Boys Life 5 (2006)

The fifth installment in the successful series of gay-themed short films anthology collects four short films produced between 1990 and 2005. This collection avoids the alternating callow humor and dull self-seriousness of previous installments. Each feels like a first-rate mini-feature rather than a student experiment or a Hollywood audition.

In "Fishbelly White", directed by Michael Burke, alienated rural youth Duncan (Mickey Smith) mistreats farm animals and explores his homoeroticism with a hunky older boy (Jason Hayes), only to learn some harsh lessons about nonconformity. With its rural setting, offbeat protagonist, and less-is-more approach to both dialogue and sexual tension, this entry could hardly be confused for a typical gay indie. It features subtle insights into adolescence and sensuality. Burke uses "Fishbelly White" as the basis for his feature "The Mudge Boy".

"Dare" was written by David Brind and directed by Adam Salky. Hunky high-school star Johnny (Michael Cassidy) has the lead in the school play "A Streetcar Named Desire" but is having trouble remembering his lines. Nerdy "Light boy" Ben (Adam Fleming) likes to look at the very popular boy, and to spotlight him on stage. The irritated female lead of the play refuses to give her co-star a ride home, and "Light boy" volunteers. Once there, champagne gets opened poolside and both boys are soon in the pool, and the daring occurs. The final shot is deliciously sly. "Dare" offers the most explicitly gay subject matter of the collection, yet it shares with the other films a tension between childhood innocence and erotic awakening.

In "Late Summer", written and directed by David Ottenhouse, photographer Adam (Augustus Kelly) recounts the genesis of one of his photographs, in the process revealing much about his adolescent self (Erol Zeybekoglu). It begins in an art gallery with a photo show of Adam's work and proceeds to a lengthy flashback leading to an image not for sale. The photo shows the photographer's older cousin Josh (Christopher Nee) with whose family the photographer stayed after his parents' deaths. The younger Adam is hero-worshipping and shy, but not a pushover. The cousin goes skinny dipping, and he doesn't keep his shorts on as the boys in "Dare" do. Josh appears totally naked in the swimming home scene. But the film is restrained, with its gayness a matter of sensibility and subtext rather than overt content. This short is a rare example of a flashback story whose framing sequences actually add to its emotional heft, providing an intriguing suburban contrast to the farmland lyricism of "Fishbelly White".

"Time Off" was directed by American-born Israeli Eytan Fox. A soldier receives some unexpected insights into the private life of his dictatorial lieutenant. The "Time Off" of the title is between the end of basic training and deployment to Lebanon during the First Lebanon War in 1982. We see a lieutenant (Gil Frank) putting his men through annoying exercises. He seems to be picking on a pleasant-natured sensitive recruit named Yonatan (Hanoch Reim). On leave in the city, Yonatan wanders into a known gay pick-up spot and guess what? It was shot in Hebrew a decade before any of the other films. With its military setting and political backdrop, "Time Off" engages with the real world rather than just its characters' inner lives. Yet its subtlety and ambiguity fit in perfectly. Fox would go on to explore similar themes with the full-length "Yossi & Jagger".

The fifth and most consistently rewarding entry in the "Boys" Life series of anthologies focuses on the inner contradictions and unspoken longings of their protagonists. These four films collectively explore issues such as unrequited love and allow the "Boys Life" series to grow up. The bittersweet featurettes offer homosexual men a chance to identify with non-archetypal characters instead of drag-queen confidants or suicidal closet cases.

Cachorro (2004)

Pedro (José Luis García-Pérez) is an attractive gay dentist who lives a cosmopolitan life in Madrid. He's a well adjusted, kindly, and independent "bear" who thinks nothing of having his two best friends have sex in his bed while he takes a shower--sometimes even participating in a threesome. His older sister Violeta (Elvira Lindo), an ex-hippie, leaves her son Bernardo (David Castillo) to stay with Pedro when she impulsively decides to take a two-week jaunt to India with her latest boyfriend.

