Movie Reviews -
Gay Themed

To be honest, this show really didn't have much going for it at all. It felt like there were way too many people to keep track of for no reason. On top of the main story about Win trying to figure out who is haunting him, they threw in all these side plots—like a friend trying to hurt him because of a crush, and random staff members getting tons of screen time to deal with relationship drama that Win somehow fixes. A lot of it just felt like total nonsense. It honestly reminded me of a much cheaper, lower-quality version of  Khemjira . I’m just glad it only lasted eight episodes, even though sitting through fifty minutes of each one felt like absolute torture. The story is about a 26-year-old guy named Win who works as a traditional fortune teller, spending his days helping other people figure out their lives. But Win realizes he’s stuck in a terrible cycle of bad luck and a scary spiritual curse that might actually kill him before the year is up. His own readings tell him he needs...

The Sex Across My Door (South Korea) A gay man's homophobic mom comes to live in with her son after she abandoned him for being gay and lost all her money. Gay sex is now the only way to get rid of his mom. But she is not saint, she brings her own men to make loud sex noises. They endure each other's moan each and every night, and finally the crazy war breaks out when they both bring their partners into the house the same night and a fight breaks out. I thought this was a really funny short film.  Turquoise Sky (South Korea) Two friends reunite at a bar after years apart—one bound by marriage and an expecting wife, the other living with his male partner. As confessions of hidden desires surface, the night's smoke and candlelight blur the line between guilt and rekindled longing. It wasn't very clear if these men had something with each other in the past. Honestly I am not sure of this was really a gay film or not! Unfinished (South Korea) Jeong-won, along with a gay cou...

I can pretty much promise you haven't seen a story quite like this one. It is a brave mini-series about a trans man, his mother, and the big talks they never had in the past. It’s a very original story told over six short episodes that are only ten minutes long. The whole show is about learning to face your past so you can finally accept your future. The story is mostly about three people. It focuses on Darcy, a 24-year-old trans man who goes to see his mother, Nora, at her quiet house in the country. They haven't been close for a long time. When he gets there, he finds a ghost named Dee, who is actually Darcy’s younger self from before he transitioned. Both Nora and Darcy can see her. Nora likes having the ghost around because she feels like she has her daughter back. But Darcy is really struggling because he doesn't want to be forced to look at his old self. Dee isn't very nice to Darcy for living as a man, and Darcy definitely doesn't want to be reminded of his p...

It’s really too bad that we had to head back into the lives of Renato and Albin for this one. The first movie was a total blast and the second was still pretty decent and easy enough to watch, but this third go-around just wasn't fun at all. To be honest, it feels like they only put this together to make a quick buck off the characters’ popularity while they still could. The writing is just plain weak, the repetitive acting starts to get on your nerves after a while, and the whole thing just feels off from the start. The plot kicks off when our favorite drag queen, Albin, finds out he’s actually in line to get a massive inheritance from a relative he barely knew.  He decides to play the part of a "normal" guy and heads to Scotland for the reading of the will.  He’s set to get all that cash, but there’s a huge catch: he has to get married and have a kid within 18 months, or every penny goes to his other cousin instead.  Albin is obviously floored by this and keeps it a sec...

It is honestly exhausting to sit through another terrible series like this. I have noticed the same group of actors popping up in several of these subpar Filipino BL projects before, and they just don't seem to get any better. The production value is bottom-tier, the acting is painful to watch, and there is hardly enough plot here to even justify calling it a show. I get that a lot of these were made as passion projects during or right after the pandemic, but it is 2026 now, and there is just no excuse for this kind of poor execution. It really should have just been a quick short film instead of stretching it out. At least it only has six episodes that run about 15 minutes each, so you can fly through it pretty fast if you’re unlucky enough to start it. The plot is about as basic as it gets. We follow a guy named Sam who is stuck in a major emotional rut. He has been in a steady, loving relationship for years, but he can't stop obsessing over his ex, Travis. Apparently, Travis ...

Honestly, it’s such a relief that a Thai BL finally stuck to just eight episodes. I’m always venting about those shows that drag on for fourteen weeks, and even though some are cutting down to ten lately, seeing a tight eight-episode run with 45-minute chapters really made me happy. This series is a pretty bold, high-budget fantasy that stirs together Thai myths and supernatural abilities with a really heavy, tragic vibe. It basically looks at how being "chosen" by fate can be a total nightmare as much as a blessing, and it definitely takes you on a wild ride emotionally. The plot centers on Siwat, this wealthy model who’s hiding a scary secret: he’s got fire powers he can't control, and they're linked to his pulse. If his heart starts racing, everything around him starts catching fire, which has turned his life into a lonely, dangerous wreck. He’s desperate to find a fix, so he goes looking for the "Heart of Divine Magic," a mythic object hidden away in a l...

