As temperatures rise outside, we got to thinking about our favorite sweaty, beach-side, summertime-based gay movies. Below, you’ll find THIRTY different flicks available RIGHT NOW on-demand to put you in a seasonal mood! The genres may be varied, but all of these films do a great job turning up the heat (draw the shades and adjust your A/C accordingly).
Aya Arcos
Fabio (Daniel Passi) is a 21-year-old hustler working the hot streets of Rio when he meets Edu (Cesar Augusto), a successful author. They soon embark on a passionate and wild relationship. But while Fabio is sexually adventurous and carefree, Edu is far more protective. With several demons from his past that he has yet to face, Edu finds emotional connections difficult to maintain. The pair must try to navigate a path together – can they really live for the moment or will the realities of life crush them completely? An official selection at the Montreal World Film Festival and the Torino Gay and Lesbian Film Festival, Aya Arcos infuses its troubled May-December relationship with serious sexual intensity.
Bromance
When four friends go on a camping trip in a remote part of Argentina, sexual tensions quickly bubble to the surface. Once in virtual seclusion by the beach, the line between friendship and love begins to fade for two of the boys in particular as their desire becomes too much to bear. When what started as a simple getaway quickly becomes tinged with sex, romance and conflict, everyone is forced to confront who they really are for the very first time. Starring Javier De Pietro, the scrumptious star of Absent and Sexual Tension: Volatile, Bromance uses a clever found-footage aesthetic to deliver a thoughtful and supremely sexy meditation on young, burgeoning gay love.
Deleted Scenes Deleted Scenes tells a tale of love, passion and dysfunction. When 30-something Sean (Michael Vaccaro) meets Eastern European immigrant Wolf (Ivica Kovacevic), the sparks quickly fly. They return to Sean’s apartment to begin a high energy affair. What starts as a mere chance meeting slowly evolves into something more. Wolf is easy going, turning tricks to supplement his living, while Sean is needy, talkative and neurotic. Creating a stable relationship is fraught with problems. With Wolf disappearing for hours at a time and Sean doing drugs, the two of them seem to be headed down a path of destruction. Director Todd Verow (see Goodbye Seventies below) pushes the envelope with this edgy drama.
Dry Wind
A gloriously erotic film from Brazilian director Daniel Nolasco, Dry Wind follows factory worker Sandro (Leandro Faria Lelo) as he escapes his rural boredom via secret trysts with his co-worker Ricardo (Allan Jacinto Santana) and through elaborate sexual fantasies. Though his sex life is in full swing, Sandro shies away from emotional attachment, preferring to imagine worlds of anonymity, leather and unbridled fetish-play – brought to stunning life in color-drenched widescreen glory. When a new arrival to town (Rafael Teóphilo) – a certified hunk straight out of Sandro’s dreams – sets his sights on Ricardo, Sandro finds himself brimming with jealousy and fearing exclusion from a romance he never thought he wanted.
Everything I Like
Daniel (Milton Roses), is an editor at a production company. When Javier (Esteban Masturini), a new cameraman, joins the crew, it upends Daniel’s life in ways he never expected. Though he’s always considered himself straight, Daniel begins to develop feelings for the alluring Javier. Encouraged by his closest friends to finally come out of the closet, Daniel isn’t sure he’s ready. Once he admits to his bisexuality, he enters the world of online dating, embarking on an uncomfortable, often embarrassing and deeply funny journey through a new world of potential partners. All the while, however, he’s looking to work up the courage to tell Javier how he really feels… and get over his fear of being naked in front of another person!