Soon the two form a strong attachment and their life together seems to be going well. Bernardo cooks for Pedro, but his nephew's presence forces him to take a break from his otherwise extremely active sex life. Even his boyfriend Manuel (Arno Chevrier), who suddenly pays Pedro a visit and who shares his penchant for leather and latex, is basically rejected. But when Doña Teresa (Empar Ferrer), Bernardo’s paternal grandmother, arrives on the scene, she begins to resent Pedro's closeness with the boy. Doña is a lonely and embittered old woman who blames Violeta for her son's drug-related death. She's also eager to re-establish a bond with her grandson, who doesn't like her. She's concerned about the influence that Pedro may be having on the boy and wants to take over Bernardo's upbringing by sending him to a private school in Valencia where he can learn English. The boy, however, is reluctant to leave his uncle and vows to stay with Pedro.

News arrives that Bernardo’s mother has been arrested in India for drug smuggling. She may be facing a prison sentence of thirty years, and Pedro is just as shocked at this news as Bernardo. Nevertheless, he realizes that he is now responsible for the boy. There suddenly are so many things to organize, such as repairs to the house and finding a school for the boy, that Pedro hardly misses the life he used to lead. Gradually he succeeds in rekindling his sex life, but in a less excessive form.

Then Doña demands custody of Bernardo. After illegally obtaining his medical history revealing that Pedro is HIV-positive, and hiring a private investigator who obtains pictures of Pedro at a gay club, she threatens him with both. Pedro lets her put Bernardo in a boarding school. When his grandmother goes to visit him and reveals Pedro's HIV status, Bernardo says that he already knew and that his mother is HIV-positive as well. She then reveals that Pedro is in the hospital with pneumonia. He tells her that he hates her and that it's her fault that he's in the hospital, because he wasn't there to care for him.

Three years pass, letters go back and forth between Pedro, Bernardo, his mother, and his grandmother. We then see Bernardo and his friends at a funeral, and a casket being lowered. Shortly after, a cab pulls up with Pedro in it, out of the hospital and healthy, then revealing that it was the grandmother's funeral they were attending. After a brief conversation, Bernardo goes and hugs and kisses his friends goodbye, then he and his uncle reunite and ride away in the cab together.

"Cachorro" defies all expectations and never passes judgment on any of the characters, not even on the villainous Doña Teresa. And there's no puritanical scorn about Pedro's supposed inappropriateness as a guardian and role model. In fact, Pedro goes out of his way to live his life as he would a single man: We see him going to bars, cruising back rooms, flirting with shop attendants in front of Bernardo, and even inviting his friends over for marijuana and coke-induced gatherings. The film also explores Pedro's relationship with a flight attendant and part-time lover who wants a commitment that Pedro is unwilling to make. Throughout all of this Bernardo is either oblivious to what is going on, takes it all in his stride, or even offers Pedro romantic advice.

There's a lot of love among Pedro's "bears", and though the movie is occasionally over-talky and light on the drama, there's still lots of warmth and humor. It's an important movie, groundbreaking because we are given an intelligent and perceptive insight into a part of the gay community that has been marginalized by the wider gay community. Bears are a sub-culture that have received little or no recognition in gay-themed movies. However, one viewer commented, "Don't be deceived by the blurb, because this isn't a nice gay film at all. On the surface it appears frothy, but underneath it's a sleazy film of betrayal, deceit, and a man's lost love that he'll never get back. It has it's funny moments, most of which you'll have seen on the trailer, but the rest is a gritty, rather sad little down-beat film that'll appeal to those who like it real." Lucio Godoy composed the incidental music. The screenplay was written by Salvador García Ruiz and Miguel Albaladejo, who also directed. In Spanish with English subtitles. The Spanish word "cachorro" describes any young, furry animal such as a cub or puppy, and the English title is "Bear Club".

Cover (2007)

A young married couple and their daughter move to Philadelphia to build on their life together. However, once there, the father Dutch Maas (Razaaq Adoti) starts to have the moves put on him by his ex-girlfriend. Little by little, his naive church-going wife Valerie Maas (Aunjanue Ellis) starts to suspect, with the help of her protective friend, that Dutch may not be as faithful as he’s pretending to be.

