The Male Gaze: Fleeting Glances, from NQV Media, is about those moments that can change our world, for good and ill, and the people who drift in and drift out but leave a lasting impression. The Male Gaze: Fleeting Glances is available to rent or buy now on Amazon, Peccadillo Pod and Vimeo.
Our lives are full of random moments, meetings and connections that shape our worldviews, hopes and desires. Sometimes, these moments are painful, sharp and life-changing, and sometimes, they are sweet, joyous and celebratory, but whichever form they take, they are unavoidable as we walk through life. Short films have long explored these brief moments, offering a window into a character’s life that briefly opens wide before shutting. The Male Gaze: Fleeting Glances is about those moments that can change our world, for good and ill, and the people who drift in and drift out but leave a lasting impression.
The collection opens with The First Time (La prima volta), directed by Lorenzo Caproni. A young man is cruising at a local park, desperately seeking someone to connect with for his first sexual experience, and it’s not long before he catches someone’s eye, and they make their way to a public toilet. But while for one it’s a mere frivolity to pass the time, for the other it’s a life-changing experience that ends all too quickly. Caproni explores the differing expectations of random sexual encounters and the fact that they can be a transformational experience that is misunderstood and undervalued.
Next up is Kiss Me, directed by Johnny Doov. As Adam prepares for a late-night hookup with Shay, the hot and steamy prospect of sex is soon clouded by something missing: kissing. Adam tries, but for Shay, kissing is off-bounds, leading to a quick separation before anything gets started. Doov explores just how messy and uncomfortable sex can be when two people meet, only to fall apart due to likes and dislikes, with a tale more than a few will relate to.
Have you ever looked at someone and wondered what their story is? We all make instant judgments about the people we meet every day without ever knowing their stories. This is even more evident when we discuss those fleeing persecution in small dinghies or boats as they strive for a life of freedom and hope. The press likes to label these individuals “economic migrants”, never once asking about the story of their lives. This creates a society where people are seen as problems to be solved rather than as humans who need to be loved.
Films like Nidhal, directed by Bassem Ben Brahim, challenge us to rethink our judgements and perceptions as we meet Nidhal, a young gay Tunisian who dared to defend the human rights of queer people on a local radio station back home. His bravery led to death threats against him and his friends and family, and he was left with no option but to seek asylum in the Netherlands. In Brahim’s short, he bravely recounts his story.
The fourth film in the collection is the compelling Sparrow, directed by Welby Ings. In this gentle and loving short story, we meet a young boy who believes he can fly with a pair of mechanical wings fixed to his back. However, the other boys at school taunt his wings and ridicule him at every opportunity; to them, he is weird, a misfit and stupid. But when the boy discovers a long-lost letter revealing the truth about his grandfather’s service in the Second World War and his mistreatment due to his sexual orientation, the boy finds the confidence to confront his oppressors and metaphorically fly away.
Next is I Am Mackenzie, directed by Artemis Anastasiadou. For Mackenzie, gender has long been a confusing world of choices and decisions. Mackenzie loves skateboarding, baggy clothes and beanies and defies stereotypical gender norms at every opportunity. However, Mackenzie also has a hidden attraction for their best mate. The problem is their best mate doesn’t see them as a possible partner, forcing Mackenzie to conform to a gender stereotype to get his attention. As things heat up in the back of their dad’s pickup truck, Mackenzie quickly realises they may have made a colossal mistake, adding new layers of confusion.
Sometimes, we are blind to the reality of a relationship even when it’s staring us in the face. We wear blinkers, thinking that things will change, and even when they don’t, we tell ourselves tomorrow will be different. In our fifth film, The Place Between Us (Il posto fra di noi), directed by Lorenzo Caproni, one man finally accepts the reality of his relationship through the lens of a camcorder.
The Male Gaze: Fleeting Glances closes with By the End of the Night (Que la nuit s’achève), directed by Denoal Rouaud. Taxi driver Karim has long felt that something is missing in his life, and when he picks up a stranger named Alex at the end of his shift, he may have found what that is. But can Karim accept these new feelings? Or will he run? This fleeting meeting could change his world forever if he chooses to stay.
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