Seven short films in which gay youths and young men negotiate society, sometimes successfully, sometimes not. In several, teen boys come out, perhaps first to a close friend - how will the friends react? For some youths, coming out risks violence. In two films, love is thwarted - by mother, in one, and by immigration, in another. The collection includes "Summer" (Great Britain), "Night Swimming" (USA), "Running Without Sound" (USA), "Out Now" (Germany), "Œdipe N+1" (France), "Hitchcocked" (USA), and "The Bridge" (Australia).
Acting
Frankie Shaw's raw vulnerability in 'Night Swimming' steals the whole anthology.
Direction
Hong Khaou's 'Summer' — quiet, humid, devastating. Watch everything he's made.
Writing
'The Bridge' packs a novel's worth of longing into fifteen minutes.
Director
George Barbakadze
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Hong Khaou later directed Lilting (2014) and Monsoon (2019), completing a trilogy of queer displacement stories.
Shot 2004-2006, these films capture a pre-Grindr era where gay youth connection meant actual risk, actual stakes.
US