When a man is murdered on New Year's Eve, the prime suspect is Valerie, whose life unravels when she discovers that her husband of 15 years has been leading a double life. Dutch is actually a closeted homosexual. This leads to a great deal of emotional trauma for both the wife and the husband--as well as to a murder investigation subplot that's used to frame the story. Valerie is arrested and charged with murder. Things become complicated when its clear the Assistant District Attorney prosecuting the case doesn't care if she's guilty since he's looking to win the up coming election. Her strength of character and faith keeps the family alive as the investigation threatens to destroy all that they have known.

This is a well-meaning and well-intentioned film, but its attempt to deal honestly with a serious social issue often falls victim to slick melodramatics. Many scenes will have you rolling your eyes in disbelief, even while conceding that some of the points the movie is making are valid. The film does give a fair hearing to each of its torn and conflicted characters. It's like an urbanized African-American version of "Brokeback Mountain"-- only this time told from the viewpoint of the spouse rather than the two male lovers. There are many clichés and stereotypes, such as the cheating husband, the broken wife, and an angry female best friend. Plus, the acting tends to be over-the-top and there are too many "dark secrets". The redeeming aspects of this entertaining film are its twists and it adresses an important topic rarely talked about or shown in the cinematic world. Kurt Farquhar composed the music, Aaron Rahsaan Thomas wrote the screenplay, and Bill Duke directed.

Avril (2006)

Avril (Sophie Quinton) is a novice in a convent of "Baptistine" sisters, a monastic order which was officially dissolved at the end of the nineteenth century but is kept alive by Mère Marie Joseph (Geneviève Casile), the sadistic superior. The rule she imposes on the nuns is particularly strict but this is all Avril has ever known since she was born. She was an abandoned child raised by the nuns with the intention of making her one of them. Mère is unhinged and violent, and thinks nothing of throwing temper tantrums in chapel and even less of stabbing Avril. With the exception of Soeur Bernadette (Miou-Miou), a sympathetic sister, all the nuns are of pensionable age. While Avril is on retreat, locked in for a fortnight in a chapel prior to taking her vows, Soeur Bernadette discloses a secret to her: she has a twin brother and she encourages her to go looking for him.

She leaves the convent to find him and experiences secular life. Along her journey she meets people who open her eyes to the outside world. If that isn't enough, she falls in with Pierre (Nicolas Duvauchelle), a young traveling hardware merchant who accompanies her through most of her sabbatical and develops a crush on her. She finds her gay brother David (Clement Sibony) and his lover Jim (Richaud Valls) in the company of Pierre. The unlikely foursome form a tight bond during a vacation by the beach in a holiday atmosphere. Avril gradually discovers her body and ends up bathing in the nude, but vulgarity is never on the agenda. Pierre and Avril meet and mix with gays, but nothing "dirty" is ever shown.

This is a very good-natured charming film about a nun who escapes from her convent to spend a weekend by the sea with her long-lost brother, his boyfriend, and a handsome man she meets along the way. One of the themes is of a young nun awakening to secular life, which could have meant some smutty details, but this never happens. There are surprises throughout the story and we never know in advance where the skilfully devised plot is going. The characters are three-dimensional, and the beautiful Normandy locations serve as a perfect backdrop to the sweet narrative. Dialogue is natural, unrushed, unpretentious, and the lead character grows before you over a 2 week period in a completely believable way. The DVD includes a "making-of", plus two short films, including one that is not on the French DVD. Gérald Hustache-Mathieu wrote the screenplay and directed. In French with English subtitles.

Day Zero (2007)

Set in the near future where a state of global terrorism has forced the military to reinstate the draft, three young friends have just received their induction notices and have 30 days to report for duty. They must battle their political views before making a decision that will change their lives forever. Aaron Feller (Elijah Wood), George Rifkin (Chris Klein), and James Dixon (Jon Bernthal) learn what it means to "serve with honor".

