The Blue Caftan (2023)

Red Soil

Freshly hired as a labor nurse in a chemical factory, Nour discovers that small arrangements exist between management and her father, Slimane, the staff representative, and the company's pivot. Lies about polluting discharges, hidden illnesses of employees, hidden accidents ... Nour, little by little, no longer accepts the compromises of his father to preserve the image of the company. She decides to launch the alert.

Alma Viva

Like every summer, little Salomé returns to her family village nestled in the Portuguese mountains for the holidays. As the vacations begin in a carefree atmosphere, her beloved grandmother suddenly dies. While the adults are tearing each other apart over the funeral, Salomé is haunted by the spirit of the one who was considered a witch.

The Queen of My Dreams

Azra is worlds apart from her conservative Muslim mother. When her father suddenly dies on a trip home to Pakistan, Azra finds herself on a Bollywood-inspired journey through memories, both real and imagined; from her mother’s youth in Karachi to her own coming- of-age in rural Canada.

Le banquet d'Auteuil

Tired of his wife's infidelities, Moliere rented a house in Auteuil, with his young protege, Michel Baron and his lifelong friend, Chapelle who invited a turbulent troop to dinner, that will mock/envy the jealous passion of the author.

The Married Woman

A superifical woman finds conflict choosing between her abusive husband and her vain lover.

He Went That Way

Set in 1964, a three-day journey along Route 66 begins when Bobby Falls, a 19-year-old serial killer, hitches a ride with Jim Goodwin, a celebrity animal handler travelling with his precious cargo: his TV chimpanzee, Spanky.

Houria

A young woman who is passionate about ballet dancing and experiences a trauma, and then she meets other women who have experienced similar situations and they find a creative way to pursue their passion.

Love Life

Taeko and her husband, Jiro, are living a peaceful existence with her young son Keita, when a tragic accident brings the boy's long-lost father, Park, back into her life. To cope with the pain and guilt, Taeko throws herself into helping this deaf and homeless man.

The Revenge of the Shiny Shrimps

Two years after the death of Jean, Matthias, the coach, decides to take Selime, a young man from the suburbs he believes is gay, to accompany the Shiny Shrimps to the Gay Games in Tokyo, on a trip to pay tribute to their friend who left too early. But after they miss their connection, they find themselves stranded in Russia, in one of the not the most gay-friendly regions in the world. The start of a crazy adventure as incredible as it is perilous.

The Lure

Two mermaid sisters, who end up performing at a nightclub, face cruel and bloody choices when one of them falls in love with a beautiful young man.

The In(famous) Youssef Salem

Youssef Salem, 45, has always managed to miss his writing career. But the trouble begins when his new novel becomes a success because Youssef couldn't help but be inspired by his own, for better or worse. He must now avoid at all costs that his book falls into the hands of his family.

Next Sohee

High school student Sohee starts job training at a call center, but she faces pressure of greedy company. Detective Oh Yu-jin, who has something in common with Sohee starts to follow traces to reveal the truth.

The Quiet Girl

A quiet, neglected girl is sent away from her dysfunctional family to live with relatives for the summer. She blossoms in their care, but in this house where there are meant to be no secrets, she discovers one.

Passages

Tomas and Martin are a gay couple living in Paris whose marriage is thrown into crisis when Tomas impulsively begins a passionate affair with young schoolteacher Agathe. But when Martin begins an affair of his own, Tomas must confront life decisions he may be unprepared—or unwilling—to deal with.

Nuovo Olimpo

In 1970s Rome, a casual encounter between Enea and Pietro at a movie theater turns into an unforgettable romance — until destiny pulls them apart.

Sage homme

After failing the medical entrance exam, Léopold enters midwifery school by default, hiding the truth from those around him. While he is unconvinced of his commitment to this exclusively female environment, his meeting with Nathalie, an experienced midwife with a passionate character, will change his view of this fascinating world and upset his certainties.

Second Tour

A disgraced political journalist placed in the soccer section, Miss Pove is asked to follow the presidential campaign in progress. The front-runner is a fifty-year-old heir to a powerful French family and a political novice. Troubled by this candidate, whom she has known to be less smooth in the past, Miss Pove embarks on an investigation that is as surprising as it is jubilant.

