When adulthood looms, naivety may fade – but the urge to play can take on a disturbing new dimension. These four beguiling stories from Switzerland, North Macedonia, France, and the Czech Republic, explore these years of youthful wonder with a deftness and artistry that lingers.

New Queer Visions are the purveyors of awesome gay European film, and this foursome from France ranks up with the best. So sit back, relax, and enjoy nearly two hours of The Last Days of Innocence

Ruins

In a misty lakeside forest far far away, two boys are on the run, playing catch-up with the feelings they must confront. In the hollow of the night, alone, their pains and their fears eventually come to the surface.​

Aline

Alban lives in a remote and picturesque Swiss ski town with his mother, with whom he shares a tight bond. Every night, the teenager runs off to be with a new figure in his life – the mysterious Julien – a boy who, strangely, shares a first name with the hero of the novel he’s avidly reading.

Snake

Nine-year-old daredevil Mario spends his days with his friends barrelling around the countryside surrounding the remote Macedonian small town where he lives. This gang of boisterous kids often get into trouble, but when they decide to pick on the eccentric Borche – his world, and by extension that of their own parents, pitches them face to face with an adulthood they are not prepared for.

The Touching

Behind the door of David and older brother Marek’s bedroom is a hidden secret borne of their mutual self-discovery. But when Marek realizes that their curiosity has crossed the limits of brotherly love, he begins to distance himself – something which the younger David struggles to understand.

Directed by Benoît Duvette, Simon Guélat, Andrey Volkashin, Dominik György

WATCH: Vimeo (Worldwide) / Amazon US / Amazon UK / Amazon.de / PeccadilloPOD (World)

 

ABOUT NQVMEDIA
NQV media is a distribution company formed out of New Queer Visions, a short film ‘bolt on’ that successfully programmed LGBTQ+ short films for five years across numerous film festivals, including London Short Film Festival, East End Short Festival and Shortwaves Festival in Poland. www.newqueervisions.com, www.nqvmedia.com

About the Author

Bryen Dunn is a freelance journalist with a focus on travel, lifestyle, entertainment and hospitality. He has an extensive portfolio of celebrity interviews with musicians, actors and other public personalities. He enjoys discovering delicious eats, tasting spirited treats, and being mesmerized by musical beats.