Wimpy novelist Aaron prepares for the life of a soldier with the help of a Bowflex machine and therapist Dr. Reynolds (Ally Sheedy). Corporate attorney George (Chris Klein) wishes to stay with his wife Molly (Ginnifer Goodwin), a recent cancer survivor, rather than fight in a war that he believes is wrong. He has decided not to go, but avoiding service is not easy. Streetwise cabdriver James (Jon Bernthal) is the most fearless and free of doubt, raring to fight for freedom, but he falls in love with sociology student Patricia (Elisabeth Moss), and suddenly issues that always seemed black-and-white to him are not so simple. As reporting day, or day zero, draws nearer the three friends fight, fall out, come together, and comfort each other.

The movie takes place over 30 days and during that time, these young men and their loved ones experience a wide range of emotions, and each struggles to come to terms with the blow they've been dealt. Aaron makes a list of things he wants to do before he dies. George thinks of various excuses: cutting off his fingers with a meat cleaver, pulling favors with a family friend, and fabricating a gay lifestyle. He freaks out during a head-scratching trip to a gay bar because the Gays are all exempt from service, "just for having a sausage party!" He fights and gets pummeled. Aaron asks him, "What's a sausage party?" James ruminates in private.

In the final scenes the movie opens up, dropping the characters into what appears to be an actual anti-war protest in New York. Aaron goes to a roof, runs to the edge and leaps to his death. George and James meet at Penn Station. We never learn if they have come for induction or to say goodbye to each other. Neither knows that Aaron is dead. The unsatisfying conclusion is wrenching and shocking, and illustrates the real-life impact of the draft.

"Day Zero" is an intriguing concept with a message, but it's stuck in a film that rarely digs deep, and never quite hits the mark. It slowly gains a foothold as it moves along. The formula driven characters enjoy a bit more development, and the plot takes some simple turns from our expectations. It's somewhat melodramatic, too generic, serious, slow, shallow, but compelling and entertaining. There are some funny scenes mixed with emotional scenes. It is not a political film and relies too much on the audience being American, with the feelings that come with drafts, wars, and duty to country. Many viewers love it and it has great cinematography with a strong soundtrack. Erin O'Hara composed the original music. Robert Malkani and Tom Touchet wrote the screenplay, and Bryan Gunnar Cole directed. Cole said: "I think part of the fun of doing a film like "Day Zero" is that you get to stir the pot a bit. I don’t think it's a film that has a big red bow on it and comes neatly packaged and is digestible as the feel-good war movie of the year. I think that it’s got some heart, it takes you on an emotional journey...some people are going to love it, some people are going to hate it."

Férfiakt (2006)

Tibor (László Gálffi) is a frustrated middle-aged writer who leaves his actress wife (Éva Kerekes) for 19 year-old androgynous male prostitute Zsolt (Dávid Szabó). They meet one evening in a large library in Budapest, and Zsolt says he is Ukrainian and his parents died at Chernobyl. Inspiration finally comes to the older writer, but so do danger and despair as the boy skillfully insinuates his way into the writer's home and heart. His new life begins to unravel in sad and unexpected ways in this unusual character study. The relationship leaves him feeling heady with lust and his creativity re-awakens, but threatens to destroy his life.

Thomas Mann's "Death in Venice" is the prototype for this affair between Tibor and the beautiful boy from another world who becomes a muse for the artist. Tastes in music, literature, and food remind us that age is not the only thing that separates the two lovers. Zsolt, it turns out, is also interested in girls, and will jump anything that moves: teenagers, johns, and even Tibor's wife. His friends are petty criminals, thieves, and blackmailers. Yet he is also seductive and very good at telling lies to the writer, who is inspired to restart his career. The author continues to pursue the relationship even after Zsolt becomes contemptuous of their affair. Tibor eventually confronts the reality of his own failed marriage and of Zsolt's criminality and unavailability.

Filmed in the streets of Budapest, "Férfiakt" is about the fate of two men in worlds and ages that separates them. It's a dark, sexy, and provocative drama, a curiosity with a somewhat incoherent scenario. There is some "nudity", consisting of a few bare torsos and buttocks. The soundtrack is classical music (Schubert, Malher, Verdi) embellished with rock. Károly Esztergályos wrote the screenplay and directed. In Hungarian with English subtitles. The English title is "Men in the Nude".

