In another sizzling collection of shorts from NQV, The Male Gaze: Risk Appeal explores the choices we make or don’t make, and the risks we accept or are thrust upon us. From the dark, unforgiving streets that greet a young asylum seeker desperate for cash and safety to a friendship housing a secret, unspoken passion and an obsessive need to connect with a mysterious stranger. The Male Gaze: Risk Appeal is now available to rent, stream and buy on Prime Video, Vimeo, Amazon and Peccadillo Pod.
We all try to avoid threats and risks through our human fight-or-flight response to situations beyond our control; it’s one of our most primal instincts. Yet, risks surround us daily, and we regularly make instant decisions about the level of harm we think an activity may pose, from getting in a car to boarding a train, or getting on a bike. We subconsciously assess these risks and decide that the odds of something adverse happening are minimal; otherwise, we wouldn’t go anywhere or do anything.
In love, sex, friendship and companionship, we also take risks, sometimes calculated and sometimes without thought. We know that we can be hurt, and we understand that some people may manipulate, deceive, or even harm us. However, the drive for connection, the urgency of desire, or the need for companionship often overrides the potential pitfalls ahead.
In another sizzling collection of shorts from NQV, The Male Gaze: Risk Appeal explores the choices we make or don’t make, and the risks we accept or are thrust upon us. From the dark, unforgiving streets that greet a young asylum seeker desperate for cash and safety to a friendship housing a secret, unspoken passion and an obsessive need to connect with a mysterious stranger, The Male Gaze: Risk Appeal is another knock-out collection of short films.
Our first film is A KING, GAZING AT THE SEA, directed by Jean-Sébastien Chauvin. When a young traveller arrives in the beautiful Peloponnese Region of Greece for a relaxing break, it’s not the stunning landscape that catches his eye but a muscular man exercising on a terrace overlooking the sea. As the young man stares at the man working his body into a chiselled fortress, he wonders, is he gay? Could he be mine? Is he out of my reach?
We can all relate: after all, we have all seen someone beautiful on a beach, by a pool, or even in a supermarket and felt an instant attraction to them, so much so that we have to tear our eyes away as our minds conjure up a host of scenarios. The risk of approaching that person often prevents us from moving beyond a brief exchange of smiles or a casual hello. But sometimes, our desires are too strong to ignore, and the spark of a potential encounter beckons us to jump right in.
Our second film is the powerful and moving A DROWNING MAN, directed by Mahdi Fleifel. When he boarded an unsafe and illegal boat bound for the Greek coast, “the kid” dreamt of a new life away from Palestine, one where he could prosper and find safety. But what he found was pain, fear, and hunger on the cold, harsh streets of a city that ignored his existence.
Fleifel’s short film explores the grim reality many young people face after taking the ultimate risk of leaving their homes for a perilous journey into the unknown. Here, the kid has no name as he begs and borrows cash while smoking valuable cigarettes down to the butt. As he wanders the backstreets and parks, it is not long before he is approached by a man walking his dog, but what starts with kindness soon turns into a sexual advance in exchange for cash. The kid knows the risks, but does he have a choice?
A DROWNING MAN
The third short film in the collection is REO, directed by Mauricio Corco Espinoza. Manuel is fresh out of prison and has spent most of his life behind bars. Solitary and often violent, Manuel’s body is slowly dying, his hacking cough a sign that his life hangs in the balance. As he walks the backstreets and attempts to earn cash, lugging vegetables and potatoes around the bustling markets, Manuel’s only wish is to find his daughter, and one young man is willing to help. A fellow outsider, young Nico, sells himself to older men to earn a living and quickly becomes an unlikely friend to Manuel as he attempts to navigate a past that continues to haunt his present.
Our penultimate film is the beautiful SUMMER FRIENDS, directed by Maxime Hermet. During a long, hot summer on the coast, fifteen-year-old Ellis and his sixteen-year-old friend Tom spend their days swimming, fishing, crabbing and talking as the sun beats down. But when a mysterious girl catches Tom’s eye, the safe world between them changes. As Lucie joins the boys for a day of sun, swimming and laughter, love, lust, and desire suddenly invade their coastal paradise. Both boys find Lucie interesting, but Tom wants to get closer to her, and that means separating from Ellis. As jealousy bubbles to the surface between the new trio, Ellis takes a risk that could change his friendship with Tom forever.
SUMMER MEMORIES
Closing The Male Gaze: Risk Appeal is SUMMER MEMORIES, directed by Benoît Bouthors. Lucas, his girlfriend Marie, and his best friend love hanging out by the river, where the crystal-clear waters, lagoons, and rocks are perfect for sunbathing, gossiping, and planning the evening ahead. But like all teenagers, they often lack the cash to implement their nighttime plans. So when Lucas spots a stranger sleeping on the rocks just down the river, the man’s stuffed wallet grabs his attention.
Lucas immediately spots an opportunity; it would be easy to swipe the wallet; after all, he is asleep, and it wouldn’t take more than a few seconds to grab the cash. But with the risk of getting caught, Lucas heads back to his girlfriend and friend to discuss his potential plan—a plan that quickly becomes more and more absurd as the boys ask Marie to come on to him and snatch the cash, seemingly unaware that the man may not be straight.
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