Testosterone - Volume 3

TLA Releasing has compiled this third volume in their Testosterone Series, and as good as this selection is, we're unsure why the anthology deserves such a title.

"1992": This award-winning nostalgic film from France is the tale of 17-year-old Martin (Louis Duneton), who is left to his own devices after school every night when his single-parent father goes to work. Martin is obsessed with filming everything with his camcorder and also losing his virginity.

After getting beaten up at school one day, he is taken home by Dominique (Matthieu Dessertine), a young teaching assistant who Martin decides should be his first gay experience. His father discovers his son's closeted sexuality and without saying out loud lets Martin he is OK with everything, and with him.

"Just Me": This short stars Brit heartthrob soap actor Philip Oliver as Scott, a closeted gay man who is about to marry a woman when he is confronted by the appearance of Connor (Carl Loughlin), his ex-boyfriend, on his doorstep. Scott's fiance suggests that Connor join her groom on his Stag Night, but he politely declines, saying it's S&M night at his local club. And that is where a drunken Scott ends up, as he really wants to be ravished by Connor once more... but does he really have the balls for it?

"Silverlake Afternoon": This is another tale about a closeted gay man who wants to lose his virginity. At least, he thinks he does. Michael is 33-years-old and has finally found the nerve to hook up with someone online. His date, Casey (Dakota Greene), couldn't be cuter and is charmed by Michael's awkwardness and his tendency to overthink every little thing.

Michael is played with great sincerity by Michael Osbourne, who wrote and co-directed this 11-minute short. He manages to make his geeky character extremely likable, and we end up rooting for him to succeed in his quest.

"Telling Dad": This is the second Brit film in this anthology, and also the second to star actor Carl Loughlin (who also wrote). Based on his own life, it is the story of a closeted Northern gay lad who is giving an ultimatum by his boyfriend of one year to finally come out to his family. He chooses to do this by writing a letter to each of his family members and then follows up with a visit to them. He gets a variety of reactions, but they always end the conversation the same way: "Have you told your Dad yet?" The way they say it, you can only expect the worst...

The story has an unexpectedly happy ending, although that part was a figment of Loughlin's imagination; in real life, his father was not the jolly, accepting man portrayed in his film.

"The Jealous Sea": This film by Reid Waterer is definitely the weakest of the collection. Without a word spoken, a handsome couple of men pick each other up in the park and are soon very much an item. Hunky Kevin Sebastian Lysen is a successful photographer who spends his days taking nude photos of hot male models. When Carlos (Kevin Ramirez) sees one particular set of pics, he phones Kevin up and accuses him of having slept with the model. As a rebuttal, Kevin says he can't stand jealousy, so the relationship is over - just like that.

Two months later, Carlos tracks the model down and sleeps with him, only to discover Kevin never had. So he crawls back to Kevin and begs forgiveness. They plan to live together happily ever after. However, this cliched tale is very predictable, so you know that is never going to happen.

"Testosterone, Volume 3"
DVD
$19.99
https://www.tlavideo.com/videos/2647408/testosterone-volume-three