NQV's newest -- THE MALE GAZE: NOCTURNAL INSTINCTS -- starts dark then grows pretty hot

Don't give up on 

THE MALE GAZE: NOCTURNAL INSTINCTS, the latest round-up of GLBT (this group completely G) short films, for although this collection begins badly, it slowly turns into something more interesting, ending up with one of the hottest, most extensively sexual pieces -- full-frontal with some semi-erections -- that I've encountered in all my New Queer Visions/NQV Media viewing so far. 

The company's choice of films seems most often to prefer exploring ideas, feelings and character rather than merely soft-core, in-your-face sex scenes, though the latter is certainly appreciated when handled well. (And it certainly is in this compilation's final sequence.)

The initial 16-minute film, called SPIRAL, looks like nothing so much as an audition for a longer and undoubtedly grizzlier horror movie with the "unnecessary" stuff -- like, oh, character, ideas, even plot -- simply left out. So we get handsomely bearded faces, hot bodies, blood, very dark visuals but not much sense. Should the writer/director Gustave Olsson finally make that longer version, let's hope he adheres more closely to something rich and strange like Heartless, rather than to the more common slasher schlock that dots screens these days.

From sex in Sweden we move to copulation in China, where two drugged-up fellows rut like rabbits, after which one of them apparently dies. What to do?  The left-alive guy turns to two female friends for help, and a few further events take place, leaving us at the finale with a what-the-fuck? moment of a not-quite-complete-visual of which to make sense. FLOATING MELON, the 19-minute movie written and directed by a team of Spanish (Roberto F. Canuto) and Chinese (Xiaoxi Xu) filmmakers, slathers a little cultural/political history over its "story," and so proves at least slightly more interesting than its predecessor in the collection.

The third film proves better, simply because we have more of a sense of character and motivation with less melodrama. British filmmaker Dean Anderson's 17-minute, three-character POOF tells the story of Aaron, a young man who works in construction with his typically British, typically no-big-deal homophobic dad, who meets the slightly older Mike, a relatively stable gay guy clearly attracted to Aaron. Self-acceptance is the theme here, and it is played out with credibility and finesse.

Self-acceptance is also the theme of the much darker 24-minute film, AFTER DAWN (Passée l'aube) in which it's the older man who's not come anywhere near fully to terms with his sexuality -- which has near-fatal results for the young man who is in love with him. As written and directed by Belgian-born Nicolas Graux, the film is sad and melancholy until it finally opens the door to the "closet," and we suddenly realize that this can also be a grave.

It's that final film, the 25-minute, NIGHT OF LOVE that certainly proves the most entertaining and maybe even the most fulfilling of these short films. As written and directed by Omri Loukas (above), who also stars in the lead role (note to Mr. Loukas: You are indeed adorable, but you might want to reconsider before placing that line of dialog, about you, into the mouth of one of the other characters), the movie tracks poor Yonathan, about to go into the army but, having been kicked out by his ex-boyfriend, needs a place to stay for the night. Mom's unavailable, Dad's unhelpful, and so our hero does one of those hook-up apps and finds himself the central attraction in a quintet of group sex.

Though Mr. Loukas is the star, the main visual event here is Sasson Betzalel (above, left), who plays the very hot and hunky Palestinian in whose apartment all the romping takes place. Mr. Betzalel is more than generous in allowing us to view his body and sexual equipment, and he is also a good enough actor to convey the genuine feelings he has for Yonathan -- who certainly experiences more than expected from this "night of love."

From NQV Media, in various languages (all with English subtitles), and running 98 minutes, The Male Gaze: Nocturnal Instincts, is available now via digital streaming -- for rental or purchase. Click here for further information.

NQV Media hits a bit of a speed bump with its newest compilation, THE AMERICAN BOYS

This may be my fifth or sixth viewing of one NQV Media's thoughtful, artful and entertaining groupings of short GLBT films from around the world, so I suppose the reason why the one from the USA stands out as the least of the bunch should not surprise. America appears to be growing increasingly stupid down the decades, with more than forty per cent of our electorate having voted for a second term for a President who, over his entire career, has been a scam artist as well as a bigot, bully, coward, crook, fool and fraud. Of course we mustn't equate movies with politics. But still...