The Son

A successful lawyer, with a new wife and infant, agrees to care for his teenage son from a previous marriage after his ex-wife becomes concerned about the boy's wayward behavior.

Empire of Light

The duty manager of a seaside cinema, who is struggling with her mental health, forms a relationship with a new employee on the south coast of England in the 1980s.

Coup de Chance

Fanny and Jean have everything of an ideal couple: fulfilled in their professional life, they live in a magnificent apartment in the beautiful districts of Paris and seem to be in love as on the first day. But when Fanny crosses, by chance, Alain, a former high school friend, she is immediately capsized. They see each other again very quickly and get closer and closer.

The Nanny Diaries

A college graduate goes to work as a nanny for a rich New York family. Ensconced in their home, she has to juggle their dysfunction, a new romance, and the spoiled brat in her charge.

Secret in Their Eyes

A tight-knit team of FBI investigators, along with their District Attorney supervisor, is suddenly torn apart when they discover that one of their own teenage daughters has been brutally murdered.

The Mauritanian

The true story of the Mauritanian Mohamedou Ould Slahi, who was held at the U.S military's Guantanamo Bay detention center without charges for over a decade and sought help from a defense attorney for his release.

Mother

A mother lives quietly with her son. One day, a girl is brutally killed, and the boy is charged with the murder. Now, it's his mother's mission to prove him innocent.

The Wonder

Haunted by her past, a nurse travels from England to a remote Irish village in 1862 to investigate a young girl's supposedly miraculous fast.

Speak No Evil

A Danish family visits a Dutch family they met on a holiday. What was supposed to be an idyllic weekend slowly starts unraveling as the Danes try to stay polite in the face of unpleasantness.

C'est la vie!

Max is a battle-weary veteran of the wedding-planning racket. His latest — and last — gig is a hell of a fête, involving stuffy period costumes for the caterers, a vain, hyper- sensitive singer who thinks he's a Gallic James Brown, and a morose, micromanaging groom determined to make Max's night as miserable as possible. But what makes the affair too bitter to endure is that Max's colleague and ostensible girlfriend, Joisette, seems to have written him off, coolly going about her professional duties while openly flirting with a much younger server. It's going to be a very long night… especially once the groom's aerial serenade gets underway.

All Your Faces

Since 2014, France's restorative justice programmes have offered a safe space for supervised dialogue between offenders and victims. Grégoire, Nawelle, and Sabine, victims of heists and violent robberies, agree to join one of these discussion groups alongside offenders Nassim, Issa, and Thomas, all convicted of violent robberies. Meanwhile Chloé, a victim of childhood sexual abuse, prepares for dialogue with her own agressor after learning he has moved back into town.

Io Capitano

Longing for a brighter future, two Senegalese teenagers embark on a journey from West Africa to Italy. However, between their dreams and reality lies a labyrinth of checkpoints, the Sahara Desert, and the vast waters of the Mediterranean.

May December

Twenty years after their notorious tabloid romance gripped the nation, a married couple buckles under the pressure when an actress arrives to do research for a film about their past.

The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou

Renowned oceanographer Steve Zissou has sworn vengeance upon the rare shark that devoured a member of his crew. In addition to his regular team, he is joined on his boat by Ned, a man who believes Zissou to be his father, and Jane, a journalist pregnant by a married man. They travel the sea, all too often running into pirates and, perhaps more traumatically, various figures from Zissou's past, including his estranged wife, Eleanor.

Decision to Leave

From a mountain peak in South Korea, a man plummets to his death. Did he jump, or was he pushed? When detective Hae-joon arrives on the scene, he begins to suspect the dead man’s wife Seo-rae. But as he digs deeper into the investigation, he finds himself trapped in a web of deception and desire.

Hellraiser

Hedonist Frank Cotton finds a mysterious puzzle box that summons the Cenobites, who open the doors to a dominion where pain and pleasure are indivisible.

Priscilla

When teenage Priscilla Beaulieu meets Elvis Presley at a party, the man who is already a meteoric rock-and-roll superstar becomes someone entirely unexpected in private moments: a thrilling crush, an ally in loneliness, a vulnerable best friend.

Under the Skin

A seductive stranger prowls the streets of Glasgow in search of prey: unsuspecting men who fall under her spell.

