WATCH: Peeping toms, bad boys & more steamy encounters await in this new short film collection

Last year, we were sad to say goodbye to Boys On Film, Peccadillo Pictures’ long-running anthology series centered on gay stories from around the world, which had been regularly debuting new short film collections since 2009.

In addition to introducing us to emerging international filmmakers, the Boys On Film was a reliable showcase for boundary-breaking queer storytelling—shorts you otherwise might miss unless you’re frequenting the film festival circuit. It played a crucial role in bringing LGBTQ+ stories to audiences, and it’s sorely missed.

Thankfully, picking up that torch is The Male Gaze, a similar anthology series from NQV Media (“New Queer Visions”), which has been dutifully assembling and distributing queer short films to the masses since 2019.

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The popular series returns next month with Boy Trouble, yet another carefully curated collection of shorts, each telling stories of protagonists’ encounters with mysterious new men in their lives. But whether or not these men will open their lives up to exciting new possibilities—or more trouble—remains to be seen.

From peeping toms to motorcycle-riding bad boys, blind dates to intimate massages, each story welcomes viewers in a a titillating new world.

Featuring up-and-coming filmmakers from Argentina, Austria, Mexico, and Peru, these stories may be told in different languages, but they all tap into that universal feeling of meeting a handsome stranger and wondering, even for a second, if they’re about to change your life.

As the Boy Trouble logline puts it: “Four countries, four men—and four encounters that will call into question everything about themselves they thought they were sure of. Just when you thought things couldn’t get any more complicated, along comes a boy to add a fresh perspective.”

You can watch the trailer here, and then check out a brief synopsis for each short below:

Billy Bob

In an era marked by the reign of liquid relationships, through apps and blind dates, Alejo seeks to fill his sentimental void by constantly changing sex partners. Argentina. Director: Sacha Amaral.

Checoslovaquia

On the outskirts of town, Diego secretly spies on a group of local trans women playing netball. One day, he catches Pedro doing the same and an intimate bond is formed. Peru. Director: Dennis Perinango.

Fabiu

80-year-old retiree Arthur lives in a modest home in Vienna. For quite some time he has lovingly been caring for his seriously ill wife Martha, with only female nurses assisting him. But when Fabiu, the new male Hungarian care worker arrives on his doorstep, his routine is broken. Soon the two men become closer and inside Arthur feelings of desire and suppressed longing start to emerge. Austria. Director: Stefan Langthaler.

Summer (Verano)

Night, speed, and copious adrenaline. We are thrust into the wild world of a young man at a loose end, and his longing for someone who will never love him back. Jaime is a young biker who rides through the city on his old motorcycle every day to make money. His life changes when he meets Verano, an escort who works the streets of downtown Guadalajara. Mexico. Directors Rafael Ruiz Espejo & Luis Pacheco.

The Male Gaze: Boy Trouble will be available worldwide via Amazon Prime Video and PecadilloPOD beginning April 1.

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