Save Me (2007)

Mark (Chad Allen) is a troubled man taking refuge in drugs, alcohol, and frequent gay sex with prostitutes. He feels his life is going down the drain, and at the end of a very rough night he attempts to commit suicide. When he wakes up in the hospital, Mark's older brother (Paul Scallan) tells him he is no longer welcome at home. His homosexual "lifestyle choices" have broken the heart of Mark's mother, and he will not be welcome until he decides to "get straight." At this point, Mark is checked into The Genesis House, a Christian organization dedicated to turning gay men into ex-gays.

The Genesis House is run by middle-aged married couple Gayle (Judith Light) and Ted (Stephen Lang). They attempt to welcome Mark, but Mark is suspicious. He says he is going to run away. "You're free to do so. We don't lock our doors here," they reply. Mark suspects that they will attempt to brainwash him. "We only want to help you overcome these problems through the love of Jesus Christ," they say. After a while, Mark slowly agrees to go with the program, and is surprised when he begins to feel like he is being "cured." However, are the positive vibes coming from the feel-good program he's participating in, or from his increasingly comfortable relationship with friendly Genesis House resident Scott (Robert Gant)? The next thing you know Mark and hunky Scott are enjoying cigarettes and gay sex.

"Save Me" establishes an agenda from the beginning, crosscutting between a day in the life of Mark and a group of Christians at Genesis House. The performances are all strong. Chad Allen is natural and convincing, Robert Gant has considerable charisma, Judith Light turns a potentially one-dimensional character into a real human being, and Stephen Lang steals every scene he is in. But the biggest stars are the ideas, which dominate the film in a powerful way and overwhelm the technical aspects. The film premiered at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival and was later picked up for distribution by independent studio Fine Line Features. It screened at over 6 film festivals and has drawn positive reviews from Entertainment Weekly, Variety, Time Out London and other publications. The DVD is available with two different covers. One features Allen holding a crucifix to his head as if it were a gun, and the second shows Allen wearing a shirt and tie with a heavenly light shining on his face. Jeff Cardoni composed the music. Robert Desiderio wrote the screenplay from a story by Craig Chester and Alan Hines. Robert Cary directed.

รักแห่งสยาม (2007)

"Rak Haeng Siam" centers around two boys and their families who live as neighbours in one of the suburbs of Bangkok. We meet them the first time when they're about 12 years old. Mew (Artit Niyomkul) is a stubborn kid who lives with his ailing grandmother (Pimpan Buranapim) and is a bit of a loner. Tong (Jirayu La-ongmanee) is an energetic boy who lives with his parents and sister. After accidentally spitting gum into Mew's hair, Tong wants to befriend Mew but is rejected. At school Mew is cornered by several other students who harass him until Tong comes to his defense. Tong was injured and apoligizes to Mew for the chewing gum incident. The two become good friends. Mew plays on his grandfather's (Surapol Chonwilai) piano and is joined by his grandmother. Mew asks her why she likes a certain song and she says his grandfather expressed his love for her with it and one day Mew will be able to do the same for the person he loves.

Tong's family goes to Chiangmai in the north of the country and returns without Tong's sister Tang (Laila Boonyasak), since she wants to stay with her friends a few days more. Tang calls her parents and tells them that she will extend her stay at Chiangmai until the 24th of December. Tong realizes that Tang will not be able to attend the Christmas play he is in. After the play, Tong receives a phone call from his parents telling him to stay with Mew and his grandmother. After spending the night at Mew's house, Tong awakens to see his parents along with Mew and his grandmother. His parents are going to Chiangmai to look for Tang who is missing on a trekking tour in the jungles around Chiangmai. Tong is depressed until his parents come back, only to learn that Tang may be lost. He is devastated and cries in front of Mew, who comforts his friend.

Months pass and Tong's family decides to move. On the day of the move, Tong finds Mew sitting on a ledge overlooking a pier. Tong says his final words and departs in a car, looking back to see Mew walking towards the car before coming to a stop and crying about losing his best friend.

