The first season concluded on a cliffhanger involving a drowning during a storm; while I suspected it was Kyle, it was actually Andre, the fisherman boyfriend, who went under. Given the quality of that initial run, I was surprised the creators produced a second season. This installment is slightly better, primarily because it attempts to tell a story, even if the execution is lacking. With 13 episodes lasting only about sixteen minutes each, the series moves quickly, and you'll find yourself finished before you realize it.A doctor living a solitary life in the mountains discovers Andre one year after his drowning and nurses him back to health. As Andre recovers, he has no memory of his identity or origins, and the pair gradually falls in love. Meanwhile, back home, Kyle is managing the business and still mourning Andre, fueled by a gut feeling that Andre might still be alive. Kyle's trans friend is currently in a relationship with a local fisherman, though they are considering a breakup due to their rocky dynamic. Once news spreads that someone matching Andre's description was seen in the mountains, Kyle, the trans friend, and her boyfriend set out to locate him. During the journey, the boyfriend flirts with a local, which effectively ends their relationship. Upon finally tracking Andre down, he has no recollection of Kyle and refuses to go with him, forcing Kyle to watch the man he loves fall for someone else. Despite every effort to convince him to return, nothing works. The situation complicates when it is revealed that the doctor…
Picking up immediately after the season two cliffhanger, Season three finds Danny and his newly estranged ex Matty both diving back into the New York City dating scene. The structure remains consistent: six episodes, each running about twenty five minutes. While the honest observations regarding middle aged gay life in NYC remain impactful, the sharp, witty energy that defined the first two seasons feels somewhat muted this time around. Instead, the focus shifts toward Danny and Matt navigating their personal issues and determining if there is anything left worth saving. There is also a real sense that the show might be reaching its conclusion.Alongside Danny, Matt now gets his own moments speaking directly to camera, marking the biggest shift this season. Following the Season two finale where Matt asked Danny to be his boyfriend and was rejected, both men are now navigating a sense of bitterness. Danny attempts a relationship with someone into polyamory, but it fails to work out. Meanwhile, Matt continues to date, yet he repeatedly hits the same wall: no one can replicate the effortless chemistry and fun role play he shared with Danny, a realization that begins to mess with his head and impact his sex life. Several episodes track both men through the messy, strange situations inherent in dating. In one instance, Danny is tricked by a man into filming their sex, which is then uploaded to a gay porn site that Matt happens to discover, leading him to tell Danny to have it removed. The show also features a funny episode where both men…
It feels like just another day with another vertical BL. I am beginning to wonder if these shows are even distinct, or if we are just seeing the same recycled tropes—the same debt, the same rich guy/poor guy dynamic, and the same constant angst—over and over. Occasionally, a title appears to break the pattern, only to vanish back into the mass of mediocrity, and this one follows that exact trend. Boxing rivals Shane and Roman find themselves at odds when Roman's father's female enforcer threatens Shane, demanding he throw a match or face his coach's death. Shane refuses to comply and defeats Roman instead. Upon discovering her scheme, Roman fires her immediately, apologizes to Shane, and settles Shane's debt. However, Shane refuses to accept the gesture, believing Roman was complicit from the beginning. To bridge the gap, Roman hires Shane to serve as his personal assistant and coach. While Roman's feelings for Shane are evident early on, Shane eventually begins to reciprocate as they spend more time together. Just as their romance intensifies, Roman's mafia father attempts to drive Shane away using both money and intimidation, but Roman is too committed to Shane to be swayed. Predictably, the disgraced enforcer returns to kidnap Shane's coach. Shane agrees to a rescue mission on the condition that he never sees Roman again. This leads to a climactic showdown where both men's lives are endangered, though Shane ultimately saves Roman. This act finally convinces the father that Shane's intentions were rooted in love rather than greed. The influence of Heated Rivalry is unmistakable…
I had been hearing buzz about this movie for some time. Word was that several film festivals rejected it because it pushes the limits of queer storytelling so aggressively. Set during a single, alcohol-fueled night in Los Angeles, the plot follows an internet sex worker and his former middle school teacher—a convicted sex offender. The narrative dives immediately into taboo subjects, trauma, and unresolved abuse. Having watched it now, I understand the festivals' hesitation. A central theme permeates the film: the notion that the outward desire to be loved and the desire to be wanted can appear nearly identical, even when they are fundamentally different. Aaron Eagle makes a living as a fetish cam performer, finding gratification in humiliating his audience by hurling slurs like faggot at them; evidently, there is a market for such behavior. When a stranger offers him fifty grand to spend a night together, Aaron accepts without hesitation and arrives at the man's residence. Wearing a balaclava to conceal his identity, the stranger intends to record their entire conversation, peppering Aaron with questions to peel back the persona and find the real man. It becomes apparent quite early that Aaron is not being entirely truthful. Once the mask is removed, the man is revealed to be Hank, a man convicted and fired for the sexual abuse of a student, essentially a pedophile. As they discuss their histories, Hank eventually confesses the details of what happened with that student to Aaron. Aaron, in turn, shares stories of his childhood and the path that led to his current…