The short films in THE AMERICAN BOYS are generally missing what the other collections offer. There's little sense of history, community, class, economics, genuine philosophy (the short Billy's Blowjob sports some ersatz stuff) or much else except what's right in front of us: the immediate subject at hand. Which is mostly about being gay, along with the love object that often goes with this.

That said, the first film of the six shorts featuring this set of "boys" is the most artful of the lot. THESE THINGS TAKE TIME, written and directed by Jerell Rosales, offers a 20-minute tale of a boy, his dad, his teacher, and his "girlfriend." It's equal parts sweet, humorous and sad.

THE LEGEND OF SCOTTY WATTS, written and directed by Prash Sampathkumaran, explores in just 11 minutes hero worship and what music means to kids and adolescents. It's quick and handled pleasantly enough.

In TWO FISH, a couple of friends reunite after one returns from a European vacation to face some things that were maybe unspoken/unexpressed but which have now clearly progressed. Written and directed by Antoine Dupont-Guerra, it also lasts just 11 minutes.

The American Film Institute logo precedes YOU CAN PLAY, a 19-minute movie that offers everything from foreshadowing and secrets revealed to sports and character building (or destroying). Directed by Anders Helde and written by Dennis James Clarke and Helde, this was a little too paint-by-numbers for my taste.

I THINK I'M GAY proves the (intentionally) funniest film of the bunch, an "is-he-or-isn't-he" discovery comedy. Written and directed by Matt Chupack, the film is glossy and fun, with a good performance by Miles Tagtmeyer (above, center left) as the confused one.

The final offering here is, for TrustMovies, the weakest as well. BILLY'S BLOWJOBS, written and directed by Michael Hyman, features Wilson Cruz (above) in the leading role (the receiver, not the giver) who also produced the film. With music via Chopin, the 17-minute movie is mostly exposition and is as obvious as, well, America itself. 

I don't want to disparage these little films, as they are relatively harmless. But after all the other compilations from this fine company, I guess I was expecting more. Distributed via NQV Media, The American Boys hit streaming this past Monday, November 30, and is available now -- for purchase or rental. Click here for more information.

San Antonio Film Festival unveils Zeus Kontoyannis' clever, creepy short, MR. SAM

I don't usually cover film festivals (there are simply way too many of these, with many of them simply unnecessary, to boot) but one of the short films currently being screened at the San Antonio Film Festival (running now through November 15, and again from December 9-13) sounded worth catching, and at only 28 minutes in length, not a deal-breaker should it have sucked. It doesn't, and in fact it's rather good.

MR. SAM, written and directed by Zeus Kontoyannis, turns out to be a bit less of a typical GLBT movie and much more of a necrophiliac's dream film -- a mix and mingle of Kissed, Bernie, and Six Feet Under, with a little Autopsy of Jane Doe tossed in for good measure -- but possessing a viewpoint and outcome all its own. 

Mr. Kontoyannis (shown at right) introduces us to an unusual mortician (played very well in a subdued fashion that still manages to register charisma, sadness and a bit of menace by Christropher Piccione, shown below), his mom, dad, therapist and family friends, a mother and her young daughter whom he is tutoring in math.

The filmmaker's visual style is beautifully composed and shot (the cinematographer is Joshua Echevarria), while the writing, directing and performances are, across the board, very nicely handled. 

Our titular hero, if you can use that description, lives in a near-complete fantasy world, and the most interesting thing about the film may be that he appears to be making this world work surprisingly well. (Money clearly helps matters, as usual.)

To its credit, Mr/ Sam -- neither the character nor the movie itself -- goes quite where you will expect. It is mostly quiet, graceful and relatively subtle, considering the genres its melds: mystery, horror, psychological thriller and character study. At a near-half-hour in length, it is perfectly satisfying, but it might be, too, were it expanded into full-length. Box-office-wise, that would mean concentrating on those first three genres. But content- and success-wise, it's the last of those genres that will end up counting most heavily, TrustMovies should think. 

You can find more information on the San Antonio Film Festival here, and on the movie itself and how to view it here. 

Streaming now, and in a darker mode: NEW QUEER VISIONS: RIGHT BESIDE YOU

Clearly titled with an eye toward irony, the latest installment from NQV Media -- NEW QUEER VISIONS: RIGHT BESIDE YOU -- makes that titular proximity mean both everything and nothing simultaneously. This is certainly the darkest compilation of GLBT shorts from this distributor that I've thus far seen. And if it is not maybe the best of the lot, it is certainly worth viewing and pondering.

