Anyone know of any cheap deals on flights to Belgium?
Not because we’re eager to do some sight-seeing—though we’re sure the country’s lovely this time of year—but because we’re desperate to see the new gay Belgian series Oh, Otto!, which currently isn’t available to stream in the States. 😩
From emerging filmmaker Stijn van Kerkhoven, the Dutch-language series is the story of a 26-year-old named—you guessed it!—Otto (Jonathan Michiels), a cute but shy guy who’s unfortunately a little too stuck in the past, made screamingly clear by the fact that he lives in his deceased grandmother’s apartment in Brussels.
How about we take this to the next level?
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Otto’s been in what he’s believed was a happy relationship with Boris (Gijs De Corte), so he feels utterly blindsided when gets dumped. Boris is worried they settled down too soon, and though they still have love for each other, he doesn’t want to be the reason Otto never sees the world.
Thankfully he’s still got his lifelong best friend Lente (Jennifer Heylen) by his side… that is, until she shares that she, too, is ready to explore life beyond Brussels. Suddenly feeling like his world’s been pulled out from under him, Otto begins to question want he’s actually into, and who he even is outside of his relationships.
But, with a little encouragement from Lente, he joins the dating apps for the first time, creating an online alter ego that gives him space to explore new sides of himself.
And, in turn, he gets to explore a whole new side of Brussels: The city’s surprisingly vibrant queer nightlife scene, one with plenty of new fun to explore in the forms of drag, leather, and anonymous dark room hookups.
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Also among the ensemble are hunky Dutch actor Tarikh Janssen, whose *ahem* whole-hog scenes are making the rounds online, and former EuroVision contestant Mustii, best known stateside as a judge on Drag Race Belgique, who performs in drag in the series.
Here, check out the Dutch-language trailer, and pro-tip if you don’t speak the language: Toggle on YouTube’s auto-translated captions so you can understand what they’re saying.
The seven-episode series debuted on Belgian streamer Streamz earlier this month, and though it’s not currently available to watch stateside (unless you know your way around international VPNs), the campaign to bring it to America starts here and now!
That’s because, even in an age of increased queer representation on our TV screens, our options are severely lacking in more grown-up dramas specifically focused on the LGBTQ+ experience. From the looks of it, Oh, Otto! is a show unafraid of tackling more mature themes, the intricacies of adult relationships, and showing a little skin, too.
Like, Looking‘s been off the air for almost a decade, that Queer As Folk reboot never really got a chance to find its audience, and Fellow Travelers was only a one-and-done series. We need more scripted dramas willing to show off a little man bum, no?
In all seriousness, Oh, Otto! shares an important message it feels like the world could stand to hear right now. When it recently won the Bets Short-form Series award at the Cannes International Series Festival, the jury wrote the following:
“In a world where polarization is increasingly prevailing, this intimate yet universal story reminds us of series like Oh, Otto! are necessary now more than ever and that in the law of love everyone is equal.”
Yes, exactly… and it also helps that the guys in the show are incredibly handsome. What? Is that so wrong to say?
That’s all we know about Oh, Otto! for now, but stay tuned for updates on when and how you might be able to officially stream it in the U.S. (And if you have any tips in the meantime, do let us know!)
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