Fireflies
Ramin (Arash Marandi), an Iranian refugee living in Mexico, is trying to come to terms with his past – one that has left permanent scars on his body and soul. As he strolls through the port of Veracruz – a place where transient souls collide in search of a better life – the haunting memories of his long-distance lover begin to fill his heart with a profound sense of loneliness and repentance. Ramin’s friendship with Leti (Flor Eduarda Gurrola), the young woman who runs his hotel and teaches him Spanish, and an attraction to ex-con Guillermo (Luis Alberti) help him find himself as a gay man in a new home. Written and directed by Iranian-born Mexico City resident Bani Khoshnoudi, Fireflies is beautifully shot and strikingly naturalistic.
Fulboy
On the verge of achieving his dream career, Tomas allows his older brother Martin an inside look at his life as a professional soccer player. Martin, never able to fulfill his own dream of playing professionally, steps into this world through the lens of his camera. The rest of the club has opinions. Some view Martin as an intruder, as he exposes their most vulnerable (and literally naked) moments. Fulboy offers an uncensored, confessional look at how the athletes behind the most popular sport in the world behave during their time off the field. At the same time, Fulboy reflexively interrogates the director’s aesthetic choices and longing gazes at the male form. Who could blame us, though? These guys are gorgeous!
Goodbye Seventies
Set in the 1970s, the golden age of gay pornography in New York City, this new film from provocative cult director Todd Verow is guaranteed to stimulate gay cinema and gay porn fans in equal measure. Goodbye Seventiesfollows a promising young chorus boy who is injured and told he will never dance again. Distraught and unimpressed with the “art” films playing seedy Times Square theaters, he gets his friends and lovers together and they start making their own hardcore movies. Against all odds, the films are wildly successful… until drugs, AIDS and cheap video technology bring it all crashing down. We’ve always been big fans of Verow’s work, but this sexy – and sexually explicit – new treat is one of our favorites yet.
Hawaii
Sexual tension almost spills off the screen in this sweaty, titillating romance from award-winning director Marco Berger (Young Hunter, The Blonde One). Hawaii follows Martin and Eugenio (Manuel Vignau and Mateo Chiarino), two former childhood friends who reunite during a hot summer in the Argentinean countryside. As they work together to restore Eugenio’s summer home, a game of power and desire ensues – and soon the two buddies must grapple with their sexual attraction and reconsider their relationship. With gorgeous cinematography, a lush setting and compelling lead performances, Hawaii is an intimate character study and a slow-burn romance that sizzles from start to finish.
He Loves Me
Director Konstantinos Menelaou‘s sexually explicit relationship drama He Loves Me is an exploration of the unconventional nature of love and its ability to survive against the fear of loneliness, psychological traumas and the problems that come with life in the big city. The collapsing relationship shared by two men finds an outlet for escape on an isolated beach. Once there, they feel free to expose their deepest emotions. Their wounded relationship might not survive the vacation, but it’s certainly a glorious place to feel things out. Super-sexy lead actors Sanuye Shoteka and Hermes Pittakos were a real-life couple at the time that He Loves Me was shot – and the script was greatly influenced by their relationship.
Hooked
Jack (Conor Donnally) is an eighteen-year-old escort for both men and women. He is abrasive, loud and immature, but also deeply vulnerable. His boyfriend Tom (Sean Ormond) is an aspiring photographer on the run from his unaccepting father. Together, Jack and Tom live in a public dorm setting as they plan a future where they can live freely and extravagantly. When an older, closeted and married gentleman named Ken (Terrance Murphy) meets Jack and whisks him away on a weekend trip to Miami, the possibilities of Jack and Tom’s relationship are tested in new and extreme ways. Can Jack keep it together long enough to make a fresh start? Or will the darkness swallow him whole?
I Am Happiness on Earth Julián Hernández, one of Mexico’s premier LGBTQ filmmakers (Raging Sun, Raging Sky), helmed this tale of a film director struggling with the line between his sexually-charged reality and his own equally-arousing cinematic creations. Will lead character Emiliano (Hugo Catalan) be able to sustain his relationship, or will his lust for beauty and meaning lead him elsewhere? Furious couplings between gorgeous men include an exhilaratingly explicit play-within-a-play. Hernández’s boldly poetic romance compares with such films as Fellini’s 8½, Godard’s Contempt and others exploring the connections between love, sex, creativity and filmmaking.