This is your typical indie coming-of-age tale about a teenager, though it’s clearly working with a very tiny budget. Set within a migrant family living in Southern California’s Coachella Valley, the movie digs into how fragile old-school traditions and expectations can be. We follow a teenage son as he goes through the process of coming out and struggles to find acceptance while dealing with homophobia, domestic abuse, and a messy love triangle that involves his own sister. Goyo is seventeen and just about to graduate from high school. Since he’s been a bit more feminine since he was a little kid, he’s always had to deal with emotional and physical transition from his dad, Ramon, who is obsessed with him being "a man." The only real love he gets is from a lady next door who actually respects him for who he is. The family lives in a Mexican community where everyone works on a grape farm, but things get shaken up when a new guy named Lucio arrives. Lucio basically seduces Goyo ...

A Revry original,  Unconventional  is a really well-liked queer dramedy that feels totally different from the usual stuff. The heart of the story is about two pretty eccentric queer siblings and their partners trying to build a family that doesn't follow the traditional rules. It takes a super raw and unfiltered look at queer life, diving deep into things like mental health, addiction, and how complicated identity and relationships can get. It’s not afraid to get messy or show people at their most vulnerable, and it really pushes boundaries while showing a lot of different queer experiences. The first season has nine episodes, and each one is about a half-hour long. The story centers on Noah, a grad student who’s been struggling for years to wrap up his PhD. He’s been with his husband, Dan, for nine years, and they’ve recently gotten married and moved to Palm Springs. While they're trying to figure out how to start a family and have a baby, they decide to shake things up by in...

This movie uses the huge topic of immigration to dive into deep issues like race and class, though the heart of the story is really about sexuality. It uses a pretty unique style where it doesn't just tell you everything upfront. Instead, it peels back layers like an onion, so you slowly start to get why the characters are doing what they’re doing. I honestly loved this film; it’s very subtle and nothing feels over the top. The emotions and the way things play out feel very much in sync with what’s happening in the world today. The story kicks off in Iran, where a man named Reza is getting married even though he’s secretly gay. He gets caught with his male partner and has to run for his life, but sadly his partner is killed. The movie then jumps to Montreal, where Reza is hiding from the authorities in a church basement. Through flashbacks, we learn about his journey and meet the other main character, Saad. Saad is a migrant from Morocco who has actually changed his identity to sta...

This docuseries is a lively and personal look at what it’s like to be queer in New Zealand today. Hosted by the really charming Aniwa Whaiapu Koloamatangi, it feels like you're being invited into all these different parts of the rainbow community that usually don't get much time on TV. The first season is made up of six episodes, each about 30 minutes long, and they all dive into different topics like family, faith, and the specific experience of being Takatāpui, which is the Māori queer identity. It does a really nice job of balancing the tough history of the LGBTQ+ community with a lot of modern-day happiness and pride. The show starts with Aniwa traveling all over the place to meet folks from every walk of life to see how their background and identity mix together. In the first episode, Aniwa actually takes his first HIV test, works through some stuff from his childhood by playing rugby with the NZ Falcons—one of the country’s gay teams—and checks out what Rainbow Youth is d...

This screwball comedy from 1969 has a pretty wild premise: two guys try to fake being gay just to dodge the military draft. If you watched this today, it would probably come across as super offensive, and I honestly have no clue how people felt about it back when it first hit theaters. My guess is it probably wasn't a huge hit. The humor is really broad and kind of goofy, with a lot of obvious puns that actually reminded me of those cheesy sitcoms from the 80s and 90s. It makes me wonder if this movie actually inspired some of those later shows. The story follows two best friends, Danny and Elliot, who are desperate to get out of the draft. They decide the best way out is to pretend they're in a relationship, but the Army doesn't just take their word for it and puts them under surveillance. Even though they’re both young and have girlfriends, they’re forced to move into an apartment building full of gay residents to keep up the act. It’s a total mess because they’re trying ...

I'm honestly not sure why I keep watching these Signal 23 gay shows. I guess they're a bit of a guilty pleasure for me, and I usually tune in just hoping to see some hot Black guys or a few decent hookup scenes. The problem is that these series almost never have a real plot, and the acting and directing are always super amateur and just plain bad. Unfortunately, this one didn't even have the "eye candy" going for it, as most of the guys weren't even that attractive. The whole thing is really short, only six episodes, and each one lasts about 12 to 14 minutes. The main guy in the story is D, a young 16 year old Black guy who is basically at his sexual peak and spent his summer just looking for action. In the first episode, he meets a 19-year-old online for a hookup, but the kid’s dad walks in right in the middle of things and kicks D out. The rest of the show follows D hanging out with two of his buddies—one who is straight and one who is gay. They’re trying to...

