THE MALE GAZE: REALITY BITES - Short Film Collection

Boys

Reality Bites is the new instalment in NQV Media’s short film collection The Male Gaze continuing their anthology of gay shorts from around the world. This collection has gathered six diverse films from Mexico, Brazil, Germany, Israel and Russia; take a look at each below.

SIPPING (Mexico)

Starring: Daniel Emilio Martínez, César Kancino, Marlene Castaños

Director: Bárbara Moreno Turcott

Santiago and Jared are school friends solely because they live within close proximity. With very little in common, they hang out in the evenings because their mums help each other out with childcare, but when they play a game that involves licking honey from each other’s skin, their dynamic swiftly changes. A film about Santiago’s momentary awakening, this is a sensitive short unafraid of showing the boys’ reactions in extreme close-up. And while its moments of childlike frivolity are positively effervescent, its sensual moments are handled with extreme care.

Sipping

HIS VOICE (Brazil)

Starring: Ian Braga, João Canedo, Felippe Vaz, Gustavo Ciupryk, Eliane Carmo

Director: Ralph Somma

Juliano is a fervent voice in his Christian prayer group. But even though they espouse freedom at every meeting, he knows there is something within him that he isn’t actually free to express. Revolted by the reality of exploring his sexuality in private, it’s only when he encounters a group of openly gay friends that he can see that his secret isn’t so sordid after all. A short that champions the cause of gay visibility, this is the personal journey of a deeply complex character anchored by a compelling performance from its lead, contrasting his supposed liberation through his Faith and the freedom he can achieve by simply living authentically.

His Voice

EDEN (Germany)

Starring: Jan Osojca, Sophie de Frenne, Jon Rosenkranz

Director: Tavi Ruiz

When Lukas and his sister, Hannah, take a train into the countryside, they bring Fynn with them, a handsome boy that they both designs on. The reality is that he’s there for Hannah, but Lukas’ imagination takes him on a voyage of fantasy as he explores the forest and with it, his sexuality. An allegorical wander through an Eden of perception, this abstract day trip is an ethereal and nostalgic summer dream.

Eden

AT MY FEET (Brazil)

Starring: André Ximenes, Murilo Ramos, Layla Sah

Director: Felipe Saraiva

A young man encounters a stranger in a bar and goes home with him. A footballer, he is still wearing his training gear and the stranger is fascinated with his feet. Shrouded in ambiguity, we do not know whether this meeting was planned or if they even know each other, but as the footballer scrubs himself following their rendezvous, it’s clear that he feels guilt for what they did. Told through an assembly of long observational shots with very little dialogue, this is an extremely nuanced short that doesn’t give us a shred context beyond the here and now, but revels in the subtlety of its loose plot.

At My Feet

THE MALE GAZE: REALITY BITES. Boys 🇮🇱

Starring: Eitan Gimelman, Keren Tzur, Itamar Eliyahu

Director: Lior Soroka

17 year-old Nadav is preparing for military service and wants to serve in the combat unit, despite his mother’s reservations. An unexpected encounter with his coach begins to change his perspective, just as he realises who he actually is. A short that captures the balance between coming of age in the gayest country on the planet while also having mandatory conscription, this is a frank but matter-of-fact musing on the toxic masculinity of young men of that age. And while we see him competing to be seen as a real man, when alone with his mother he is clearly still a boy.

The White Crows

THE MALE GAZE: REALITY BITES. The White Crows 🇷🇺

Starring: Vladislav Botnaru, Yulia Antoshchuk, Adam Carage

Director: Denis Liakhov

Vlad is a closeted gay man living in Moscow.  When he visits his home town, his brother Liokha surprises him with a night in a sauna, where he has hired a female prostitute for him. This is a stark depiction of Russian masculinity, with its bro-culture wildly protective of family but even more so of manhood. When one of the friends jokes that Vlad might be gay, Liokha’s rebukes are fierce furious. But Vlad isn’t a victim, knowing exactly how to get out of this situation, with this astute short depicting the ingenuity of his survival in a place where living authentically isn’t an option. An intense and well-crafted exposé, this is a very compelling piece.

Reality Bites is an intriguing compilation about young man facing their realities. While all are strong shorts, it is The White Crows that is easily the collection’s stand-out.

UK Release: Out now to watch on VOD, released by NQV Media.

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