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The Male Gaze: First Kiss

Name: The Male Gaze: First Kiss
Director: Sam Langshaw, Daniel Hagberg, Yudho Aditya, hazart, Satya Dusaugey
Released: 2018
Duration: 98 min

Representation Score

7.1/10

Good

2018

TV-MA

Director

Sam Langshaw, Daniel Hagberg, Yudho Aditya, hazart, Satya Dusaugey

Runtime

98 minutes

Average Rating

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New Showbiz Analysis

The anthology stands out by breaking down the notion of a single queer experience. Through its global framework, it emphasizes the intersection of geography, culture, and identity across five distinct international shorts. The curation is purposeful, going beyond simple inclusion to make queer awakening the core narrative driver. The inclusion of non-Western perspectives offers a nuanced approach to visibility. While the focus is narrow regarding gender, the exploration of emotional vulnerability provides a meaningful challenge to traditional masculine stereotypes.

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Category Breakdown

Does The Male Gaze: First Kiss have LGBTQ+ representation?

Excellent

The anthology focuses on male-to-male romantic and sexual interactions, showcasing diverse stories from places like Indonesia. It avoids presenting a single, uniform perspective on queer experiences.

How does The Male Gaze: First Kiss portray gender?

Good

The collection challenges traditional masculine stereotypes by highlighting vulnerability and emotional sensitivity. It reframes masculinity through a lens of emotional complexity rather than toughness.

How racially and ethnically diverse is The Male Gaze: First Kiss?

Excellent

The work demonstrates a strong commitment to global diversity by including stories from Indonesia and France. This broad approach avoids the common pitfall of white-centric narratives in queer media collections.

How does The Male Gaze: First Kiss represent religion and culture?

Excellent

The series presents a pluralistic view of human connections by incorporating diverse international perspectives. This curation critiques the idea of a singular, Western cultural standard.

Does The Male Gaze: First Kiss include disability representation?

Minimal

There is no specific evidence regarding the depiction of physical or neurodivergent disabilities within the provided material.

Present on Screen

Exceptional global reach through stories from Sweden, Indonesia, USA, Australia, and France.
Strong centering of queer identity as the primary narrative driver.
Effective challenge of traditional masculine stereotypes through emotional vulnerability.

Limited or Absent

Lack of visible representation for physical or neurodivergent disabilities.
Limited gender diversity due to a narrow focus on male-to-male interactions.

Official Synopsis

The Male Gaze is a new series of releases from New Queer Visions that showcases short LGBTQ films from across the world. The first instalment, First Kiss, brings together five shorts that are based around men experiencing romantic and/or sexual interaction with other men for the first time. It takes in films from Sweden, Indonesia, USA, Australia and France giving a rounded look at how similar experiences are depicted across the world. The films are: Naked [Naken] (2013); Pria (2017); Walk With Me (2018), One Night Only (2018); Michel's Mouse [Tapette] (2016).

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