Using oral histories, this documentary explores a very particular chapter of New York gay life in America. In 2014, a box packed with hundreds of letters was discovered in an LA storage unit. The letters, dating back to the 1950s, were addressed to a young man named Reno Martin, who would later become Hollywood agent Ed Limato. After Martin left home to pursue a career in radio, his closest gay and queer friends continued writing to him simply to keep in contact. Each letter is signed under a fake name and closes with a request to burn it once it's been read, which says everything about a time when being gay—or appearing in drag—could land you in jail. The filmmakers managed to find the surviving writers, now in their eighties and nineties, turning what could have been dry historical research into something deeply personal and intimate. The filmmakers tracked down the original letter writers, several of whom are still alive, and had them speak openly about what it meant to live on the margins in those days. They've also assembled amazing archival photos and footage, bringing back the drag pageants and smoke-filled backrooms that once acted as a home base for the LGBTQ community, all under the constant weight of fear and oppression. At the time, you could legally be fired, beaten up, or worse simply for being gay. Closeted people who wrote love letters or anything that exposed their sexuality would nearly always tell the recipient to destroy them afterward, terrified they could end up in the wrong hands.…
How can there be such a dearth of stories that these vertical filmmakers keep recycling the same 5-6 story permutations and combinations, just mixing and matching them? It’s like some old fantasies are being brought to life in these formats. I’m really starting to lose it completely. Then you read all these random, glowing, made-up reviews online and wonder whether people are even watching the same thing I am.Liam and Noah are stepbrothers, though not many people know it. Noah’s girlfriend actually likes Liam and tries to seduce him. Meanwhile, Liam has secretly been crushing on his stepbrother Noah. Since Liam can’t have Noah, he suggests that maybe the girl should ask Noah for a threesome. That’s when a drunk Noah shows up, against his better judgment, and the two finally kiss. Noah is now confused too—whether he is gay and how he can be attracted to his stepbrother. The story moves slowly, with the two men gradually realizing each other’s good points and falling in love. Of course, the evil girlfriend tries to ruin everything by exposing their secret and threatening to get them out of the hockey team, but her plans fall flat. In the end, they get love and acceptance from everyone.This BL was good for the emotional pull of showing Liam always wanting Noah while Noah remains unsure about his feelings. There isn’t as much drama and evilness as you see in some of the other vertical gay shows. The two boys were quite good-looking, and Noah’s nerdy look was pretty hot. But Liam is the…
If you watched and loved Season 1 of Gaycation, Season 2 carries on from exactly where it left off, with that same mix of travel series and proper documentary that made the first season feel so real. Elliot Page and Ian Daniel return, this time heading to Ukraine, India, France, and the Deep South in the US. There’s also a special episode exploring what the Trump administration’s policies meant for LGBTQ+ people. The main run consists of four episodes, each around 45 minutes long, before the special brings it all to a close. Ukraine is their first destination, and they arrive in Kyiv shortly before the country’s second ever Pride march. The tension is palpable; Russian influence and the Orthodox Church seem to weigh on everything. They speak with activists who are truly putting their safety on the line simply to march through their own city, with riot police needed because counter protesters are nearby and prepared to turn violent. One of the most affecting moments comes when they meet a gay soldier who cannot come out to the people he serves beside, and it says a lot about how nationalism and war can make queerness feel like a betrayal. They also get a look at the underground rave scene, where music and dancing have quietly become resistance in their own right. In India, the series takes on a huge contradiction: a colonial-era law criminalising gay sex remains on the books, while the culture itself has a long history of hijra and third gender traditions. In Delhi and Mumbai, they…
I put this one off for ages, and honestly, I’m not even sure why. I’d somehow talked myself into thinking it probably wouldn’t connect with my LGBTQ world, but wow, was I wrong. This film totally blindsided me. It’s a smart dark comedy that manages to be properly funny and seriously heavy at exactly the same time, with surprises all the way through. Roman and Dennis are two young strangers who meet at a support group for people who have lost a twin. It’s such a specific, strange kind of grief that only someone who has lived through it could really start to understand. Roman is quiet and physically imposing, and his sudden flashes of rage feel even more disturbing because he is normally so still. Dennis is skinny, openly gay, and armed with sharp self deprecating humour that he uses as a shield. They could not be more different, yet tragedy brings them together, and their connection holds even after Dennis tells Roman he is gay, partly because Roman’s late brother was gay too. The two of them quietly start filling the space left by losing a sibling. Then, around 20 minutes in, the film rewinds and reveals something that changes absolutely everything. Dennis had met Rocky, Roman’s twin, slept with him once, and become completely obsessed. The day he turned up to surprise Rocky was the same day Rocky died in a car accident. Dennis, then, essentially made up a dead twin brother so he could get close to Roman through the support group. Even Dennis is not…
Released in 1988, this was apparently HBO's first-ever gay themed TV film. It was adapted from a play, and you can tell almost immediately, since nearly all of it unfolds in an apartment with two people talking through their grief and arguing over whether that grief belongs equally to both of them.The story begins after the death of a man named Colin. His ex-wife Marion, who spent more than a decade with him, and his lover Arthur, who stayed at his side during the brutal last months of his life with AIDS, meet in the loft they have each inherited half of under Colin's will and now have to sell. From there, the two sit with old resentments and fresh ones, orbiting each other, making confessions, and gradually trying to process a loss neither quite knows how to bear. Marion discloses that she has also been infected with the virus. Arthur, understandably, though also somewhat selfishly, wants to believe his grief is the more valid one. They're both shattered, and both need somewhere to direct the blame. Yet as more comes out and their defenses lower a little, the dynamic between them changes, and the tension slowly gives way to understanding and the start of a genuine friendship.What I appreciated was how little the film tries to make any of this big or dramatic. The characters respond as real people probably would: messily, inconsistently, and not always sympathetically. Both lead actors handle it well, and the writing captures how genuinely complicated relationships like these can be. Still, the constant back-and-forth…