Vietnamese shows can really be a hit or a miss, and this one was no exception. The plot definitely had some good ideas, but it felt like they dragged it out way longer than necessary. Honestly, they could have finished the whole thing in eight episodes, but instead, we had to sit through fourteen installments that were 35 minutes each—and the finale was almost an hour long! Also, I’ve got to say, the "amnesia" trope is getting so old in the BL world. Writers really need to find some fresh ideas. The story is about Viet, a young artist who is going through a really rough time. He’s lost his parents, gets picked on by his boss, and eventually quits his job. To make things worse, his boyfriend has been ghosting him, and when Viet finally goes to see him, he finds out the guy has moved on to someone else without even bothering to break up with him. His only support is a female friend who sticks by him through everything. To clear his head, Viet heads to a quiet mountain village a...

This is one of those typical low-budget indie gay holiday movies that probably didn't get much attention when it first dropped. It used to be called 'Red Lodge' before they changed the name. While there are a few moments of actual comedy and sweet romance tucked away in here, they’re mostly hidden under a pile of mediocre acting, weird camera angles, and some really annoying choices by the characters. On the bright side, the whole thing only lasts about an hour, so it’s a quick watch if nothing else. The plot follows Jordan and Dave, a couple who have been together for a few years. Right before Christmas, Jordan pops the question, expecting a big "Yes!" but instead, Dave basically says, "Can't we just stay the way we are?" They head off on a train to spend the holidays with Jordan's aunt, bringing along Jordan’s "sister" Lisa—who was raised by the aunt—and her boyfriend. Most of the movie is just them bickering and talking through Jorda...

Right from the start, this show makes it clear that its name isn't just for show. Almost every person in the story is playing their own "wicked game," whether they’re doing it because they’re ambitious, traumatized, or just desperate for attention. The plot is packed with twists, and basically, everyone is busy stabbing everyone else in the back. Since it’s a BL, there is a gay love story, and it’s definitely important to the plot, but I honestly don't think it’s the main focus. It’s more of a messy web of family power struggles and danger. The series has 10 episodes, and each one is about an hour long. The story is a big power struggle between three siblings who have the same dad but different moms. Their father is a wealthy, powerful guy looking for someone to take over his empire. The oldest son, Chet, is hungry for power and thinks everything belongs to him. The daughter, Risa, is just as greedy, but her dad constantly ignores her because she’s a woman. Then there...

This documentary is basically a love letter to a super specific and mostly forgotten slice of queer history—the world of all-male magazines between 1955 and 1973. It’s a really interesting guide that shows how these images changed over the years, eventually moving from still photos into the world of film. Before 1966, these gay magazines were all about musclemen in jockstraps posing like Greek Gods. But then, everything flipped. In this "golden window" from 1966 to 1973, the pages started featuring young guys between 18 and 22 who had boyish faces and totally normal bodies. They weren't gym rats; they were just ordinary kids, often drifters or runaways, who modeled for unknown photographers for just a few bucks. They’d show up in a magazine for a minute and then just disappear. After 1973, the "hardcore revolution" happened, and these softcore magazines became old news almost overnight. Just like that, the whole era was gone. The movie mixes together old photos,...

Most Korean BL shows usually have a decent story to tell, even if they aren't always filmed perfectly. But this one is just cringey. None of the things the characters do make any sense at all. The writing is terrible, the "romance" is actually pretty creepy, and the main guy is a total controlling jerk. A lot of scenes make abuse and power trips look like they're okay, and the show tries to pretend this messy relationship is actually romantic. Instead of being sexy, the intimate scenes feel more like a scary hostage situation. From start to finish, the whole thing just made me feel really uncomfortable. It’s a short series with 10 episodes that are only about 12 minutes each. The plot is about Kim, a broke art student who is desperate for money because his mom needs a surgery he can't afford. As a last resort, he gives up his pride and becomes an escort for a rich businessman named Han. Han is a very closed-off guy who is heavily into the BDSM lifestyle. He wants ...

The Office is Mine (USA) Cute and funny, Zac thinks he's the most popular gay man in the office, but when a new, younger, funnier and gayer colleague, Tristan, joins the office, Zac worries that he's being threatened and possibly replaced. As jealousy and anxiety grow, a gay power struggle erupts. The balance of horror and comedy works really, and its lighter tone helps make the horror more jarring. The Personals (China) After many years together, one man yields to social pressure and decides to marry a woman, posting marriage ads around town. His lover quietly follows behind, tearing each one down in silence. But when a woman responds to the ad and wants to meet him, the couple is forced to confront the truth they've avoided for years—must they choose between protecting their love or letting each other go? Les Contre-Courants (France) [The Countercurrents] Nathan, in his twenties, in the middle of his studies, no longer feels at home in his life. In order to take stock of ...