The Little Things

Deputy Sheriff Joe "Deke" Deacon joins forces with Sgt. Jim Baxter to search for a serial killer who's terrorizing Los Angeles. As they track the culprit, Baxter is unaware that the investigation is dredging up echoes of Deke's past, uncovering disturbing secrets that could threaten more than his case.

The Three Musketeers: D'Artagnan

D'Artagnan, a spirited young Gascon, is left for dead after trying to save a noblewoman from being kidnapped. Once in Paris, he tries by all means to find his attackers, unaware that his quest will lead him to the very heart of a war where the future of France is at stake. Aided by King's Musketeers Athos, Porthos and Aramis, he faces the machinations of villainous Cardinal Richelieu and Milady de Winter, while falling in love with Constance, the Queen's confidante.

The Wind Rises

A lifelong love of flight inspires Japanese aviation engineer Jiro Horikoshi, whose storied career includes the creation of the A-6M World War II fighter plane.

Memories of Murder

During the late 1980s, two detectives in a South Korean province attempt to solve the nation's first series of rape-and-murder cases.

Without Destination

Sin Destino follows the life of a 15 year old Mexican boy, Francisco, as he struggles to survive on the streets. His primary source of income is money raised by prostituting himself to men for sex, and the film implies that this learned behaviour has arisen as a result of a contact with a single man when Francisco was 9 years old. This man, Sebastien, is an "artist" who initially claimed to want to photograph the boy, but it is clear that their relationship at one time extended far beyond that of photographer/model.

Port Authority

Paul, a 20 year old midwesterner, arrives at the central bus station and quickly catches eyes with Wye, a 22 year old girl voguing on the sidewalk. After Paul seeks her out in secret, an intense love between them blossoms. But when Paul discovers Wye is trans, he is forced to confront his own identity and what it means to belong.

All the Colours of the World Are Between Black and White

Bambino and Bawa meet in Lagos and hit it off immediately. During their long trips around the city they develop a deep affection for each other. But in a society which considers homosexuality taboo, they feel the pressure of social norms.

Lonesome Cowboys

Five lonesome cowboys get all hot and bothered at home on the range after confronting Ramona Alvarez and her nurse.

When Night Is Falling

Camille is a professor at a Protestant college who is engaged to Martin, a respected minister and fellow professor. When Camille meets Petra, a bold and flamboyant performer in a circus troupe, she is inexplicably drawn. Pursuing Petra, Camille throws her whole conservative life into disarray.

The Child I Never Was

A serial killer dispassionately discusses the nuts and bolts of his grisly avocation, as well as the youthful traumas which helped to mold him into a psychopath, in this disturbing independent drama from Germany, based on the true story of of Germany's most famous child murderer Juergen Bartsch who, between the ages of 15 and 19, abused, tortured and killed four schoolboys in the Ruhr region of Germany from 1962 to 1966.

Escaping the Fragile Planet

A boy-meets-boy tale, a few hours before the world ends.

Service

A struggling family owns a Filipino porn theater where prostitutes conduct their business.

Two Eyes

In late 19th century Montana, an artist seeking inspiration explores the landscape with his Native American guide, and finds his conceptions of himself and of the world around him challenged. In 1970s Barstow, California, a questioning youth's mundane existence is given a shot of adrenaline by the arrival of a new exchange student who envelops them within her own lust for life. In present-day Wyoming, a trans teenager works through his self-destructive feelings with his perceptive, non-binary therapist.

The Strange Ones

A man and a boy, traveling to an unknown destination, find respite in a motel swimming pool. On the surface all seems normal, but nothing is what it seems to be. Short film not to be confused with the 2017 feature film with the same name.

Farewell to Autumn

Decadence, homosexuality, excess wealth, infidelity, alcoholism and drugs all played a major role in the decline of aristocracy.

Bro

Best friends Aaron and Harris deal with a dynamic change in their friendship when romantic feelings surface. How will they continue being best bros?

Trophy Boy

James, a sexy, youthful sought-after instagram star in high-society and self-proclaimed 'Trophy,' is dumped by his wealthy live-in benefactor. Now he must learn that the real world is not the facade he's built for himself on social media.

Bend It Like Beckham

Jess Bhamra, the daughter of a strict Indian couple in London, is not permitted to play organized soccer, even though she is 18. When Jess is playing for fun one day, her impressive skills are seen by Jules Paxton, who then convinces Jess to play for her semi-pro team. Jess uses elaborate excuses to hide her matches from her family while also dealing with her romantic feelings for her coach, Joe.