This collection of five short films offers three that can in no way be interpreted as having a happy ending; another might have one in the best of all possible worlds, while one simply exists as a kind of brief character study. Another "plus" here is that both bisexuality and transgender are interestingly explored for a change. (Not for nothing was NQV's original company name New Queer Visions: Most of what we see harks definitely toward the gay.)

From Mexico, MY MOTHER'S LOVERS (Los Movios de mi madre) is all about a teenager, his best (and only) friend, and his mom. Dark as pitch and beautifully handled, the 22-minute film was written by Lorena Moleres and directed by Samuel Montes de Oca León. 

The 13-minute BOOTYFUL, from France, introduces us to a lithe and beautiful black man who attracts and is attracted to both men and women. What does this mean to our hero? A full-length film might further explore this; what we get here is a very nicely filmed introduction, well-written and -directed by François Barbier.  

ONLY WHAT YOU NEED TO NOW ABOUT ME (Apenas o que você precisa saber sobre mim) involves skateboarding, friendship, identity and ersatz closeness. As written and directed by Maria Augusta V. Nunes, this 15-minute film, in Portuguese from Brazil, handles a delicate subject with finesse, understanding and absolute empathy for all concerned.

JUNK refers to the drug and is by far the darkest of the short films presented here. Family, fallout, hard drugs, hopelessness, love and the need to save all jockey for position as our heroes' predicament grow more dire. From the United Kingdom, running 24 minutes, and written and directed by Joe Morris, this is another movie that cries out for expansion. (Though it might just be too much of a downer for many filmgoers.)

The most upbeat (well, maybe) is saved for the finale, as HIGH TIDE explores what happens when a hugely closeted (from himself, as much as from anyone else) Muslim man meets and finds himself attracted to a hunky younger fellow. From The Netherlands, running 22 minutes, and written and directed by Claire Zhou, the movie may open your eyes to the benefits of first closing them.

NEW QUEER VISIONS: RIGHT BESIDE YOU, with English subtitles and running 95 minutes in its entirety, is available now via digital streaming. Click here and scroll down for info on how to view the film.

SEEING IS BELIEVING: the latest compilation of short gay films from NQV is exemplary

On the basis of the first two collections I've seen from New Queer Visions -- The Israeli Boys and now SEEING IS BELIEVING -- this new distribution company that began as a film festival in 2014, then after five years morphed into a distribution company now called NQV Media, is bringing together some of the most interesting, versatile and high-quality GLBT short films I've seen.

What's especially noticeable is how different in style, theme and techniques is each of the six films in this newest collection. Yet each pulls you in and holds you both intellectually and emotionally. Not to mention how diverse the interesting locations here are.

The first of these films, ADULT, introduces you to a mother and son in two different time frames, as mom discovers something about her grown son's occupation, even as she remembers him and herself in former times. From Australia, in English and Greek with English subtitles, this eleven minute-movie, directed by Jamieson Pearce, subtle and smart, with not much dialog at all, makes quite a mark in very little time.

Belgium is the location of HELLO, STRANGER, during which a male drag performer with a young son must decide if the boy can see again his mother, who had abandoned the pair earlier and is now suddenly back in the picture. As directed by Anthony Schatteman with color and pizzazz, this 20-minute movie genuinely earns its smiles, emotion and surprises via fine performances and solid writing/direction.

All the shorts here are lovely, but my favorite and something I'd have to recommend to just about everyone -- gay, straight or otherwise -- is the third of of the six: LITTLE POTATO.  Directed by Wes Hurley and Nathan M. Miller, this is a kind of family-history faux documentary, based on life, in which a young man and his mother explain their lives, first in Russia and then in America. Their story is a keeper indeed (I can easily see a full-length narrative film arising out of this 14-minute short) and so full of surprise, delight and out-and-out patriotism -- as well as being just about perfectly filmed and told -- that it makes this entire project a must-see.

Mexico is the setting for JUAN GABRIEL IS DEAD, in Spanish and mostly black-and-white cinematography (which suddenly turn to color during a finale in which this change seems to reflect a change in our main characters' perceptions, as well), a first-love story told with a great deal of charm and vitality. Filmmaker Tavo Ruiz draws lovely performances from his two leads, both of whom are attractive and attuned to the subtleties of male bonding and sexual attraction. This may be the most playful and simultaneously artistic of the six films.