I Want Your Love
After years of treading water in freewheeling San Francisco, a young gay man (Jesse Metzger) prepares to move back to his roots in the Midwest. During his last weekend in town his friends, roommates and ex-lovers throw him a party that brings his already bittersweet feelings about leaving into sharper focus. Torn between his creative dreams and the reality of earning a living, he’s made to take responsibility by redefining what it means to be an artist, a gay man and an adult. Expanded to feature length from an award-winning 2010 short film of the same name, I Want Your Love features graphic, unsimulated sex scenes. Viewer discretion is advised (as is the case for a lot of films on this list, to be honest).
Jess & James
Jess (Martín Karich) is a bohemian young man with secrets to hide from his shrewd parents. James (Nicolás Romeo) feels trapped living with his irritable mother. After meeting for a sexual encounter, these two young men set off on a spontaneous road trip across rural Argentina to reunite with Jess’ estranged brother. Alone their journey, they confront strange occurrences and engage in a menage a trois affair that brings them even closer together. Their newly found affection grows, all while discovering a fresh vision of freedom and happiness. Don’t miss this colorful, visually-arresting and relentlessly sexy gay road movie!
Kept Boy
Farleigh Knock (Thure Riefenstein) is a famous interior designer and the host of a successful reality show. He has great taste and uses his money to ensure that he’s surrounded by beautiful things. One of those “things” is Dennis (Jon Paul Phillips), Farleigh’s handsome, much-younger boyfriend – who lives the high-life thanks to his youth and good looks. There’s just one problem: no one stays young forever. As his 30th birthday approaches, his benefactor whispers those six little words every “kept boy” dreads hearing: “Get a job… or get out.” Soon enough, Dennis finds himself being replaced by a sexy, younger pool boy and learns that life with a sugar daddy can be bittersweet.
Kill the Monsters
When young, charmingly aloof Frankie (Jack Ball) falls mysteriously ill, his older and wiser partners – overthinking, practical Patrick (Ryan Lonergan), and impulsive, fiery Sutton (Garrett McKechnie) – agree that it’s time to head West, begin new adventures, and seek holistic treatment. From here, the highs and lows of the trio’s journey mirror key points in United States history – from hot sex in their luxurious New York City apartment through a road trip that results in a civil war and possible breakup to an all-out poker war involving scheming, sophisticated, and calculating German and Russian lesbians. Kill the Monsters is a sexy, funny and clever black and white indie gem you won’t want to miss!
Last Summer Last Summer tells the story of two high school sweethearts, Luke and Jonah (Samuel Pettit and Sean Rose), who spend their final months together over the course of a long, quiet summer in the rural South. Jonah, sensitive, quiet and artistic, prepares to leave his small town for college, leaving Luke behind, but all he wants is for Luke to ask him to stay. But Luke, an athlete struggling through summer school, knows that his boyfriend needs to experience the world beyond their home. A beautiful melancholy romance, Last Summer takes on an almost hypnotic vibe. It’s set in an idealistic American South where Luke and Jonah’s relationship is never questioned or taken as anything other than a normal high school romance.
My Best Friend
Lorenzo (Angelo Mutti Spinetta), a quiet teen, lives in a small town at the edge of the world in beautiful Patagonia. He’s a good student, a curious and smart person more skilled in music and literature than sports. When a dramatic event leaves a family friend with nowhere to live, Caito (Lautaro Rodríguez), a year older than Lorenzo, comes to stay in their home. Covered in fresh bruises, tattooed, and handsome, Caito is both a disturbing and fascinating new presence in Lorenzo’s life. As their friendship grows, Caito begins opening up to Lorenzo – and the more Caito reveals his true self, the more Lorenzo finds his feelings growing for his new house guest. My Best Friend is a tender coming-of-age story.
