Five Short Films About Boys Trying to Find Their Place NQV Media's short film series brings together stories about boys caught in difficult, often confusing stages of their lives. Across the collection, they are trying to work out who they are while dealing with fear, change, rejection, rebirth and the need to belong. The films approach those experiences from sharply different directions, so these are not routine coming-of-age stories. Some of the strongest moments come when identity becomes impossible to avoid, especially in situations that force strangers or friends to confront what they believe about themselves and one another. Flush (Brazil) A law student enters a bathroom while arguing with his father on the phone, only to encounter a young trans woman emerging from a stall. His immediate reaction is visible disgust, followed by an attempt to leave. The problem is that it is already 10:40 at night, and the college doors will remain locked until morning. Trapped together, the two young people appear to have little reason to understand each other. They would normally pass without a glance, yet the long night gradually reveals more in common than either expects. That connection does not come easily: their opposing views on life and sexuality lead to repeated, harsh and blunt confrontations before any common ground can emerge. Waking Up in Vegas (Switzerland) Yael is drawn to his older brother, a weightlifter who repeatedly tries to bring him into training, although Yael is unsure that this is the life he wants. His uncertainty becomes more complicated through Aaron, his best friend…
This Thai mini series is bad and packed with red flags that make you question so many of the protagonists' motives, and yet somehow, you still wanna keep watching until the end. It is only 10 episodes, 10 minutes each, but it should come with multiple trigger warnings. I thought we had moved past the rape era in the BL world being justified in the name of love a few years back, but apparently not!Pakin kidnaps Venus, the heir to a luxury hotel, and keeps him captive in the unforgiving wilderness. He holds Venus responsible for making his younger brother fall in love with him, then breaking his heart, which led to his brother committing suicide. Venus pleads and begs, insisting it must have been his twin brother Saturn who did this, but Pakin refuses to hear any of it. He rapes Venus, forces him to do household chores, and subjects him to other atrocities. Meanwhile, the hotel heiress grandmother worries about where the town grandsons have disappeared to and asks her trusted advisor to find them. Her evil niece, meanwhile, has been eyeing the entire property and is unhappy that grandma plans to put everything in the twins' name. It turns out she was behind Venus being kidnapped all along. Once she learns about Pakin's younger brother's suicide, she makes Saturn leave the country out of fear for his life and tells Pakin that Venus is Saturn. Anyway, some kind of bond slowly begins to form between Pakin and Venus, and once the truth comes out, everything falls into…
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…
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,…
This marks the third time I have encountered a Merman BL show lately, as the genre seems to be having a moment with that specific merman fantasy vibe. While the initial setup feels somewhat intriguing, the series quickly descends into relying on the cheapest tropes available, prioritizing skin and shock value above all else. I experienced many moments that caused me to cringe hard. However, once you realize this is an Oxin Films production—the same studio responsible for Hermoso, which I also watched—you realize exactly what to expect. Every single episode features a random sex scene crammed into the runtime, and they even include a little message prompting viewers to subscribe for VIP access to see the uncensored version, which is gross. The series consists of ten episodes, with each one lasting around fifty to sixty minutes. The initial ten minutes establish the premise: Kai is a merman held captive by a tacky witch named Ursula, whose resort thrives on his innate good luck energy while surrounding areas struggle. Isolated and longing for his sea family, Kai falls for a local islander named Mario, but just as their connection deepens, Mario vanishes into the ocean and is presumed dead. While Kai blames himself, it seems far more probable that Ursula is responsible for the disappearance. Ursula’s older sister is the only person who shows Kai genuine kindness, yet she remains trapped under her sister's control. Years later, two friends, Alfred and Elios, arrive at the resort. Elios is a handsome young man captivated by merman legends, and when he happens…
My feelings on this one are quite conflicted. While the initial mind games and manipulation provide a strong start, the series eventually devolves into a repetitive, confusing slog that caused me to mentally check out. Furthermore, the BL angle feels like an afterthought when measured against the larger story the show is pursuing. Rather than delivering a standard romance, the narrative leans into much darker territory, constructing relationships centered on power dynamics, trauma, and significant emotional imbalance. While I can see this concept succeeding if a creator fully committed to it as a proper drama, my personal patience simply ran out. With each episode lasting around seventy minutes and a total of ten episodes, it is a lot to ask of any viewer. The story centers on two main characters, Vier and Kelvin. As the polished and calculating heir to the VPG group, Vier is a confident man accustomed to winning. Kelvin is his complete opposite: an ignored son from a rival family who must constantly outmaneuver his own relatives just to survive, living under a father who offers no love and an older half brother who treats him like hired help. Rather than just developing feelings for Vier, Kelvin studies and becomes fixated on him, predicting his moves before eventually pulling him into his web. It is clear early on that Kelvin has something planned. The entire story is carried by the underlying tension of the fact that neither man is truly what he seems. The show moves between the present and a year earlier, tracing how Kelvin and…
Between the direction, the acting, and the overall presentation, watching this movie felt like sitting through a Spanish soap opera. The pacing is consistently off; much like a typical soap, the buildup drags on far longer than necessary, only to rush toward the payoff. The final act then speeds through the conclusion with several half baked speeches and a crowd of smiling faces, resulting in a really underwhelming ending. To be fair, the film does explore some important themes worth talking about, serving as a decent reminder of how much family really matters and how damaging prejudice can be. After four years together, gay couple David and Bruno attempt to conceive a child. To make this happen, David's twin sister Virginia provides her egg to be used with Bruno's sperm and a surrogate. This decision infuriates her husband, Miguel, sparking significant tension throughout the family. When no pregnancy is detected after a month, everyone assumes the attempt failed, only to discover a month later that the surrogate is indeed pregnant. Because of Miguel's initial intense reaction, Virginia chooses to hide the news from him completely. The baby is born nine months later to an overjoyed grandmother, yet somehow, impossibly, Miguel remains in the dark about the situation. Virginia and their mother both assist in raising the child until a tragic accident claims the lives of both Virginia and Bruno. It is at the hospital that Miguel discovers Virginia's secret, leading him to completely cut off his brother-in-law. A few years pass and the baby has become a young child. David…
