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FILM REVIEW: The Male Gaze- Hide and Seek

Brian Butler February 1, 2021

There’s a lot of long slow looks between men in these latest five short film offerings from New Queer Vision’s international portfolio.

Lolo is an openly-gay 11 year-old who longs for his first public date with first love Max. Could it be at the school dance ? Nothing is certain, but life  is full of possibilities when you’re young  .

The Den sees exchanged pleasantries between a blonde beach boy and a married man on holiday with his wife and child. But the casual explanation that the two men  met some years ago at the same beach turns into a torrid secret sexual exploit where mastery  and domination take a predictable turn. Who’s in control and does it matter?

Stanley is one of those films heavily laden with symbols that don’t always get explained . We get chickens being slaughtered and plucked, ritual night club dancing of two men and a seemingly superfluous girl and a wild landscape. And who is the unseen Stanley anyway and why is he crucial to memories and desires ?

If Only You Were Mine is altogether more straightforward as a love story tinged with insecurity and uncertainty. Can two men truly commit to each other at the sane level of intensity and how much of another man’s life can you really  share ? Beautifully filmed and achingly real.

Finally in this clutch of five is No Strings. It’s a tale about the bored young Bryn who’s not happy with his move from Wales to London, and Sean who feels genuine attachment when he’s invited round for a sex date via the usual app. Is it wham bam thank you mam or can Sean persuade the jaded Bryn  there’s more to come?

The film collection is available on Amazon and Vimeo, watch the trailer here:

 

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