Boys on Film 12: Confession [DVD]

Description

Confession Noun A formal statement of one s sins with repentance and desire of absolution; often intimate personal revelations. Repentance is futile. In our latest collection of gay short films we expose private lives, uncover secrets and present a choice - to conceal or to confess? Within these nine stories, a hustler spends the night with a mysterious stranger, a football player hides a secret that could threaten everything, a heartthrob returns home to rekindle a past relationship and desire pushes a 17 year old to the edge. Home From The Gym - dir. Robert Hawk (USA) 6mins 2014 From Robert Hawk, who consulted on The Celluloid Closet, Gay Sex In The 70s and Travis Mathews I Want Your Love and Interior. Leather Bar (with James Franco) comes his directorial debut, which places the male form front and centre. An unnamed, sexy man comes home, alone and starts to undress... Showboy - dir. Samuel Leighton-Dore (Australia) 15mins 2014 A young football player, Julian Maxwell, finds himself struggling to support his unemployed, recently widowed father while fighting to keep safe the secret he once shared with his mother: He's not only gay, but performs a drag act in a local bar. Cruise Patrol - dir. Bobby de Groot & Arjan van Meerten (Netherlands) 8mins 2013 Take a walk on the wild side and explore what happens on a long and dusty road where a routine cruise patrol takes a strange turn and spirals totally out of control. I Am Syd Stone - dir. Denis Theriault (Canada) 11mins 2014 Lights, Camera, Action! When a much-desired Hollywood heartthrob returns back to his home town for a reunion of sorts, he expects to rekindle an old closeted relationship. But soon he learns that things aren t as they seem and secrets always catch up in the end. Deflated - dir. Dustin Shroff (USA) 6mins 2012 Chris has come to the store with his dad to spend his allowance. His heart is set on getting a bouncy ball, but all of the balls in the ball cage are bright pink...except for one deflated green ball. Ultimately Chris must make a choice: is it okay for boys to play with the bright pink balls or will he take home the deflated green one? Age 17 - dir. Filippo Demarchi (Switzerland) 22mins 2013 Matteo is a 17-year-old boy who has fallen in love with Don Massimo, a young who leads the local marching band in which Matteo plays the drum. Matteo sees in Massimo a person willing to listen to his fears and desires and for the first time in his life, Matteo feels ready to open up to someone... Human Warmth - dir. Christophe Predari (Belgium) 11mins 2013 Antoine has a desire. His passion and his love is so overwhelming that he has to stay close to Bruno. He loves his warmth and he needs it. But as with any relationship, soon comes the time of detachment and what will happen if Antoine s body stops responding? Tonight It s Me - dir. Dominic Haxton (USA) 13mins 2014 A hot young hustler finds himself in uncharted waters when he spends the night with a client who is far from the "Johns" he's used to servicing. Good Morning dir. Stephen Dunn and Peter Knegt (Canada) 10mins 2014 Good Morning comically examines the ideas of sexual identity and age anxiety via the story of a man who on the morning after his 30th birthday party wakes up with both a massive hangover, and a 17-year-old boy sleeping on his couch. Extras Human Warmth - Deleted Scene Age 17 - Deleted Scene Review: Great movie - As a grandfather of a gay grandchild I could understand why he couldn't watch at home. Impressive films and I went for a smoke for my grandson I thank you Review: BACK TO FORM - Boys on Film 12 shows a partial return to form after the disappointing 11, and contains a deal of quality both storywise and in performance. There are no real duds and more than usual tend to stick in the mind and/or invite repeat viewing. I'll mention a few. The opening 'Home from the Gym' (USA) is a wordless view of a guy's post gym routine - kitted to naked - . 'Age 17' (Swiss) explores the hormonal turmoil within a teenager who falls for his priest. 'Human Warmth' (Belgium) is a more abstract glance at reigniting waning passion. The closing 'Tonight it's Me' (USA) is another take on the 'rent boy/surprising trick' scenario but here with a double twist in the tail and beautifully played. Overall then, a good addition to a series that, let's face it, and despite lapses, has made available to a wide audience many fine examples of gay shorts from around the world. Recommended.