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5 beautiful, brooding gay-themed films set in Italy to cure the lockdown blues

In partnership with NQV Media.

By Jamie Tabberer

Is there a peach-shaped hole in your heart after the lush, sensual sex and romance of the Italy-set Call Me By Your Name?

(To be fair, we think there is for Armie Hammer and Timothée Chalamet).

If so, The Italian Boys – a special selection of gay-themed short films, featuring an array of guys just as gorgeous as Elio and Oliver – is equally …peachy.

Following similar releases The Danish Boys, The Latin Boys and The Israeli Boys, the collection is out now on Amazon, Vimeo and FilmDoo via NQVmedia, the home of LGBTQ and coming-of-age cinema. 

The shorts – each of the five films is as brooding and brilliant as the next – feature an array of handsome Italian talent, such as actors Rocco Fasano [below] and Alessandro Marverti.

 
 
 
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From the story of two lovers fleeing a forbodeing fisherman to bouts of fumbling in the church pews, join us on a cultural trip to the Mediterranean as we give you the lowdown on each movie…

It’s the perfect antidote to lockdown!

1 Uproar (Pipinara)

Directed by: Ludovico di Martino

In a postcard-worthy coastal hamlet near Rome, two young boys while away the hours with petty crime and football. But then their lives become intwined with one of Italy’s most famous murders: that of gay director Pier Paolo Pasolini.

2 Tidal Time (L’ora di porto) 

Directed by: Dario di Viesto

To the azure blue seas of Puglia, where a young boy is saved by his father after a fishing accident. Fast forward a decade, and the young boy is now gay and has a boyfriend; his father, in turn, is revealed as a religious homophobe. But can the guys escape his controlling clutches?

3 The Dummy (Il manichino)

Directed by: Renato Muro

Anyone who grew up fancying their Action Men will surely relate to The Dummy. Set in Rome, it follows a teen’s sexual awakening, amplified by the sculpted structure of a discarded mannequin. 

4 Lazarus Come Out (Lazzaro vieni fuori)

Directed by: Lorenzo Caproni

The Rebirth of Lazarus gets a makeover in Lazarus Come Out, in which an ex-altar boy and his troupe of actors stage a homoerotic retelling of the miraculous New Testament story.

5 Glue (Colla)

Directed by: Renato Muro

On an island off sun-drenched Naples, a teen dealing with a break-up connects with his best friend’s younger brother; a meeting with a wise trans woman cements the boys’ relationship forever.

The Italian Boys is available to watch on Amazon, Vimeo and FilmDoo via NQVmedia, the home of LGBTQ and coming-of-age cinema.

For more information, visit nqvmedia.com and Instagram/nqvmedia.

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