Six years pass. The boys are reunited during their senior year of high school at Siam Square. The musically talented Mew (Witwisit Hiranyawongkul) is the leader of a boy band called August. Tong (Mario Maurer) has a pretty girlfriend, Donut (Aticha Pongsilpipat). The meeting stirs up old feelings of love for Tong. Mew's band has a new manager, June (Laila Boonyasak), who looks just like Tong's long-lost sister. After meeting June, Tong and his mother Sunee (Sinjai Plengpanit) devise a plan to pay June to pretend she is Tang, in hopes that it will pull Tong's father out of his alcoholic depression. Tang borrows a story from the Thai film "Ruk Jung", saying she has amnesia, which is why she has forgotten how to say her family's Catholic grace at the dinner table.

Mew is also the object of an unrequited crush of a neighbor girl, Ying (Kanya Rattapetch). But Mew has strong feelings for Tong, which has inspired him to write new songs. The manager as well as the entire band are impressed with Mew's compositions. The boys share a prolonged kiss in Tong's backyard one night after a party in honor of the return of Tang. Prior to that Tong also spends the night with Mew, which causes his mother to worry.

At Christmas time, as Tong and his mother are decorating a Christmas tree, they have a heart-to-heart talk about making choices, and Tong asks his mother to let him make his own choices. Tong then goes to Siam Square for a date with Donut. Mew's band is playing nearby, so Tong abandons Donut and tells her he cannot be with her. He rushes to see Mew play and is guided there by Ying, who has accepted the fact that Mew loves Tong. After the performance, Tong gives Mew a gift, a missing nose from a wooden doll that Tong gave him when they were children. However, Tong tells Mew he cannot be his boyfriend but that doesn't mean he doesn't love him. Mew puts the missing nose back on the wooden puppet, says "thank you" and quietly cries. The ending is ambiguous and begs for a sequel.

This movie is a sincere and convincing story about family ties and different kinds of love. It could have been a TV soap opera because it has several parallel subplots with weird twists. The performances of most actors, especially the pair in love, is realistic, balanced, and not melodramatic. When the film was shown on Thai TV the pivotal scene with the two boys kissing was omitted. Director Chookiat Sakveerakul admitted the film was marketed as a straight romance because he wanted it to reach a wider audience. "The movie is not all about gay characters, we are not focusing on gay issues, we are not saying, "let's come out of the closet", so obviously, we don't want the movie to have a gay label," he said in an interview. He may have been right in his tactics: by tricking the audiences he made them watch a different reality which isn't that different from their own.

"Rak Haeng Siam" was received with critical acclaim upon its release. Bangkok Post film critic Kong Rithdee called the film "groundbreaking", in terms of being the first Thai film "to discuss teenagers' sexuality with frankness". Nattakorn Devakula wrote, "The point that the film attempts to teach viewers--and a largely conservative Thai society--is that love is an evolved form of emotional attachment that transcends sexual attraction of the physical form." However, Gregoire Glachant of BK magazine wrote "The Love of Siam isn't a very well shot movie. Chookiat's camera only records his dull play with equally dull angles and light as it wanders from homes to schools, to recording studio, and to Siam Square without sense of purpose or directions." Kitti Kuremanee composed the music, and Chukiat Sakveerakul wrote the screenplay and directed. In Thai with English subtitles. The English titles are "Rak Haeng Siam" and "The Love of Siam".

Boys Briefs 5: Schoolboys (2008)

The fifth installment of the successful "Boys Briefs" series takes us in search of the best gay shorts in the world. 19 year-old Oscar Peralta, with his handsome good looks and charming personality introduces the six short films included in the collection.

First is "Kali Ma" a 14 minute film from India directed by Soman Chainani. A suburban food-loving Indian mom (Kamini Khanna) finds out her gay son Santosh (Manish Dayal) is the victim of a vicious bully and delivers her own brand of vigilante justice. Seeing him in anguish, she wants her son to be happy, regardless of what it will take. Her son is humiliated when he lusts for high school jock Peter (Brendan Bradley), and she heads to his house for a confrontation. This entry attempts to blend comedy and violence, but it's not funny, and any attempt at serious commentary is discarded in favor of cartoonish antics. The fight is too mean spirited to be silly, but too silly to be believable, and the ending is out of place. It doesn't make sense regardless of how you view its tone. However, "Kali Ma" has won awards and many viewers love it.