No Hard Feelings
Parvis (Benjamin Radjaipour), the son of exiled Iranians, copes with life in his small hometown by indulging himself with pop culture, Grindr dates and raves. After being caught shoplifting, he is sentenced to community service at a refugee shelter where he meets siblings Banafshe and Amon (Banafshe Hourmazdi and Eidin Jalali), who have recently fled Iran. As a romantic attraction between Parvis and Amon grows, the fragile relationship between the three is put to the test. They find and lose each other throughout a summer of fleeting youth and intense first love. A critically-acclaimed romantic drama, No Hard Feelings won the coveted Teddy Award for Best Queer Feature Film.
Orpheus Song
Enis and Philipp (Julien Lickert and Sascha Weingarten), two hot dudes from Berlin, become workout buddies. The two hunks fall into an intense friendship. When Philipp wins a trip to Greece, he invites Enis along. During a hike, they become lost and tempers flare, escalating to a violent scuffle. A mysterious young man named Hercules (Henry Morales), happens upon them and leads them to a magical underground cave. During the night, fueled by forbidden fruit Hercules has warned them against eating, passion ignites between Enis and Philipp. The next day, nothing between the two will ever be the same. This wildly erotic variation on Greek mythology will quickly have you falling under its sensual spell!
The Passenger
Sexual and moral boundaries are put to the test when a handsome stranger begins to infiltrate the lives of two artists. While searching for a condo in Berlin, Nick (Niklas Peters) meets Philipp (Urs Stampfli), a talented photographer, and Lilli (Lynn Femme), a gorgeous actress. There is instant chemistry and both are easily seduced by Nick’s charms. Lilli and Philipp begin to explore their relationship with the sexy visitor, succumbing to their passionate affections which intensify their volatile emotional and physical bonds. But what Philipp and Lilli don’t realize is that they are being lured into Nick’s manipulative (and deadly) game of love.
The Prince The Prince is an explosive homoerotic drama set in a repressive 1970s Chilean prison. During a night of heavy drinking, Jaime (Juan Carlos Maldonado), a hot-tempered narcissist, suddenly stabs his best friend. He is sent to jail for murder. There, alone and afraid, he comes under the protection of a tough older inmate known as “The Stallion” (Alfredo Castro) The unlikely pair begin a clandestine romance, but violent power struggles soon threaten their bond. Easily one of the most sexually explicit recent gay movies, this searing story of survival takes inspiration from Jean Genet’s Un Chant d’amour and Fassbinder’s Querelle. It’s an exploration of masculine aggression, conflicting loyalties and pent-up sexual desires.
A Skeleton in the Closet
When Manuel (Facundo Gambande) returns to his hometown on the occasion of his parents’ wedding anniversary, he has a bit of an ulterior motive. He’s planning to ask for money so that he can move to Denmark with his boyfriend. The last time he saw his family, he came out of the closet – and things have been tense ever since. When his boyfriend suddenly dumps him, Manuel finds himself diving head-first into an existential crisis. Now more in need of his family’s love and support than ever, an unexpected opportunity to reconnect presents itself. Featuring a terrifically endearing lead performance, A Skeleton in the Closet is a tender and heartfelt Argentinian family comedy-drama that you don’t want to miss.
Stone Fruit
When Manny and Russ (Matt Palazzolo and Rob Warner) decide to get a divorce, they also – quite strangely – decide to celebrate the occasion together. The pair head to the Central Coast of California for some wine, sun… and more wine! When Byron (Thomas Hobson), their close friend, joins up with them, an unexpected threesome ensues and the trip becomes the post-divorce party to end all post-divorce parties. This witty, sharply-written new film gives freshness to the classic break-up movie by bringing in a queer perspective and exploring the complicated similarities that many couples, both queer and straight, face throughout their love stories. Stone Fruit is a charming, sexy and funny “anti-romantic comedy.”