My Own Private Idaho

In this loose adaptation of Shakespeare's "Henry IV," Mike Waters is a hustler afflicted with narcolepsy. Scott Favor is the rebellious son of a mayor. Together, the two travel from Portland, Oregon to Idaho and finally to the coast of Italy in a quest to find Mike's estranged mother. Along the way they turn tricks for money and drugs, eventually attracting the attention of a wealthy benefactor and sexual deviant.

7 Virgins

Tano is 16-years-old and is already sitting in jail. In 48 hours he’s a free man and off to the wedding of his brother. In the two days he recounts his neighborhood in a section of Sevilla.

Maestro

A towering and fearless love story chronicling the lifelong relationship between Leonard Bernstein and Felicia Montealegre Cohn Bernstein. A love letter to life and art, Maestro at its core is an emotionally epic portrayal of family and love.

The End of the Track

Tong and Yong-sheng are inseparable playmates, but after Yong-sheng dies in an accident, Tong falls into a dark spiral. At the time, this film was banned due to its homosexual overtones and ideology, while some felt that certain segments drew comparison with CHEN Ying-zhen’s short story The Noodle Stall.

Long Distance Train

A living person and a ghost balance their long distance relationship.

Noblemen

A secretly gay 15-year-old boy, struggling with his adolescent years, is terrorized by a gang of bullies in a posh boarding school. This sets forth a chain of events that leads to a loss of life and innocence.

Dungarees

Transgender Blake and cisgender Cane hang out, play video games and grapple with their insecurities. This is their love story.

Several Conversations About a Very Tall Girl

Two girls begin to chat about another girl, a former lover of both. As they grow closer, the gap between them widens, as one them is looking for answers and love while safely closeted. A try-out for love confined within suffocating prejudices, in today's Romania.

Ghost

Benjamin is "ghosted" by his lover.

About a Father

Sixty-year old Jindřich is waiting for a heart transplant. His wife, in an effort to protect him from a heart attack, has moved with him and their teenage daughter to their cottage in the countryside, so that he would have an absolutely peaceful life. But their son David comes for a holiday and he is not alone. He would like to discuss his life situation with his father but his mother intervenes as she is afraid that it would upset his father. Is, however, the worry about his health the real reason why she is making her children lie to their father?

That Certain Summer

The first US teleplay to deal sympathetically with homosexuality. Divorced San Francisco contractor Doug Salter is looking forward to a summer visit from his fourteen-year-old son Nick, who lives in Los Angeles with his mother Janet. The boy does not know that his father is gay and committed to Gary McClain, his life partner of several years.

It Gets Better

Saitarn, a retired post-op transsexual, falls in love with a local mechanic. Tonmai has inherited a gay cabaret bar from his father. And Din is a high school boy whom his father found out to be a trans. His father sends him upcountry to be ordained hoping it may make him straight.

Copa 181

COPA 181 is the first feature film by Brazilian director Dannon Lacerda. It is a 100% independent production that deals with the relationship of a couple that is affected by the events in a gay sauna. Awarded in several festivals in Brazil and in other countries, the director had the premiere of his film at the Rio de Janeiro International Film Festival in October 2017.

I Am Woman

In 1966, Helen Reddy landed in New York with her three year old daughter, a suitcase, and $230 in her pocket. Within weeks, she was broke. Within months, she was in love. Within five years, she was one of the biggest superstars of her time and an icon of the 1970s feminist movement who wrote a song which galvanized a generation of women to fight for change.

Dottie Gets Spanked

A six-year-old boy in pre-hippie 1960s United States endures ridicule from his schoolmates and worry from his father over his fixation with a TV star named Dottie.

Surrender Dorothy

Trevor is a busboy who is so terrified of women that he takes in a young man addicted to heroin and then uses the drug to manipulate, coerce, and terrorize him into becoming "Dorothy", his twisted concept of the "ideal girlfriend."

At the End of the Day

A conservative professor at a Christian college finds himself in a gay support group to stop their launch of an LGBT homeless youth shelter in their small town.

Fish Tank

When a college student goes to his first hook-up with a mysterious older man, he must determine if his anxieties point to a darker truth about his host for the night.