Second is "Flatmates" a 21 minute film from Norway directed by Magnus Mork. A young gay man is in love with his straight but playfully homoerotic roommate. It's obvious that the relationship between Bjorn (Sven Borang) and Hampus (Jonas Eskilsson) is unique. The two close friends move into an apartment together, and are comfortable with each other. That makes it increasingly hard for gay Bjorn to keep his crush under control, especially when straight Hampus has his girlfriend (Emilie Lidgard) over. One night he makes a move that is bound to have a serious effect on their relationship. This is a simple story about being in love with your best friend and about the dividing line between tenderness and abuse. It features natural performances and unforced developments, leading to a powerful end that isn't phony. Cinematically, "Flatmates" is dark and full of grain. It swept the 2007 Oslo Gay and Lesbian Film Festival, winning the Audience Award and the Jury Award for Best Short Film.

Third is "Secrets" from the USA directed by Jeff Warden. With a runtime of 15 minutes this brave and bold short shows us one night, five teens, a deck of cards, a secret gay crush, and a belt. Five friends--two girls and three guys--spend a parent-free night partying with booze, lollipops and a deck of cards that decides which duo gets some alone time. This is the most colorful, flashy entry here, and it sometimes feels like a music video. The performances feel genuine and real, which might scare a lot of viewers because some of the "games" the kids play behind closed doors get a little out of hand--such as exploring erotic asphyxiation. Danielle (Lindsay Gareth) is the troublemaker with a crush on Mike (Bryan Endress-Fox, now Ber Fox), but when she gets the sense he has the hots for Tony (Casey Graf), the night takes an unexpected turn. While the scary sexual games may make some of the characters less believable, the climax is played with such honesty you can't help love it. "Secrets" suffers from color imbalance.

Next is "Yeah No Definitely" a 14 minute short from the USA directed by Dave Snyder. Cam (Vincent Piazza) and Kiff (Alan Barnes Netherton) are two college students in an intense platonic relationship. While Cam is expert at suppressing his emotions, something is eating away at him. Denial proves deadly in this humorous and heartbreaking film about what happens when grief and passion collide. "It's a statement of pure equivocation," says director Dave Snyder in the bonus features. "Most of us speak like stammering teenagers, unafraid to say what we really feel." This entry follows Cam and Kiff as they hit the road for a house party. Snyder notes that he let the two leads improvise, and the interplay between them goes a long way in selling the material. The two leads are outstanding--they look and act like close friends, giving weight to the story. As the two settle into the night, we learn more about Cam's past--and get a window into his feelings. While the ending may not please a lot of viewers, it's refreshing that it doesn't play to our expectations. The film leaves you thinking, and--along with "Flatmates"--is the most realistic story in the collection.

"You, Me and Him" is an 18 minute film from Brazil directed by Daniel Riberio. This entry starts with lovers Danilio (Daniel Tavares) and Marcos (Diego Torraca) smiling in bed as they discuss their upcoming anniversary. Danilio plans to finally move out of his parents' home and into an apartment with his lover, with a honeymoon to follow. But when Danilio's parents are killed in an accident, he's suddenly forced into a new role with 10-year-old brother Lucas (Eduardo Melo). Now Danilo's biggest concerns are making sure a little boy gets to school on time and drinks enough milk. A touching story about love and responsibility, this story has the most potential as a feature-length film. The script is surprisingly mature and complex with such a short runtime, and all three actors turn in great performances. A scene between Lucas and Marcos is one of the most moving in the entire collection.