A Stormy Night
Marcos (David Moragas) arrives in New York from Barcelona only to find out his layover flight to San Francisco has been cancelled due to a storm. This leaves him without a place to stay for the night. That’s how he meets Alan (Jacob Perkins), his old college friend’s roommate, who is happy to host him for the night. The two boys have nothing in common, but they will have to spend twelve hours and a New York storm together. Throughout the night, a series of misunderstandings lead the boys to challenge each other’s approach to love, relationships and happiness. They both have secrets to hide that are difficult to hold. And yet, the biggest challenge might be having to say goodbye to each other the morning after.
Taekwondo
In a gorgeous country house in Buenos Aires, Fernando (Lucas Papa) gathers his buddies for a boys-only vacation. The close-knit gang of bros kick back by the pool, sunning their impeccably toned bodies and sharing drug-fueled stories of sexual conquests. Fernando has also invited a newcomer named Germán (Gabriel Epstein), a friend from his taekwondo class, who neglects to tell the group that he’s gay. As the lazy summer days disappear, the connection between Fernando and Germán grows and slowly the boundaries of their relationship begin to blur. A veritable masterclass in will-they-won’t-they suspense, this gloriously protracted film luxuriates in eroticism, lingering over the semi-clad bodies with abandon.
These Peculiar Days These Peculiar Days tells the story of eight friends who graduate high school and celebrate by staying in a cabin in the woods. Just before the trip, Isabel (Sofia Sylwin) breaks up with Roman (Gerardo Del Razo) when she finds out he’s been cheating on her with Oscar (Carlos Hendrick Huber). When Roman tags along to try to win her back, it turns this pleasant weekend into a ticking time bomb that will be set off by their unstoppable sexual impulses. Soon, the lines between their sexuality begin to blur as allegiances and love affairs are quickly made and broken. An unabashedly erotic look at modern sexual fluidity between young adults from acclaimed writer-director Chucho E. Quintero.
The Visitor
Cibril (Sinan Hancili) is a young Turkish policeman living happily with his girlfriend in Berlin. He has integrated seamlessly into local culture, is socially active and financially stable. On the surface, it looks perfect but something is causing him to have sleepless nights. When his girlfriend’s attractive male cousin (Engin Sert) arrives from Rome, Cibril is instantly drawn to the handsome, charming visitor. The restless feelings he has suppressed for years begin to bubble to the surface, setting off a chain of events that will turn everyone’s lives upside down. The Visitor is a sensual drama, exploring the dramatic consequences and rewarding journey of a man triggered into embracing who he really is.
You and I
Jonas (Eric Klotzsch) invites his best friend, Phillip (George Taylor), to come along with him on a trip through Berlin for the summer. They soon pack up their Mercedes camper and take off across uncharted territory, stopping to take photos and enjoy a laid-back road trip. The fact that Phillip is gay has never been an issue for either of them. However, when they pick up a hitchhiker named Boris (Michal Grabowski), who shows Jonas some interesting spots and starts to make moves on Phillip, the friendship between the two besties starts to fray. Maybe three is a crowd after all? By the end of the summer, things between Jonas and Phillip will never be the same again.
Young Hunter Young Hunter follows Ezequiel (Juan Pablo Cestaro), a fifteen-year-old boy on the cusp of his sexual awakening. While his parents are away, he meets a handsome, slightly older guy named Mono (Lautaro Rodríguez) and quickly starts a relationship. Mono invites him to his cousin’s villa to spend a weekend together, but while returning from the trip Mono seemingly disappears, no longer responding to texts. Ezequiel is surprised and confused until Chino (Juan Barberini), Mono’s cousin, sends him a hidden camera video of their sexual encounter, blackmailing him into participating in an increasingly dangerous criminal conspiracy. Against his own will, Ezequiel must decide whether to come clean or turn from prey to hunter.