A Man's Voice

Paulo, a young gay boy with an abusive mother, meets Tom, a young gay man who makes his money bedding women.

Ana e Vitória

Two girls have a chance encounter and instantly befriend. While trying to find themselves, they decide to pursue music together.

Abuse

Brutally abused by his parents, teenage Thomas finds comfort in associating with a film director who is making a documentary about physical child abuse. The two fall in love, and the elder is faced with the decision of either running away with Thomas or focusing on his career and thereby letting the boy possibly be beaten to death.

The Gift

A man is hired by a woman as a gift for her husband.

The Young Don't Cry

An orphaned teen gets involved with some chain-gang convicts.

Brummi

A cinematic reflection on the lives of two middle-aged gay men and the formative value of personal freedom.

Writhing

Part work of ethereal realism, part dance film, this contemporary-set short follows a young man facing the probability of an HIV+ diagnosis.

Broken Sunflower Hearts

An intimate portrait that tells the story of Anthony, a lonely history teacher, and his adopted daughter Luna. Unexpectedly Sam, his ex boyfriend, shows up one year after their separation looking for closure or perhaps trying to revive a relationship that once was.

Night Ride

A cold night in December. Ebba waits for the tram to go home after a party, but the ride takes an unexpected turn.

I Hate New Year's

Rising music star Layne heads home to Nashville for New Year's Eve to break her writer's block, but sometimes you find inspiration - and love - where you least expect it.

If They Knew

Every day, Martin fills the set he works on with excitement. However, in his personal life he feels a great emptiness.

The Act

In 1965 - the eve of decriminalization for acts of male homosexuality in the U.K. - Matthews, a young gay man at odds with the world, discovers love, sex, and a new family in the backstreets and underground bars of Soho.

Fabiu

80-year-old retiree Arthur lives in a modest council home in Vienna. For quite some time he has lovingly been caring for his seriously ill wife Martha, with only female nurses assisting him. As he finds Fabiu, the new male Hungarian care worker, on his doorstep, his routine is broken. But soon the two men become closer and inside Arthur feelings of desire and suppressed longing start to rise.

The Christmas House 2: Deck Those Halls

The Mitchell brothers compete to see who can create the best Christmas House.

BL4M3

Some people seem really sure of themselves, or full of good intentions, or even radiate joy of life. But you have to see behind the mask, see the pain and suffering, know if it is necessary to help these people and not let yourself be perverted by bad decisions or destructive desires.

Heartbeast

When Elina, a young aspiring rapper forced to move from Finland to southern France, meets Sofia, her new step-sister and an impressive ballerina, she immediately falls in love with her.

Smokers Only

A suicidal young singer named Reni is about to get kicked out of her band when she meets a male gigolo, Andres, at an ATM after he picks her pocket. They begin an affair, and she decides to become a hooker so she can spend more time with her newfound love.

The Unknown Man

Louis, a Flemish writer, decides to isolate himself at the Côte d’Azur, hoping this place will bring him inspiration.

Glitter & Doom

Serious musician Doom and free-spirited circus kid Glitter start a budding summer relationship filled with camping trips, late-night conversations, and plenty of song and dance. Their relationship is put to the test as they deal with trying to make it in the music biz, their mothers, and finding what feeds each of their souls and dreams.

Pigalle

It's a grim world of prostitution, drug dens, transvestites, junkies and murderers. The seediest side of urban life is examined in this tragedy. The film follows the complex, interwoven lives of four characters as they live their harsh and gritty nocturnal lives on the city streets. The main characters are Fifi a pickpocket who is simultaneously involved with Divine, a transvestite hooker and Vera a peep show dancer who refuses to be a hooker. Vera lives with her would-be pimp Jesus le Gitan, a small-scale drug dealer. When the area riff-raff become embroiled in hostilities, two of main characters are slowly killed in horrible ways. Fifi is then left to avenge their deaths.

Beautiful Stranger

Romain, in his thirties, has just been dumped by his boyfriend. Lonely and romantic, he tries a dating app and will make two surprising encounters in a two-star hotel.

F

F, an 18-year-old boy, immerses himself in the world of the Drag Queen where he begins to build his identity despite family and social mandates, which impose on him to be afraid and ashamed of being who he is.

