“FIRST OUT”–a collection of award winning shorts

“FIRST OUT”

“A Collection of Award Winning Gay-Themed Short Films

Amos Lassen

Alluvial Filmworks has always been one of the leading manufacturers, distributors, and retailer of gay and lesbian film and when they do release something is a guaranteed pleaser. With “First Out”, Alluvial has again proven that they have first quality work. I have never really been a fan of short films, but this collection kept in my seat and watching carefully. Each of the five films on the DVD is amazing and the five of them together is amazing times five. Alluvial has done itself proud with this DVD due to be released January 2, 2007. If you have access to pre-order this disc, do not hesitate. It is a treasure.

The only unifying theme that the five films have is that they are all gay. Each is a separate entity and I am so grateful that we now have the chance to have all of them together. Of course I do have my favorite but I am not saying which one. Those of you know me will surely guess correctly which one it is. Maybe we should have a contest to see if you can determine which it is. Let’s take a look at the collection.

“Different” is a comedy which takes place in a high school where the norm is being gay and the straight guy stands out like a sore thumb. Justin, the sole straight student, has to keep the fact that he is straight secret from the other students and the faculty. When the captain of the football team invites him to be his date to the Homecoming Dance, Justin finds himself in a quandary. He has a crush on one of the girls at school but he knows he has to conform to the rest of the student body to be accepted. The ending is a surprise and to tell you what happens would spoil the joy you will have when you see the flick. It is enough to say that the tables are turned in this movie and in this biting satire on romantic comedies as well as of the predicament of gay and lesbian high school students. It is subversive in its nature and exposes intolerance through hilarity.

“A Good Son” is a drama that examines a chance meeting between a junior and a senior in high school. This encounter brings about a pivotal point in the life of one of the guys. He is forced to realize who he is and then deal with it. The film closes in the midst of an emotional moment in which the guy must come to terms with his opposing emotions

“Meet Joe Gay” is a biographical look at a young filmmaker. He has never really been in live and has never had a relationship that lasted long then three months. His failure in making a gay romantic comedy based upon a fairy tale leads him to do a bit of introspection and we watch as he deals with his issues. Here we have a multimedia documentary in which the single life is explored as well as the nature and purpose of gay relationships. Benjamin Morgan, the subject of the film interviews his ex-boyfriend, two gay couples (one together 41 years and the other who are teenagers who have begin together for four months). As this exploration takes place, random scenes of the gay fairy tale are interspliced into the director’s search for love.

“Is One of You Eddie?” takes place on the patio of the host of a mid-morning brunch. Four good looking gay men misjudge their somewhat bearish neighbor, Eddie, a bearish masseuse. When suddenly, a great looking guy drops by for a massage, the four express curiosity and the looker relates how great the massage was, Eddie is looked at with different eyes as they stand with mouths agape as the hunk relates how sensual and erotic the massage had been. Surely because of the details provided by macho man, their relationship with their neighbor will change. Or will it?

Last, but certainly not least, is a dark drama about one guy’s zealous admiration for his neighbor, “The Neighborly Thing”. When the admirer finds a street couple in his neighbor’s house, he feels his territory has been violated and he busts in on them, never anticipating what the outcome will be.