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Hand Off – Gay Short Movie 2019 – Movie Review

06/05/2021 By ACOMSDave Leave a Comment

Hand OffHand Off is a movie written and directed by Chadlee Skrikker, is 24 minutes long and is about rugby in Cape Town, South Africa.  Jaco decides to admit his feelings about Willem just after they have come out of the changing room having cleaned up following rugby training. 

Willem is taken aback having had no inkling that Jaco was gay, and that he had feeling for him.  As they walk towards the car Willem walks on by leaving [Jaco] feeling isolated and downcast, and not knowing whether their friendship will continue.

He gets home and is met by his mother but moves away from her with a lame excuse and goes to his bedroom collapsing on his bed and falls into a fantasy world with an imaginary friend.  You can tell he is imaginary by the heavy gold on his forehead and his earrings – Leo then directs hisHand Off fantasy.  It at this stage almost has a feeling of Caravaggio or Sebastiane.  The languid bodies lying on rugs with cushions and roses set the scene.

Hand Off is a rugby term, it is when a ball-carrier is permitted to hand off an opponent provided excessive force is not used, to push him away whilst he (or she) continues with trying to get a try.

The actors are of a suitable build to all be rugby players, and indeed carry themselves as testosterone ladened lads. Jaco seems to move from training to his fantasy, all the while Willem is on the periphery reconciling what he has been told and trying to understand how it affects him and his friendship.

Jaco’s fantasy moves forward and becomes more sexually explicit, but the question that is raised is will he come back from fantasy?

Jaco then discovers that Willem (or someone) has told all his fellow team members that he is gay, and they take the action of shunning him with the stereotypical reactions that writers of these scenes often use.  He meets up with Willem expressing how he feels and Willem shows how good a friend he is and becomes the friend he was before Jaco came out.

Soundtracks:  there are several musical tracks used during the movie, but “Lucifer’s Tear” which was written by Ayden Marthinus stands out for me, and fortunately there seem to be three or 4 other tracks hidden away in YouTube.

 

Links:

  • YouTube – Hands Off
  • IMDB – Hand Off
  • https://acomsdave.com/campfire-kampvuur-gay-short-film-2000-movie-review/Campfire [Kampvuur]

Filed Under: Community Journalist, Movie Reviews Tagged With: afrikaans, Aidan Scott, Andahr Cotton, Arnold Horn, being outed, bullying, Chadlee Skrikker, coming out, gay, gay interest, imaginary friend, intolerance, LGBT, locker room, reconcile, republic of south africa, rugby, rugby team, scrimmage, south africa, team practice

Blackbird (Gay Movie) [2014] – Movie Review

20/01/2021 By ACOMSDave Leave a Comment

 

Blackbird (Gay Movie)

2014

Directed:  Patrik-Ian Polk

Genre:  Drama

 

Blackbird (Gay Movie) Blackbird (Gay Movie)

I have just come across this movie (Blackbird (Gay Movie)) on YouTube, as it was just been uploaded on January this year (2021) some seven years after it hit the various movie festivals and then USA TV.  It is not a blockbuster, but with the right support it should have been, for the acting and production are beautiful

Blackbird is set in a small Southern Baptist community, with the main character, ‘Randy’ Rousseau, a young singer, being played by Julian J Walker (a college student in real life at the beginning of the movie).  He is a young singer who is struggling with his sexuality and the treatment of others while coming of age.  In the role of Rousseau, he is wonderful, bringing a depth to the character beyond his acting credentials.   The independent drama centres on a deeply religious high school student in a small Mississippi town, who struggles with the fact that he may be gay.  There is love, hatred, sadness, and a storyline which to many young black youths today may well resonate.  It was rated ‘R’ due to its gay content, and a few sex scenes, but I would heartily suggest you watch this movie, and if you are a teacher of our youth in school or college consider using it as a teaching resource – it has so many themes you can follow and discuss – but most of all it is a wonderful movie,

The main actors in this movie are:

 

Mo’Nique Blackbird - Mo'Nique
Julian J. Walker

 

Blackbird - Julian J Walker
Kevin Allesee

 

Blackbird - Kevin Allesee

 

Writers: Rikki Beadle Blair, Larry Duplechan (novel)

 

Links:

    • Youtube – Blackbird

  • 365 Without 377 – Movie Review
  • The Wrap – Mo’Nique on Why Black Hollywood Actors Shunned Gay-Themed ‘Blackbird’: ‘Everyone Was Afraid of It’

Filed Under: Community Journalist, Movie Reviews Tagged With: baptist, bare chested male, Blackbird, gay black man, gay interest, gay protagonist, gay romance, LGBT Film, religion, sexual identity, sexuality

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