The Tunisian closet and its uses are in full bloom in LE CONVIVE, an Arabic language, 20-minute movie in which one of our three leading character's sexuality seems to be very nearly an open secret -- though what the secret actually is turns out to be a good deal more interesting that we've imagined. Taking place the weekend of a huge wedding to which family and, it seems, an entire town has been invited, filmmaker Hakim Mastour builds suspense handily, even as character -- of the bride, groom, and his "best man" -- is revealed. This one's entertaining, colorful and nicely subversive.

The final film, CONTESTANT #4 from the Philippines via Jared Joven and Kaj Palanca, is definitely the quietest of the six movies included here, and it is also perhaps the sweetest and most subtle. Little happens except the further bonding of two males: a much older man and a younger one, barely even of age as yet, for whom the older is clearly a kind of mentor and much-needed friend. Archival film plays a large part in this graceful, generous 19-minute movie, as does dance and the Asian tendency toward restraint, all of which makes for a first-rate close to this six-part endeavor.

From NQV Media and running a total of 95 minutes, Seeing Is Believing was released digitally this past Monday, April 6, and is available worldwide now via Amazon and Vimeo (this second link will be arriving soon).

It's John Milton's birthday! Watch Jeremiah Kipp and Laura Sweeney's LOST + FOUND, their seven-minute adaptation of Paradise Lost

In the annals of chutzpah and cheek, right up there at the tippy-top may be the new short film, LOST + FOUND -- from director Jeremiah Kipp (shown below) and his adaptor Laura Sweeney -- of John Milton's huge opus poem (twelve books that include over 10,000 lines of verse), Paradise Lost.

December 9 happens to be Milton's birthday, so it's only fitting that this very short film (seven minutes, including credits) can be seen on Vimeo today. TrustMovies is a fan of Kipp's short films (if not so much his full-length stuff), and though I have only read snippets of Milton's original, Kipp/Sweeney's little distillation strikes me as a not-bad précis of this vast work.

Jennifer Plotzke makes a smart and impressive Satan, with Ari Rossen good as her prime minion. Carl Hendrick Louis proves a handsome and well-spoken Adam, while only Pia Haddad disappoints as Eve (her vocal quality is not up to the level of the rest of the cast). The rich black-and-white cinematography (by Brian Morgan), both interior and exterior, is gorgeous to view and the film is handily edited (by Charlotte Purser) and has a lovely music score by either Myuu (listed on  the IMDB) or Nicholas Gasparini (listed on the end-credits roll). Maybe they're one and the same? In all, this seems like a fine, if very brief, way to honor Milton, while reminding us that he and his work still matter, even after -- yes -- 400 years. You can catch this little film now on Vimeo by simply clicking here.

VOD debut for Michael J. Saul's short film collection, THE DAYDREAMER'S NOTEBOOK

The name Michael J. Saul was new to me, or so I imagined, when I sat down to view THE DAYDREAMER'S NOTEBOOK, a collection of short films that span a time frame of 36 years of movie-making. Turns out, however, that TrustMovies has indeed reviewed a film by Mr. Saul: his 2015 low-key pot-boiler, The Surface. I didn't much like that film, so I'm pleased to report that viewing a larger chunk of Mr. Saul's work proved a more interesting venture.

This filmmaker, shown at right, seems a good deal better with short films, and perhaps, the shorter the better. If that sounds like a "dig," I don't mean it to be, for what we see here in short form often proves rather lovely, suggestive and elusive. In one of his shortest, Nightcrawler, Saul recalls via narration and visuals, preparation for a fishing trip with his dad, which he evidently hated. The movie shows us why. Two others, Idol and Boat 14, return us to the image of a young man who was perhaps muse to Ms. Saul, David Allan Payne (below), seen in several of the films in this Notebook.

Saul uses slo-mo often, and often beautifully, especially in Euphoria (below and further below), an ode to longing and incipient sexuality that features three beautiful teens engaged in sexual behavior and fantasy, all in glowing black-and-white cinematography that incorporates dance, movement and even some special effects.

The filmmaker's introduction to this collections provides a bit of his history, along with school report cards that feature teachers' comments. We get but a glimpse of who he is/was, as he explains how important daydreaming became to his creative process.

