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.”

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.

Shadowlands
From writer-director Charlie David, Shadowlands is an anthology style film that explores love in three separate stories – a couple renegotiating a relationship, a narcissist grasping to comprehend it, and star-crossed lovers mourning its loss. The series begins in 1928 with Alex, a plastic surgeon hell-bent on perfection, hosting a house party with an assortment of colorful guests. Amid romantic misfires it becomes apparent that the only person Alex is interested in is himself. Fast forward to 1951 and a gay military couple exploring the idea of opening their relationship while on a remote camping trip when they encounter a mysterious stranger. The stories conclude in 2018 when a painter, mourning the loss of his lover, becomes obsessed with creating a realistic painting of him. The resulting piece is so beautiful and life-like that he is drawn under its spell.

Skin Deep
Caitlin (Monica Zanetti), a troubled Australian college student, meets Leah (Zara Zoe), a young woman from the other side of town who has been stranded in Sydney. Although the unlikely pair are initially thrown together by unusual circumstances, they find they have a natural bond. When Leah reveals she’s actually dying of cancer, Caitlin sets them out on a “bucket list” style quest all throughout Sydney, on a search for meaning. Their unlikely new friendship leads them on a tumultuous journey where both are pushed beyond their comfort zones and finally decide to choose life… while they still can. From director Jonnie Leahy and screewriter Zanetti (who also stars), Skin Deep is a heart-warming urban adventure.

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.

Jitters
In this puppy love romance from Iceland, an unexpected first kiss causes Gabriel (Atli Óskar Fjalarsson) to feel the electrifying “jitters” of love and lust with the free-spirited Marcus (Haraldur Ari Stefánsson); a perfect way to end a summer studying abroad. Realizing he is gay, Gabriel returns home and is immediately scrutinized by his family and friends – who know he’s different. But as the school year launches, with Gabriel distracted with parties and his friends’ own dramas, Marcus returns, reigniting the hot, thrilling emotions of one’s first crush. Jitters fires head-first into the topsy-turvy world of first love with an attractive cast and pulsating soundtrack, making it a smartly refreshing journey into the queer, teen experience. Think Love, Simon but with a little more edge.

Twisted
Late, great character actor William Hickey stars as Andre, a lecherous brothel owner that trades in young men, in writer-director Seth Michael Donsky‘s 1996 retelling of Charles Dickens’ Oliver Twist. Exploiting his young charges through paternalism and drugs, Andre sets his sights on Lee (Keivyn McNeill Grayes), a ten-year-old black runaway orphan. Through Andre, Lee quickly becomes immersed in N.Y.’s sleazy underbelly of drug dealers and street hustlers. The boy’s only hope for survival is the aspiring song-writer Angel (David Norona), a former hustler and drug dealer. Angel befriends Lee and rescues him from the wiles of Andre’s cohort Fine Art (Jean Loup Wolfman), who attempts to profit on Lee’s tender age. Eventually, Andre’s petty empire is vanquished by Shiniqua (Pose breakout star Billy Porter), a powerfully wise and glamorous drag queen whose fiercely maternal spirit is no match for the depraved denizens of the brothel. Twisted is a weird cult classic from a bygone era in confrontational gay indie filmmaking.