Search - FirstOUT 3 on DVD

Another Collection of Gay Shorts

Amos Lassen | Little Rock, Arkansas | 11/08/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

""First Out 3"

Another Collection of Gay Shorts

Amos Lassen

On the heels of "First Out 1" and First Out 2" comes another fine collection of short gay films from Alluvial. This collection is well balanced in that it contains a mystery, a coming-of-age story, a comedy and a story of innocence. Here are films that all of us can relate to and therefore they have something to say about the way that we live.
"The Cousin" ("El Primo") is the story of a sensitive and sheltered teen who finds himself reuniting with his cousin Louis who lives on the rough side of Laredo, Texas. Louis sees right through Mark who tries very hard to impress him and Louis decided that it is time to take Mark to the wrong side of town. Eventually a bond is formed between the two and they become as close as they were when they were kids. However, before his walk on the wild side is over, Mark finds this sheltered world opened up and he learns just what it takes to become a man.
"Four Degrees" is about a series of murders and Philip Long is the suspect. However Philip knows nothing about the murders except that the dead people are those that he has loved. Could Philip's own personal secrets be to blame? When Lieutenant Wilma Kittle and detective Mike Young look at the facts of the murders, they make a discovery about Philip's secret life and it is hard to decide what is true and what is not. We learn that guilt is based on the degrees it reaches.
"Ready? Ok!" is a surprising little film that steals the heart. It's a poignant comedy about a single mom trying to understand her young son's obsession with dresses, dolls, and cheerleading. She is also faced with the nature of family and when her father dies and her wayward brother returns home, she and her brother and son are forced into facing themselves and finding out what a family really is. Aside from the mother facing her own issues and fears, she has to look at the early indications that her son may be a homosexual. Andy Dowd (Carrie Preston) is an over-caffeinated single mother who lives in a world of chaos. Living in Normal Heights she is having a tough time as a single mom. Joshua, her ten year old son, is smart and happy but she worries that he is not on track. She is called to the Mother Superior's office at Joshua's Catholic School all too often and Andy is off on a tangent. He wants to be on the all-girl cheerleading squad, he regards Maria Von Trapp as his most influential role model, he loves French braids and this is not what little boys do. Here is a new take on the American family and Andy is forced into stripping away all of her illusions so that she can find peace for her and Joshua. Charlie, the gay next-door neighbor tries to help and he gets Andy to turn her focus inward and embrace her son's individuality.
"Coffee" concerns three friends who meet for a cup of joe. Polly, John and Jane find that the talk turns, as usual, to guys--more specifically to Polly's ex-boyfriend, Chris. Polly has a great gossip item about why she and Chris broke up but is not sure if it is the truth or rumor. John and Jane hatch a plot to find out foe themselves and as the plot progresses, we see that there is more than just coffee here and whatever it is appears to be very exciting.
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