I keep spotting a trend where several gay porn performers are attempting to transition into reality TV. Having seen a few of these programs now, I have to give credit where it is due: these men are definitely pushing themselves outside their comfort zones. However, whether the shows themselves are actually any good is an entirely different matter. OutTV is a pioneer in this niche, and my immediate takeaway from this particular series is how heavily scripted it feels. It is impossible to view this as true reality, a fact that becomes painfully apparent the moment the police arrive to arrest a cast member. It is clear the producers will do anything to provoke a reaction from the audience. Even so, I am sure there is an audience that enjoys this style, and I shouldn't judge it outright just because it isn't my cup of tea. The series consists of six episodes, each lasting about twenty minutes. Set in Miami, the show follows Boomer Banks as he attempts to organize a residency—a term he repeats roughly twice per episode to ensure no one forgets—at a gay hotel where he will DJ and produce a show. He enlists his friends Max Konnor and Joey Mills, who have apparently collaborated on previous projects. While Boomer is mostly preoccupied with throwing a fantastic party, he can't help but instigate drama; to that end, he secretly brings in a fourth man, Drake Von, an up-and-coming twink clearly intended to clash with the more established Joey Mills. As various other characters drift in and out,…
Stumbling into this tragicomedy was an unexpected delight, offering a compelling look at a man spiraling through a messy breakup and a toxic situationship. While the narrative itself might not break new ground, the execution feels remarkably fresh and the overall approach is distinctive. It provides an unfiltered, honest examination of body image, queer dating, and the unending battle with self-worth. Thanks to energetic, rapid editing and a voiceover paired with a nonlinear structure, the storytelling really succeeds. Ultimately, the film suggests that moving forward sometimes requires looking back first. The story begins with Benji being dumped by his boyfriend. He enters a heavy spiral of rejection, drinking daily while his mother becomes increasingly concerned. He eventually understands that revisiting his past is the only way to move forward. Benji has realized he is submissive and gravitates toward dominant, somewhat rough men in bed, yet he still craves someone who will hold his hand and comfort him afterward. We flash back eighteen months to an airport where he meets Jake, an incredibly attractive man, as they both head to Amsterdam for the weekend. Jake establishes immediately that he is straight. Despite this, the two click instantly; Jake brings a girl back with them and later sleeps with Benji as well. They form an arrangement to meet in Amsterdam every month, with Jake paying for everything. Even though the sex is great, Jake insists on his straightness throughout. This arrangement eventually collapses because Benji wants more than just a physical connection, and Jake makes it clear that will never happen. Jake…
This vertical drama leans heavily into every available gay vertical BL stereotype, bundling them all together for the viewer. Between the standard friends-to-lovers trope, the unhinged girlfriend of the supposedly straight lead, and an abundance of family drama, the formula is well-worn. While the typical mafia subplot is absent this time, you know exactly what kind of experience you are getting. The story centers on Cal and Ricky. As the wrestling team captain, Ricky makes a habit of constantly bullying Cal and hurling gay slurs at him at every opportunity. Because Cal's father is the wrestling coach, Cal lives in a state of genuine terror regarding him. Following a bullying incident that crosses a line, the coach mandates that Ricky begin training Cal personally. Ricky agrees to this arrangement because wrestling is vital to him; his home life is difficult, money is scarce, and his mother is physically abusive. What begins as a period of hostility and humiliation gradually evolves into a confusing tension, as their physical training blurs the boundary between rivalry and attraction. While Cal focuses on proving his worth in the ring, Ricky struggles to process emerging feelings. As the tournament approaches, both men face intense pressure, jealousy, and external expectations. When Ricky's girlfriend catches them kissing, she follows through on her threat to expose them. Cal fears his father's reaction, but in a surprising twist, his dad proves to be completely supportive. Following further drama, Ricky's mom eventually comes around, allowing the two of them to finally be together. Predictably, putting a bully and his victim…
At its heart, this film is a moving story of identity, courage, and inner freedom, focusing on an intersex person's struggle to understand their true self. The decision to cast an actual intersex actor for the lead role deserves applause. This appears to be a remake of a classic film of same name released in 1972; however, because I haven't seen that version, I lack a point of comparison, which works in my favor. The story takes place in Spain and follows Adela, a woman in her twenties who is the only child of a conservative couple in a small provincial town. Most of her time is spent working in the family antique shop, living a life defined by her mother's total silence regarding Adela's intersex condition—a condition that has caused her significant social discrimination—and her mother's overprotectiveness. Adela finds small, strange pockets of normalcy despite these restrictions, finding her only real outlet for free conversation in a gay priest. This quiet existence is disrupted by the arrival of two new people. A male friend returns from London and shares a kiss with her, and around that same time, a lively lesbian physiotherapist enters her life. For the first time, Adela feels like herself and experiences true freedom while around the physiotherapist. Yet, she remains caught in a struggle over her own sexual and gender identity. Seeing the physiotherapist kiss another woman is a devastating blow. The situation reaches a breaking point when Adela learns the truth about her intersex condition: her parents had her undeveloped testicles removed without her…