Last is "Benny's Gym" a 25 minute film from Norway directed by Lisa Marie Gamlem. A pair of young boys grow up fast in this very good film. Mild-mannered artist Alfred (Atdhe Belegu) is the frequent target of school bullies, including Benny (Kim Erik Tena Eriksen), who wants a tattoo. Alfred draws one on Benny's arm in secret, and this is the beginning of an eventually warm relationship between the boys, a relationship that must be kept secret, much to the dismay of emotional Alfred. If you can forget the sexual overtones of the other five shorts here and look at this as a tale of friendship, your discomfort will go away. A few of the developments are hard to take, and the story becomes more about co-dependency and violence. Although this is a memorable watch in a gut-punch sort of way, this last entry feels a little out of place with the rest, primarily because the two leads are a lot younger.

Most of the shorts revolve around the budding sexual attractions of young gay men, with similar structures leading to hopeful or heartbreaking conclusions. Nothing is unwatchable, but nothing really impresses. The total runtime is 109 minutes with a soundtrack in English, Hindi, Norwegian, and Portuguese. Subtitles are in English and Spanish.

Avant que j'oublie (2007)

58 year-old Pierre (Jacques Nolot) is a former hustler and lonely prisoner of his past. The film opens with a black circle as a dot on a white screen. Slowly the circle enlarges until it fills the entire screen, making the viewer see the kind of oblivion which Pierre is facing. Living off money provided by former wealthy lovers, he stays in his apartment, waits for inspiration, but can't write his next book. He resorts to prostitutes for sex and discusses at length the price of their services with his friends. Pierre reminisces about his youth, beauty and time as a gigolo. "I've stopped doing things,” he says, "I sublimate." Pierre is HIV-positive and has been taking medication for years. He is weary but begins a new therapy. Slowly he pulls himself together and finds renewed inspiration with psychiatrist Dr. Manosky's (David Kessler) help. Pierre spends his days meeting old gigolo friends, going to his psychiatrist, trying to write, hiring young hustlers, and watching life pass by at his local bistro over a beer and a sandwich.

Conversations with his friends are devoid of any passion or interest in what the others have to say. Everything seems to circle around the prices of rentboys and how poorly they are paid. There is no compassion or empathy in these conversations, so the only people who can tolerate Pierre’s complaining are his psychotherapist and the hustlers who treat it as a duty to listen to him. Pierre sometimes talks of suicide but listeners think he just wants attention. Death has never really been absent in Pierre’s mind. At the age of 25 he decided not to make any investments since he didn’t expect to live much longer. For the past 24 years Pierre has had his HIV-positive status hanging over him.

At the age of 25 former society gigolo Tountoune (Albert Mainella) became his lover and benefactor. Although they never lived under the same roof, they were together for almost 35 years. Tountoune had willed his entire fortune to Pierre but his will was never registered with a lawyer, so when Tountoune suddenly died on the day they were supposed to meet for lunch, Pierre was left with only two life insurances in his name. Pierre feels cheated out of his old lover’s inheritance, but the whole ordeal only seems to motivate him to put more effort into writing.

Pierre's inability to concentrate in order to read seems to be the same force that makes him write: his fear of the oblivion, the black circle which threatens to devour him before it’s too late to leave a footprint in the world of the living. Despite his talk of suicide he doesn’t really want to go yet. Although he claims that nothing interests him anymore, he resists a new HIV treatment since it may have side effects--loss of hair and looks. He still dresses elegantly and rarely lets his guard down in front of others. His obvious vanity at age 58 suggests he is still the same proud person behind his fatalistic façade. The final scene of the film, powerfully supported by Mahler’s music, shows his defiance of the oblivion he’s inevitably facing with all the dignity you can expect from an old unbroken gigolo.

This memoir told in the present tense is an appraisal of the indignities faced by a near-death homosexual with no money, mostly dead friends and only bitchy acquaintances to lend any comfort. Sex is paid for or stolen from delivery boys, prostates flare up, work dries up, HIV medication runs out, and the hot young gays look at him with pity. The film is a somber, intimate, authentic, profound, stylish, and existential rumination on homosexuality, aging, desire and death. This is the final installment of director Jacques Nolot’s trilogy about gay life in Paris, and he stars as the melancholy Pierre. He also wrote the screenplay. In French with English subtitles. The English title is "Before I Forget".