This is a difficult one to pin down, and honestly, that's both its greatest ambition and its biggest flaw. It's a wildly eccentric psychosexual comedy attempting to invent an entirely new genre, and I truly can't think of anything else quite like it. But wanting to be audacious and successfully being audacious are two very different things, and for me, it simply didn't work. And just so expectations are clear, this isn't strictly a gay film. One of the two main characters is gay, and sexuality is definitely part of the discussion, but that's pretty much where the queer aspect ends.Joey and Craig are roommates, and their relationship is warm, though somewhat uneven. He covers the rent while she doesn't, so he can get away with things like making Joey sit in her darkened room when his Grindr date arrives because he's told the guy he lives by himself. The movie begins with Joey talking to her therapist and recounting this long, rambling tale about meeting someone named Brian, sleeping with him, and discovering that he's an alien. The monologue drags on forever, running through her entire messy past with Brian before finally explaining how Craig entered the story. When Brian turns up in their lives again and their apartment becomes more or less uninhabitable, they wind up spending a weekend at his house. Brian possesses this alien power where a simple touch can soothe and subdue anyone he encounters, and naturally, both Joey and Craig are pulled toward him in ways they can't fully control. Joey has tentacle sex…
At its core, this documentary is about the American religious right's aggressive opposition to the LGBTQ community and the harm that causes families caught between their faith and the love they feel for their own children. The film takes a gentle, patient approach, clearly hoping to convince people with conservative religious beliefs that there is no reason to be fighting the LGBTQ community. It keeps its attention on parents: how they responded when their children came out, what the families endured, and how they eventually reached a point where they could offer support.The film begins with the Supreme Court's legalization of gay marriage and the backlash that followed across much of the country, though that is not really its central concern. Its real focus is four families. The first is an evangelical family in Washington state whose entire world is shaken when one of their sons comes out as gay. The parents speak very openly about putting him through conversion therapy, and about how badly he struggled internally, eventually developing serious drug problems and dying. Two more stories involve transgender children, one boy and one girl, and both are especially compelling because prejudice against trans people is so much more intense considering how small that community is. You can also see that things are gradually changing, since one of the people featured is Sarah McBride, who became the first trans person ever to speak at a national political convention when she addressed the 2016 Democratic convention. The fourth story follows a gay Puerto Rican immigrant whose grandmother rejected him, though…
Up to this point, my experience with vertical BL dramas has been a struggle, defined by humiliating tropes and toxic dynamics. This production feels like a breath of fresh air by comparison, even if the central premise feels somewhat overused. With the LGBTQ+ market being large enough to warrant a full-scale push, every production company seems to be aggressively entering the vertical drama space.Though they were childhood friends, Kit and River now inhabit entirely different social spheres. Kit, the son of River's family's helper, is an openly gay, creative student who exists on the fringes of the high school social hierarchy. River, meanwhile, is the confident, popular athlete. When River faces the prospect of failing his guitar class—a failure he cannot afford—he approaches Kit for tutoring, offering to protect him from bullies in return. As they spend more time together, River begins flirting, making it increasingly obvious that he has genuine feelings for Kit. Unsure of how to react, Kit treats it as a possible phase and plays along without fully committing. After River eventually confesses his feelings, the two start a relationship. However, when River's girlfriend discovers the truth, she threatens to out him, causing River to distance himself from Kit entirely. Even after Kit confronts him directly, River remains unresponsive. Ultimately, River realizes he cannot stay away; in a very sweet finale, he sings a song for Kit and confesses his feelings in front of everyone.By centering the emotional bond between Kit and River rather than relying on suffering as a primary plot device, the show already distinguishes…
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…
The purpose of this film remains unclear to me. It is a moody drama with gay undertones, following two drifters without roots who attempt to communicate through graffiti on objects and walls throughout the Pacific Northwest. With total dialogue lasting only 15 minutes, you could fast forward the entire movie and not miss a single thing.A young teenager named Nick spends his life eating, sleeping, and tagging empty walls in the bleak industrial downtown of Portland. After shoplifting paints, fruit, and whatever else he requires, he frequently ends up sleeping on the streets. He forms an unexpected bond with Jesse, a boy from a more affluent background who shares his passion for graffiti. The two stay together, tagging as a pair and photographing one another in front of their work. One night, Jesse advances sexually toward Nick, but things shift following that encounter. Jesse rejects any further advances and moves to Seattle. When Nick tracks him down, Jesse claims they are two different people; this surprises Nick, who reminds Jesse that he was the one who initiated sex. Jesse walks away, and Nick continues on with his life.It seems the filmmaker intended to celebrate the art of graffiti first, constructing a narrative around it second. Through multiple angles, the painting scenes break down the act itself, celebrating how it gives meaning to Nick's life by detailing him painting everywhere and taking photographs of his work. While the film likely appeared in a few gay film festivals, it feels odd because, aside from that one night of sudden, hasty sex between…
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…
