Black Briefs

This is a compilation of 6 dark-themed gay short films. Three are excellent and three are dreadful.

The bad one are "Remission" which is boring and pointless. It deals with a sick gay man living in an isolated cabin discovering he's not alone. Then there's "Winner Takes All" about an obnoxious gay guy who's in love with two men and tells them to box and the winner takes all. The guys are hot but the script is terrible and tedious. Then there's "Video Night" which is about a bunch of gay friends making videos when things go wrong. Horrendously acted and badly filmed. It's sole saving grace is that it's only 6 minutes.

The other three are great. There's "Spring" about a vicious sexual relationship between two men. Dark, disturbing and great. Then "Promise" is about two men getting ready to get married but the night before secrets come out. It's VERY well-acted, written and directed but disturbing with a rape scene that's truly harrowing. Last is "Communication" which is a very good short about a relationship between a young Jewish man and an older guy. It ends somewhat abruptly but it's still well-done.

So half and half here:)

This is a mix of six films with the vague themes of dark and gay. There is no through story and as some are far more successful than others, they should really be judged as individual short films.

SPRING is about a young man experiencing his first experience of BDSM and it is both interesting and hot. 4*

REMISSION is a dull horror tale about a man alone in a cabin awaiting the results of a biopsy, when he realises that he isn't alone in the house. It is dull, clichéd and uninteresting. 1*

WINNER TAKES ALL is about a conceptual artist who can't decide between his 2 lovers, so gets them together to fight it out, with him being the prize. Just awful. 1*

PROMISE is a tale told in flashback of 2 lovers arguing after a fateful night out before their wedding the next day. Very good situation drama. 4*

VIDEO NIGHT is the most generic horror of the 6. Some friends meet up in a house to film a comic skit, but when watching the playback, something isn't right. It may be generic and nothing really original, but it is shot and performed very well and really works in the short form. 4*

COMMUNICATION is an odd film. A young Jewish student befriends his teacher and inherits his house and contents when the teacher dies in an accident, much to the teacher's lover's dismay. Not that interesting and I thought it would be darker. Doesn't really fit in with the others. 2*

So half are good, half aren't. They are all very short films though, so the good ones are worth a view. Skip the rest.