Much of what we see here -- Cons, Idol, Boat 14 -- is archival, and some of the film decay we view may put you (unintentionally) in mind of the work of Bill Morrison, though the two filmmakers have not much else in common, I should think.

The Daydreamer's Notebook, though not overtly homosexual (The Surface gives you plenty of this), is certainly homoerotic. Yet perhaps the best of these shorts is something called Subterranea (above and below), in which Saul combines glorious nature images with sci-fi tropes to form something quite lovely and original. This one doubles as a memorial video to the late Steven M. Miller, who was Saul's collaborator and composer for 30 years, and whose music fills most of this Notebook.

The longest of the films included here -- The Cipher and the Boar (below and at bottom)-- proves the least interesting, though the most time is spent on it and in it (we even get look at the making of this one, together with  a visit to the "premiere" it had back in 1981). Shot on 16-mm, the would-be thriller/horror short tracks two boys (one of them the young Mr. Payne) who stumble upon the house of a very nasty taxidermist.

A kind of dark fairy tale of the Gingerbread House/Hansel & Gretel variety, the movie, told without dialog, is full of fraught, would-be terrifying images that eventually grow repetitive and tiresome. We get what's happening, but it takes too long to arrive. This is also Saul's lengthiest and most "narrative" short in the bunch, so, given my reaction to this one, as well as to his recent narrative film The Surface, I'd call the briefer, elliptical and more experimental work his stronger suit.

Already available for viewing via Amazon Instant Video, the collection arrived on VOD yesterday, August 29, on TLA Video, and will make its debut on Dekkoo, the new all-gay streaming site, sometime this fall.

SOBER MINDS: Charlo Johnson's short-but-impressive look at noted wildlife photographer Paul Hughes' work, life and philosophy

TrustMovies had previously heard of neither the filmmaker Charlo Johnson nor the subject of his new film, a famous Irish wildlife photographer named Paul Hughes. Having seen the film -- which bears the oddball but appropriate title SOBER MINDS -- both men are now, I suspect, rather indelibly imprinted on my memory.

Mr. Johnson, shown below, has made a number of short films already, at least one of which -- Positive Discrimination -- has been nominated for and/or won some awards. I wouldn't be surprised to find Sober Minds following in its footsteps.

This new film is short, all right -- just 17 minutes -- but it packs in a wealth of information, ideas, beauty and (for those of us humans who love to prettify and sentimentalize animals and wildlife) some sadness, along with a salutary punch in the gut.

Photographer Hughes (shown below) is, I rather think, someone who suffers fools not at all, and Mr. Johnson simply and immediately engulfs us in this man's world: the wildlife he so loves, his photos of that wildlife, some of his own history, his philosophy, how he shoots (and when), and even the kind of music that pumps him up to achieve maximum potential, as well as a little of his personal life, too (raw youth, romances, and the like).

What we learn about the man and his work, as well as about ducks and ducklings, swans and cygnets, and especially foxes and their young makes for enticing viewing. And as good as Hughes' photographs of wildlife are, Mr Johnson's movie is equally good, with expert cinematography by Andrei Ghenoside and Jaraslava Waldeck, editing by Mark Gilleece (who also edited that terrifically funny zombie movie, Stalled), lovely animated titles (see photos at bottom) from Toshiki Nakamura and a good musical score from Rob Smith.

Together and in such a short time, this team allows us to enter the world and the mind of Mr Hughes and come away informed, perhaps chastened and certainly wiser than when we went in. Man may be at the top of the current food chain, but, yes, all species end up as predators and prey. And while there is immense love and beauty, charm and delight in Hughes' photos, he never lets us forget the "wild" in wildlife.

"People aren't revealing," notes Hughes. "That's the difference in wildlife. No pretense. They're acting out their true nature."  Which leads us into the film's title and what this means to Mr. Hughes. In all, Sober Minds is a model of a short documentary: lively, thought-provoking, and beautiful.

The short will premiere at the Oscar and BAFTA qualifying Rhode Island International Film Festival on 12 August. If you're not in the Rhode Island area, the documentary will then head to St. George, Utah where it screens at DocUtah International Documentary Film Festival in September followed by Tacoma Film Festival in October. Let's hope the short will eventually be available elsewhere: on DVD, digitally and via streaming. I'll keep up with this and post here where else you might be able to view it, as soon as that information becomes available.