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Stop! That! Train!

Coming out of the same studio that gave us RuPaul's Drag Race, and stacked with a whole crew of former contestants, Stop! That! Train! plays like RuPaul basically taking a bow for the entire franchise she's built. It's not really a gay film in the traditional sense, but with so many drag stars from Ru's shows popping up alongside a few cameos from well known out gay actors, I figured it earns a spot on this blog anyway. The whole thing is completely over the top, packed with GenZ slang, loud flashy visuals, and humor that's constantly winking at you knowing how ridiculous it is. Going in you'd assume it's meant to be a laugh riot, and a lot of critics online seem to be eating it up, but I just couldn't get into it at all. I've never really been someone who vibes with campy silly stuff like this, so honestly my reaction doesn't surprise me one bit. The setup follows Tess and DeeDee, two low level stewardesses who sneak onto the fancy Glamazonian E...

Gay Short Films : 68

Sisak (India)
A silent film, set in bustling Mumbai local train system, Sisak details a romance that develops between two men, slowly and intoxicatingly, nestled in the silences and quiet comforts of the end-of-day train journeys. A return to the unspoken, unsaid and universal expressions of love, on the path of subtlety and humanity, Sisak is the result of the belief that if love knows no bounds, it need not be bound with words, either. Absolutely Brilliant !!

Attention of Men (Canada)
Colt, an aspiring writer meets Ely, a wealthy man. Their relationship quickly evolves into a complex dynamic of father and son. As Ely's demons unravel, Colt tries to manage but fails. A random film about two men, their choices, fights, past, secrets and forms of freedom.

Bruderliebe (Czech Republic) [Brotherly Love]
A melancholic film about two brothers, an incestuous incident & obsession, abuse, and guilt.
Na Hory (Czech Republic) [On the Mountains]
Awareness film on how kids are blackmailed online by perverts but most kids dont confide in their parents. The film is part of the List project safely.

Knus meg (Norway) [Break Me]
Mansour, a boxer, is secretly in an affair with his best friend. But their love is put to the test when Mansour’s strictly religious father learns about the affair, and will do everything in his power to put an end to it. 
Le devoir (France) [The Duty]
A mother's illness sees two siblings returning home to face the closeted circumstances that drove them apart. The sister is secretly in love with the neighbor who was also the brother's first love.

Rough Trade (USA)
A hustler gets picked up by a man with a fetish for branding. The guy must decide to go back to the street or start a new life in leather. Terrible!

Guardian (USA)
Manuel is a gay Latino teen who keeps his sexuality a secret from his homophobic father. HIs mother cares but, she is only able to prove and instill her love through videotapes made from afar.

Matt (USA)
A short tale of two "Matts" - one has been around the block, the other a twink & fresh out of the closet. Matt invites Matt over for drinks, a movie, and a night that will mean much more for one of them than the other.

Stille (Denmark) [Quiet]
About to lose himself in shallow hookups and friendships, one morning the protagonist wakes up to a strange shift in his perception of reality. The film is a visual exploration of a generation's struggle to re-claim feelings of affection and intimacy. Weird!

Les îles (France) [Islands]
Characters wander through an erotic maze of love and desire. An absolutely ridiculous film.

Sabbatical (USA)
A couple grapple with the concept of taking time apart from one another, and dealing with the consequences of coming back together after a mutually agreed-upon separation. Does being apart strengthen bonds, or is it inevitably the first step in saying goodbye?

Ladies Day (UK)
A young, black lesbian spends the day in an Afro-Caribbean hair salon, full of gossip and laughter. Will she be able to deal with the casual homophobia?

Colla (Italy) [Glue]
Domenico is getting over his tormented relationship with Marcello. Domenico finds attraction and affection with Lallo, 14 year old brother of his best friend. A journey of discovery starts, between adolescence, maturity and desires of the two young boys.

Watch Me (UK)
David is being followed by a stranger recording his every move. As the stranger gets closer he sees more of the dark secret that David is hiding from his boyfriend.

Are We Good Parents? (USA)
When Lauren and Bill's 14-year-old daughter says she's going to her first dance with her classmate Ryan, they question their preconceived notions of her sexuality and their openness as parents.

A Normal Girl (UK)
The widely unknown struggles of intersex people is brought to light. It is common practice for doctors to perform genital surgeries on intersex infants on that don't conform to binary sex.

Sirene (Netherlands) [Siren]
Deep down inside, a fifteen-year-old boy feels different from the other boys around him. When he becomes friends with an enchanting girl, he gets more and more tangled up in his confusion.

Carlito se va para siempre (Peru) [Carlito Leaves Forever]
In the Amazonian jungle, Carlito, a silent young man, decides to leave forever because he is in secret love with another man.

Comments

luigi43 said…
Excellent choice of themed shorts. Just one question : may be in Mumbay the "tube" 's trains don't have conditioned air therefore must go with the doors opened?
Golu said…
Yeah. The mumbai trains are very old and they are all open. Exactly how it is showed in the short film.
Hedgehog said…
Les îles is it ridiculously good or bad? I’m really into frech film, I am currently watching ´un frère ´. France really knows how to make a great gay films I must say.
Golu said…
I found it ridiculous and absurd. Self indulgent, to be honest

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