The ‘Boys on Film’ series returns for its 24th instalment, showcasing 11 new short films from film-makers across the globe. Offering insights into the lives of LGBTQ+ people from different corners of the world, ‘Boys on Film 24: Happy Endings’ will be the series’ last physical release. Across the shorts here, viewers are taken to the UK, New Zealand, Uruguay, Israel, Colombia, France and Belgium. The common thread is that it’s boys and/or men brought together in unexpected circumstances and in most instances, fireworks emerge between them.
With 11 films on offer, and the instalment running at almost 3 hours in length, I won’t dig into every single short here. What I will do, is pick out the highlights from the collection as there are many. The first is ‘Aloof’ from Israeli film-maker Itai Jamshy, which finds photographer Yariv (Nadav Portiansky) spending his days taking family photos on the beachfront in Tel Aviv and his nights engaging in extreme sexual encounters at a local gay sauna. The juxtaposition of the two situations highlights how people can hide sides of themselves from their loved ones, and the short explores the complicated relationships that often exist within families.
‘The Rev’ from Fabia Martin sees Reverend Neil Marlow (Jack Holden) battling an identity crisis whilst trying to organise a funeral. The short explodes into a colourful musical and it’s certainly one of the most visually striking moments on the collection. ‘You Like That’ from film-maker and actor Jeremy McClain explores the life of a young man who performs sex acts online but is looking for an old-fashioned kind of love. His encounter with Sebastian (Marcus Hodson) highlights the misconceptions and stereotypes around sex workers, and the idea that they’re game for anything.
‘Beautiful Stranger’ from Benjamin Belloir is one of the quirkiest moments here and it’s also one of the strongest. Romain (Baptiste Carrion-Weiss) is dumped by his boyfriend and he meets a handsome man (Shane Woodward) on a hook-up app. The two meet in a hotel room and Romain finds himself questioning his decisions, and opening his horizons. There’s a nice blend of farce and drama in this one! By contrast the broodingly sexy ‘L’homme inconnu’ from Anthony Schatteman focuses on a writer who becomes obsessed with a beautiful young man he sees sunbathing. The short is disorienting as you’re never quite sure if you’re watching fantasy or fiction, and it sizzles from start to finish.
The final short I wanted to highlight is ‘S.A.M.’ starring George Webster and Sam Retford, from film-makers Neil Ely and Lloyd Eyre-Morgan. Two boys form an unlikely friendship when they meet on the swings in the local park. One of the boys is coming to terms with his sexuality and the other is used to be treated different by society due to having Down’s Syndrome. The two boys look past each other’s perceived ‘issues’ and instead form a close bond, finding an outlet in each other that they don’t get from anywhere else. It’s a lovely tale of innocence and youth, with plenty of heartwarming moments.
‘Boys on Film 24: Happy Endings’ for the most parts hits all the right marks. Some of the shorts aren’t as strong as others, but you’d expect that when there are 11 on one collection. Still, ‘Boys on Film’ remains an engaging strand for Peccadillo Pictures and it helps to showcase a lot of talent that deserves to find a much bigger audience.
Cast: George Webster, Jack Holden, Sam Retford, Jeremy McClain, Enzo Vogrincic Filmmakers: Jason Bradbury, Jesse Ung, Diego Alvarez Parra, Itai Jamshy, Fabia Martin, Sara Larota & Alejandro Sandoval, Benjamin Belloir, Jeremy McClain, Arthur Cahn, Neil Ely & Lloyd Eyre-Morgan, Anthony Schatteman Certificate: 18 Duration: 174 mins Released by: Peccadillo Pictures Release date: 15th April 2024 Buy ‘Boys on Film: Happy Endings’ now
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