The plot of this indie art film centers on a young gay man navigating a series of sexual encounters throughout Hong Kong. Rather than focusing on the sex, the interest lies in the surrounding context: the long, wandering dialogues between him and his partners that range from occasionally clichéd to quite profound, touching on life and their place in the world. Much like the protagonist, most of the men he encounters are transplants in the sprawling city, finding one another through a mobile app. With very little plot beyond this, it feels as though the director is utilizing a single man's hookup cycle as a lens to examine intimacy and isolation within this fragmented community of men. The protagonist is a gay, single man in his twenties who feels restless regarding his life's direction and is in a near-constant state of arousal. The film follows his journey from one encounter to the next, ensuring each feels unique. Interestingly, he seems to reinvent himself with every new partner, adopting traits from his recent lovers to craft the persona he presents to the next person. His journey includes an Iranian biologist, an architect whose boyfriend is a kink-oriented flight attendant, a Thai bartender working sex work to avoid returning home, a brief encounter with a delivery guy, and time spent with an older man visibly paralyzed by the grief of losing a partner. He eventually reunites with the aforementioned flight attendant and concludes with a Black dancer. Regardless of the partner, the dialogue consistently returns to themes of ambition, loss, and the…
Developed alongside Thailand's Ministry of Culture, this series focuses on Khon, a traditional Thai dance form based on a classic epic and listed by UNESCO as intangible cultural heritage. While the show avoids deep dives into the technicalities of the dance, it succeeds in beautifully intertwining past and present timelines. By utilizing the same cast for both eras, it demonstrates the enduring significance of Khon throughout history. The series consists of eight episodes, each running approximately twenty five minutes. In the past timeline, the narrative revolves around a noble family where two brothers are trained in Khon, alongside a commoner who is a classmate of the elder brother. However, the dance takes a secondary role to the plot as the elder brother falls for a female servant, while the younger brother develops a bond with the commoner boy. Both men realize that their struggle stems not only from being two men in love but also from the obstacles created by the class divide. Adding to the tension is a jealous classmate attempting to separate them, alongside typical family turmoil; the eldest brother is eventually banished, and the younger brother faces a forced marriage to a woman once his relationship with the commoner is revealed. Ultimately, everything reaches a peaceful resolution. Meanwhile, the present-day story follows Sandy and Lucky, two students with a shared passion for Khon but conflicting views on its execution: one demands strict adherence to tradition, while the other wants to modernize it for a younger generation. After a filmed argument between them goes viral, they are compelled…
Mixing medical drama with emotional turmoil, Hard Shift is a fast paced vertical mini-series available on the NetShort app. The story follows a composed urologist whose calm demeanor unravels the second a rebellious race car driver enters his clinic. What follows is a tug-of-war between personal desire and professional reason. While the setting is fresh, the tropes remain the same, fitting perfectly into the vertical BL world you are already familiar with. The plot centers on Liam Summers, a famous race car driver and wealthy heir, who visits Dr Jasper's urology clinic to address erection problems. Jasper finds himself immediately attracted to him; during the examination, he suggests the issue could stem from racing stress or perhaps the possibility that Liam is actually into men rather than women. To test this, Liam tries gay porn, but since it doesn't work for him, he downloads an app to meet a man. Through a very convenient twist, Dr Jasper is staying at the same hotel where Liam's hookup is supposed to be, leading the two to spend the night together instead. This encounter upsets the man Liam was originally meant to meet, who begins pursuing both Liam and Jasper in increasingly weird ways. Meanwhile, Liam's girlfriend continues to push for marriage, throwing herself at him constantly. Amidst this confusion regarding his own sexuality, Liam finds Dr Jasper pushing past medical ethics until the two eventually become a couple. The relationship faces opposition from Liam's father, who refuses to accept them. In an attempt to destroy Dr Jasper's reputation, the rejected hookup and…
Rather than your standard BL, this is a grounded, mature story centered on two men finding connection through everyday conversations and quiet moments; it is slice of life rather than melodrama. The series explores the heavy social pressures and expectations of adult life in Japan. I had high expectations for this one, and it succeeds in meeting them. My only real gripe was that the transitions between episodes felt a bit clunky, though that may be a personal preference. The series consists of 10 episodes, with each running approximately 25 minutes. The plot centers on two men in their forties, former colleagues who lost contact only to reunite years later in an unexpected fashion. Azuma, a former medical representative who had mentally checked out of his job, eventually quit without any new plans. He moves in with his sister and her young nephew while her husband is away. Although a regular at a gay bar, Azuma is not out to anyone. One night, after a man at the bar begins taking advantage of his intoxication, Kuji—a colleague from eight years prior—steps in to help. Azuma instantly recalls that they had a one-night stand just before Kuji left the company, after which Kuji vanished. Having followed his father's path, Kuji is now a translator specializing in medical publications and highly precise Japanese terminology. Upon learning Azuma is unemployed, Kuji provides him with freelance translation tasks and lets him help out around the house. As they spend time together, old feelings resurface; Azuma becomes somewhat flirty, yet neither man labels their relationship.…
