the stunning new gay romance Siberia & Him follows two men who begin a clandestine and erotically charged affair. Brothers-in-law Sasha (Viatcheslav Kopturevskiy), a meek farmhand, and Dima (Ilya Shubochkin), a policeman, have always had a fraught relationship. When the two set out on a trip together through the desolate, wide-open country of Siberia in an effort to reach a troubled relative, things begin to change. Along their journey, unspoken truths are uttered and a deep intimacy is built. The pair soon become not only travel companions, but secret lovers – spending their days hiking and hunting for food and their nights in one another’s arms.

 

Feral
Best friends Billy and Daniel (Jordan Nichols and Seth Daniel) live together in a Memphis bungalow. While trying live together in harmony, pay their rent and become part of the local artistic queer community, the two young men find themselves dealing with difficult emotional issues – especially when it comes to finding and losing love. Created by indie auteur Morgan Jon Fox, the writer-director behind the acclaimed gay romance Blue Citrus Hearts, this positively gorgeous short eight-episode series is a must-see. Featuring beautiful cinematography and fluid editing, the show offers a passionate portrayal of young, gay people struggling to find love and meaning in a confusing world.

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!

 

Bittersweet Waters
Writer-director Jesús Canchola Sánchez makes his assured feature debut with this emotionally complex tale of Atl (played by Sanchez), a quiet man living in rural Mexico, taking care of his devoted grandmother, Citalli, and verbally abusive mother, Soledad. Atl’s grandmother is unaware of his undercover affair with his longtime best friend, the handsome movie star Diego. But the two-faced, alcoholic Soledad knows and wastes no time in blackmailing her son in order to keep him compliant. Diego’s pregnant fiancée soon discovers the affair too, but in spite of her threats, Diego keeps seeing Atl on the side. In order to live truthfully, Atl must overcome his mother, Diego’s fiancée and the traditional community that surrounds him.

 

Brotherly Love
Brotherly Love is the movie adaptation of the Lambda Literary Award-nominated novel “Seventy Times Seven” by Salvatore Sapienza. Which “calling” do you answer? The one you feel from God or the one you feel about your true authentic self? That is the exact dilemma that Brother Vito (played by writer/director Anthony J. Caruso) is facing. He’s gay, but devoted to his less-than-accepting religious community. Soon, he must decide between becoming a Brother or declaring his love for Gabe (Derek Babb). Shot entirely in Austin, TX and with a local cast and crew, Brotherly Love is a fresh take on the traditional gay love story. You’ll also be happy to know that “The Golden Girls” plays a surprisingly significant role in this touching new romantic drama.

 

Avocado Toast: The Series
Ever wondered about your parents’ sex life? Neither did Molly and Elle (series leads Heidi Lynch and Perrie Voss) until both divorce and the coming-out process forced them to learn about certain familial sex-capades. After a lifetime of dating men, Molly, a thirty-one-year-old grade school teacher, surprises herself when she falls in love with a woman for the first time. When she finds the courage to come out as bisexual to her suburban parents, they reveal their own admission… they’re experienced swingers… and they throw sex parties. Meanwhile, Elle, a thirty-three-year-old creative director, is reeling after learning that her parents are divorcing and her mother, who also happens to be her boss, had an affair with a dude young enough to be Elle’s brother. Don’t miss the hilarious new LGBTQ comedy series Avocado Toast.

 

Dudes
Spend some time with a group of raunchy young straight boys (with the exception of one) in the new twelve-minute short film Dudes from writer-director Noan Ribeiro. While a bunch of buddies (Michael Gmur, Jakeem Hawkins, Anthon Meyer and Alexander Volpi) hang out together in the living room playing video games, a homophobic comment is casually uttered. This prompts one brave, young jock to muscle up some courage and finally come out to his (sometimes inconsiderate) frat bro besties. When the news is unleashed, each of the boys has a different reaction. Will friendship win over discrimination?

 

Everything is Free
Ivan (writer-director Brian Jordan Alvarez) has relocated to a coastal town in Colombia to focus on his painting. After some time apart, his straight best friend and former roommate, Christian (Peter Vack), comes to visit, bringing his younger brother, Cole (Morgan Krantz), along. The initial pleasantries of beach side camping and late-night partying fade more quickly than expected, after Ivan and Cole (who generally identifies as straight) start secretly sleeping together. When Christian finds out, the otherwise idyllic summer affair brings out difficult and surprising emotions in not just the three men but also their diverse circle of fellow American expats and tourists. Frank and playful, Everything Is Free navigates gay cinema tropes with self-awareness, humor, gravity, and a very modern sensibility.

Trailer Alert: Bittersweet Waters

Writer-director Jesús Canchola Sánchez makes his assured feature debut with this emotionally complex tale of Atl (played by Sanchez), a quiet man living in rural Mexico, taking care of his devoted grandmother, Citalli, and verbally abusive mother, Soledad.

Atl’s grandmother is unaware of his undercover affair with his longtime best friend, the handsome movie star Diego. But the two-faced, alcoholic Soledad knows and wastes no time in blackmailing her son in order to keep him compliant. Diego’s pregnant fiancée soon discovers the affair too, but in spite of her threats, Diego keeps seeing Atl on the side. In order to live truthfully, Atl must overcome his mother, Diego’s fiancée and the traditional community that surrounds him.

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