Gay Short Films : 21

The Language of Love (Australia)

This film is about a schoolboy coming to terms with his sexuality while in the middle of a French exam. It sees Charlie wake up to his feelings when tasked in the exam to "describe your best friend ... write your response as a letter to your friend, in French". Charlie talks viewers through what is going on in his head as he struggles with the question. The truth is, he is in love with his best friend Sam. In a moving monologue Charlie reveals his worries of being bullied by classmates and rejected by Sam if he were to reveal his feelings. A beautiful ending that says "It’s not because he’s a boy, he just happens to be one. ... You always hear people say it's weird and just not normal, but isn't that the point of love? To transcend normalness and become something special?" Loved it. (7.5/10)

 

Belle Salope (France) [Beautiful Bitch]

Being with one of his clients, young male prostitute Cédric receives a voicemail from his mother. Spending her days in detox, she desperately wants him to come and visit her. Cédric embarks on a journey through Paris attempting to get to her as fast as possible. Unfortunately life is not as it seems. Her mother doesn't remember as much and he just goes back to his good old hustling ways. A decent film which shows what kind of struggles a young needy man could have to go through. It is for money or pleasure? (5/10)

Elliot King is Third (USA)

Set in near future, this is fiction taking into account the social involution of human societies that might happen. The film shows transgender people living in a future where everyone is identified by a microchip implant, including everything from gender to financial information.  Being labeled as a third, or transgender, has dangerous implications for a society used to dealing with just male or female labels. A lot of them are killed in a peaceful march which leads to our main protagonist Elliot King pretend to be a male and not third gender to grow in society. His future is in for a toss when his past comes back to haunt him. A very very interesting film that shows that in many ways we are growing but in so many ways, he are regressing. (6/10)

 

Best Job Ever (USA)

Alan Meeks is looking for a job as a porn editor. Little does he realize that being great at something can be a curse unto itself. In a turn of twists, he ends up in a gay porn agency which he realizes too late. Since he can't quit because of his contract, he decides to be the lazy as that he can both at work and his behavior. He is in for a shock when his so called carelessly edited work is one of the best that the production company have seen. A very light-hearted perfect comedy short that brings up a smile on your face. Great acting. (7.5/10)

Gatecrasher (UK)

A young, gay actor, Mark’s got the looks, the ability, and the charisma to go all the way. His agent can get him the auditions, but the parts are just never quite right. That’s because in Mark’s mind, there’s only one man who can help him: James Francis -an older established writer as well as a renowned gay icon. However, what begins as an ambitious idea soon turns into obsession, with Mark slowly gatecrashing the life of his idol. I am not too sure if the film was meant to be comedy, serious or spoof but nevertheless it entertained me and shows a facet of obsession of getting popular and everything right. (6/10)

Ronan’s escape (Australia)

This film provides a candid insight into the life of Ronan, a 14 year old boy who’s been bullied his whole life at school. It is a very accurate & controversial portrayal of life for someone who has fallen victim to bullying and the repercussions which exist. Ronan’s Escape presents arbitrary scenes rather than traditional storytelling which provokes audiences into discussion and interpretation of the scenes on a more personal level while reflecting on their own experiences. I have been reading lot about bullying etc and this movie yet again made me stop and think about what can be done really to stop this. (6/10)

North Atlantic (UK)

Based on a true story, it is an interaction between 2 men. To clarify, this is not a gay short film. A young man is manning the control tower of a very small airport in the Azores when he makes contact with a plane flying blind with radio and other control issues. At the helm is an older Scottish man and it is clear that he will not have the fuel needed to make it to this airport, which is his nearest. Sea rescue efforts are launched but seem futile given the odds, leaving the two men in voice contact for the remainder of his flight. A sad story but a real one. (6/10)

Simply Rob (USA)

Simply Rob is a portrait of New York based poet and activist Rob Vassilarakis. This film follows Rob as he tells his turbulent life story through his poetry. This film was interesting for first 5 minutes but a constant jibber-jabber from Rob and pretty much non-stop talking without any pause makes this a difficult painful watch. (2/10)