Metrosexuality

Kwame, a sexy, straight 17-year-old is trying to get his two dads, Max and Jordan, back together again. That is, when he's not trying to attract the attention of the girl of his dreams. Kwame's two gay best friends aren't having an easier time of it either, what with boyish Dean having a crush on daddy Max, and punky Banbi unable to get his older boyfriend Robin to settle down. Add Max's lesbian sister and Max and Jordan's new love interests and you're in the middle of a hip, fun, music-filled soap opera.

Dream On

A young lad Named Paul finds himself in love with a Welsh boy named George. Paul's disapproving mother is allways feeding him Jiggly Jelly and make him wobble so that he can't be with George!

Down the River

Krit is openly gay, but his closest friend, Win, is questioning. As they grow older, their love is tested when the two finally explore their passion. Down the River is a daring exploration of friendship and intimacy.

A Familia do Barulho

A dysfunctional family, composed of a prostitute and two gay men, one strong and the other fragile and stupid, lives a routine life in Rio de Janeiro. When the slut threatens the other two to stop supporting them, they decide to find an odalisque as an alternative to keep their easy life.

Mitosis

Kaveh is an LGBT sculptor. He lives in Iran and lives in isolation because of his sexual orientation. He has a lover named Farhad. Their relationship is not very good. It is Kaveh who is not happy with this relationship, he lives in his workshop because of the repression of LGBTs in Iran. He is making a statue when he suddenly realizes that this statue is talking to him. The words of the statue are not clear and are more like chatter. He breaks up his relationship with Farhad like his previous relationships, because something more than sex requires a relationship. He enjoys being alone more, but now he realizes that Farhad has destroyed the only statue they made together. The whispering sound of the statue increases and every moment Kaveh's mental state is more disturbed, to the point that he works day and night to build that statue. The statue is completed as if the statue is the lost lover of Kaveh. By completing the statue of Kaveh, he becomes a statue.

The Last Year

Paul's homosexual affair at Bible College with a new student named Alex sets tongues wagging, mostly with un-Christian reactions. The dean, himself a closet case, threatens to expel Paul, and the football jocks have their eye on Alex. The church confessional is sure to be busy as spirituality and sexuality clash in this movie based on a true story.

Theft

When Guy Simms is yanked out of his mundane routine mopping floors at the gay cabaret and accused of burning down the evangelical church by the town preacher, Guy overcomes his fear of authority to prove his innocence in this sardonic film about Leathermen, the Bible and fighting for freedom.

The Last Match

Cuba is not a country for young gays. Teen rent boy Reinier falls in love with a mate in the slum soccer field in their neighbourhood in Havana. Although obsessed with moneymaking to hold up his baby, teen wife, and wife's grandma, gambler Reinier always fails to get the stroke of luck he looks for. At the same time he cannot help being infatuated by Yosvani. Handsome Yosvani will give up his older, wealthy girlfriend (whom he hooked up to pay for a lavish life in the big city), and the work he does for her father, a loan thug, so much in love he is with Reinier. But the boys would fight hard to keep this love in the reckless Havana streets.

Westerland

In the midst of a freezing winter on the island of Sylt, Cem comes across Jesús, who is on the verge of committing suicide. The two young men become fast friends, with their friendship unexpectedly threatening to develop into something more. Cem and Jesús - laconic, alienated loners - find their previously uneventful lives starting to spin out of control now that each has someone who means something to him.

Daydream Obsession

Clayton has a problem with his roommate Brian... he's secretly in love with him! Blinded by passion, he can't tell the difference between his daydream fantasies and reality. Can he control his desire or will he cross the line?

Late Bloomers

A lonely secretary leaves her family for love with a female basketball coach. But their awakening galvanizes the local conservative community, with the small-town drama permeating everywhere from the teacher’s lounge to the student body to the PTA, yet leads to unexpected love-conquers-all resolutions.

Contact

A gay man returns home to mourn the death of his lover. However, since he's never come out to his family, they're unable to help as they're unaware of his recent loss. Meanwhile, he's drawn to a flirtation with an anonymous stranger by a message left in a men's room.

Spiral

Two hours before Karim and Dan are going on a trip to Argentina, Dan leaves their apartment and disappears without any trace. Karim sets out to locate him and face the world, Dan managed to hide.

Daddy's Big Girl

Overweight and uninspired Millie attempts to finally reconcile with her gay father, but his half-dressed male companions keep getting in the way.