New winners from NQV Media, SUR LE DÉPART and THE MALE GAZE: STRIKERS & DEFENDERS

About as "French" a film as you could ever hope for, HERE AND THERE (SUR LE DÉPART) favors that penchant Français for philosophy and chat over action and momentum. But because the conversation and characters are vital and unusual enough, fans of this sort of film should easily get their fill. Beginning with a quintet of musicians -- identified only as Piano, Violin, Clarinet, etc. -- giving an outdoor concert of a lovely modern composition, this not-quite-hour-long movie quickly focuses on two of the five, Piano and Clarinet, 17-year-old friends and lovers who are about to experience major change. Clarinet is off to Paris from their small town of Mont-de-Marson to study at the conservatory, and the film is comprised of short chapters detailing the years and conversations (you really can't call them events) as the two grow and change until they reach the age of 30.

For English-speaking audiences, the film has been re-titled Here and There, rather than the more closely translated On the Go, which is a better title all around, as Clarinet is constantly going back and forth yet never seems to get anywhere. As co-written (with Christophe Pellet) by Michaël Dacheux (shown at left), these conversations explore the ideas and feelings of the two young men in the kind of detail that TrustMovies thinks of as quintessentially French. Granted, it's healthy to explore and determine why you are feeling what you feel, thinking what you think and doing what you do. But -- and here's the humor and irony of this particular situation -- it is also quite possible to overdo this sort of philosophical exploration, right?

Well, you decide, as you view the very good performances by these two handsome and wafer-thin young actors, Adrien Dantou (at right on poster, top) as Clarinet and César Domboy (above) as Piano. Although made back in 2011, this very interesting, quiet little film is only now getting its proper release here in the USA and elsewhere, thanks to NQV Media. You can find out how to view the 54-minute movie by clicking here.

Also new from NQV MEDIA is another of its fine compilations of short GLBT films, this one entitled THE MALE GAZE: STRIKERS & DEFENDERS, which offers the subject of soccer (or football, depending on where you're from) as the organizing theme around which this quartet of short films is based.

Within this sports framework, however, a number of more important themes are explored -- from identity and bullying (both singular and via group) to the ways in which various kinds of male-to-male attraction can be expressed and the sometimes difficult route family members have of accepting one of their own who is gay.

In ISLANDS (Inseln), a boy's vengeance leads to another's expression of love, as a coach and his student exchange quiet words and feelings. Lovely, subtle and beautifully acted, this 20-minute German film is written and directed by Ron Jäger. 

Another coach and his student have an exchange that proves a lot nastier in PLAY IT LIKE A MAN (Un été viril), a 22-minute French film written and directed by Laurent Lunetta. Here questions are raised about raging hormones, sexual attraction and anger, and the answers are very French: tentative but fascinating.

COLOURS is all about the male attitude toward girls, guys and gays, and if coincidence plays a little too large a part in the tale, well, there would be no tale without it. A UK production written and directed by Peter Lee Scott and running 25 minutes, the movie will get your own anger and arousal issues going, while assuaging them only partially.

Gorgeous locations in the mountain county of France and the usual excellent performances that come via NQV films highlight THROUGH THE FIELDS (Passer les champs), the story of two brothers -- the older straight, the younger gay -- and the latter's first sexual experience, even as the former's need to lead his own life comes into conflict with his mother's wishes. In French, running 30 minutes and written and directed by Camille Melvil and Fabien Cavacas, this engaging and rich little movie cries out for full-length treatment.

Once again NQV has come up with a splendid array of GLBT short cinema -- it runs in total 95 minutes -- comprised of absolute quality material, with not a single ringer in the bunch. Click here to watch The Male Gaze: Strikers & Defenders in its entirety.