ENGAGED | LGBTQ Short Film Romantic Comedy | Daniel K. Isaac, Ryan Jamaal Swain

[@MatteBlack2024]

LOVE this… so rare to see a Black/Asian pairing - unfortunately, so nice to see positive depictions of men of color that are not over the top… MORE PLEASE!

[@dw7312]

Not rare at ALL!! Where are you from??

[@optimumreality9745]

@@newagehero9605 Exactly!

[@Anguu777]

I'm Asian looking for black bf😂

[@twill1076]

Actually its becoming more rare to see Black men with Black men.

[@Anguu777]

@@twill1076 no it's not bruhh

[@HectorGarcia1]

Terrific! Really well done. This is what a short should be.

[@_callmetre_2369]

Now I want the series. 😮‍💨 I’ve never seen a show, movie, short film, and so on that centered around a Black man & an Asian man. This was like breath of fresh air.

[@deangelobrown8287]

I AGREEEEE I WANT THIS NOW AND I WANT TO AUDITION FOR IT SO HOW LOL

[@BrothaJ365]

Monsoon (2019) with Henry Golding and Parker Sawyers

[@houseofjk2649]

TOTALLY AGREE IT WAS INDEED QUITE REFRESHING! I AM FROM NY AND SOMETIMES I FEELS VERY TRIBAL OVER HERE.

[@Itoshimi]

I agree. It’s great to be seen. This my current relationship. Asian male and black male.

[@rodericwalter2862]

This was good. The casting made sense -- I could see these people in real life having these issues.

[@RonnelB.]

I really liked the main characters. Good job!

[@marklouis1890]

Damon from Pose in this movie. Im loving it

[@yuyoikwanga7077]

So glad to see he's acting again ❤

[@marklouis1890]

@@yuyoikwanga7077 me too

[@bradbowlamma3039]

​@@yuyoikwanga7077 for real

[@realdex]

@@yuyoikwanga7077 but this was shot in 2019, before he left Pose.

[@JohnMoses-d7w]

This is a near-perfect short story, which I guess is what a short film. should be. Congrats all around.

[@houseofjk2649]

This film was very well written accompanied by a set of great actors. Living in an environment where you barely see interracial couples this film made my heart full.

[@rodericwalter2862]

Well said. The story line: realistic, yet moving. The scene location choices: very impressive.

[@tw4943]

MORE OF THIS! Men of COLOR is essential and the positive depictions are a plus. Again, MORE COLOR and thank you

[@queenyazzi6700]

The amount of diverse and interracial couples in this film is making my heart RIDICULOUSLY warm☺️🤗☺️🤗☺️🤗☺️❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥🤩🤩🤓

[@MichaelPalmer-mh7lv]

This was terrific .The opening was too funny, Can you imagine you trying to pop the big question and the whole restaurant is doing the same thing, including the wait staff. Hilarious.

[@oiseauNoir]

Really cute about this is, we're a black & Asian couple as well. 😂

[@blackamericanlesbianprofes4357]

Thank you for sharing your comment. Just to let you know: It's capital B for my Black American culture, not lower case black.

[@Itoshimi]

Same here.

[@ldc4817]

🙋🏽‍♂️

[@charlesmathenge528]

Black and Asian gay love ..so beautiful..need more of this.. breaking down the barriers, they look beautiful together ❤😢

[@rodericwalter2862]

They do look good together. I wonder if the auditions were tedious.

[@_derekbuchi]

the best

[@rodericwalter2862]

@@_derekbuchi Whoever this is (that created this film, wrote it, sold it to investors deserves to go far -- very, very far. The film was absolutely amazing.

[@vbrownactorsinger]

Yes!!! We need a series! I need to see wedding planning drama. Mothers of the grooms drama, adoption or surrogacy drama!

[@NerdPlayhouse]

brilliant. Darren's anxiety is masterfully presented and oh so relatable. Elliot's love, support and patience are rock solid and beautiful.

[@henrydenner5448]

Awesome! For those who will understand this: CAIRO AND GAVREEL FAMOUS STREET SCENES!!! ❤❤❤

[@jayclark8805]

i hate this is a short story. would have loved a mini series with these characters....BRAVO!!!

[@AveSinistra]

Finally a black/asian couple FINALLY

[@KnijMagz]

Not gonna lie, Lara slayed. We all need a Lara in our lives.

[@omare22]

I'm like Lara most of the time, so yeah I immediatly agree with everything she said

[@queenyazzi6700]

OMG!!!! The Actors, the story, the directors, the producers, the comment section!!!! IM LITERALLY IN AWE 🥰🥰🥰💖💖💖❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥🔥🔥🔥

[@marklouis1890]

We need more movies like this

[@rodericwalter2862]

Ditto - excellent work and a cinematic treat.

[@spock2547]

Darren girl friend is a true ally for being the one looking above the heteronormative bs in that relationship.

[@kechiotta5349]

Superb work. Love the representation of interracial couples. Beautiful film.

[@TheBleachj16]

I related to Daren's general anxiety so much. The choice paralysis that comes with playing every bad scenario in your mind and psyching yourself out. Well done film.

[@keyplayer123]

Thank you for a natural and believable story. I know they're just characters but I hope they're happy forever!

[@randyfaris8479]

This was amazing! Sure glad it showed up in my recommended!

[@marklouis1890]

Same the story was so sweet

[@rickied4640]

Well written, acted and directed.

[@liviamansano8757]

Okay I NEED a 90 minute movie of this absolutely stunning work! As an lgbt film student, this short will go into my “inspirations” list

[@rodericwalter2862]

I would like to hear about post-production on some of your projects, film scoring issues, auditions for actors, and how you pick music, singers, and a composer.

[@otakulys]

I really liked the choice not to show the actual proposal, just the second before it starts. It emphasizes that the point of the short wasn't about the proposal at all, and it actually made me tear up that it cut there, like we don't need to see to know what's happening, internally, for the character, or what will happen for them afterward. This was sweet and simple while also touching on something complex.

[@eleasandrinhoarantes3078]

Private and personal proposals are best . I understand a lot of people want the validation of other people seeing , but it’s not about them , it’s about the 2 of you

[@ramonaflowers2813]

So good so cute Darren is a big ball of anxious energy and Elliot is so calm and fun what a couple

[@Aaron400]

It's nice to see blacks and asians guys dating. Nice to see something different.

[@d12kiem7]

As an Asian guy I've had better luck with Black men than other Asian men.

[@Aaron400]

@@d12kiem7 wow me too. I've had more success with Asian guys than other black guys. Lol.

[@itsnatemate7697]

@@Aaron400let me know when y’all link up LMFAO 😭

[@KnijMagz]

@@itsnatemate7697 Lmao you right, you right.

[@Aaron400]

@@itsnatemate7697 I'll let you know if I do.

[@louisdewit4429]

F…. Beautiful. It made me cry. This is what i’ve wanted my whole life. I’m now 66. As most Gay men, single. If you can love …. then do it. ❤

[@AmanCreatesArt]

Great chemistry! I would watch this as a series!

[@rodericwalter2862]

I am pleasantly shocked that multiple people are specifically requesting a series! Smart!

[@jqncrr]

I thoroughly enjoyed this mini film and what makes it better is that they actually look good together and could pass as a real couple. I would love to see Black men dating each other in a gay series but I’m happy someone took the initiative to include an Asian man. Nothing is wrong with loving a white guy but it’s refreshing to see other groups of people be loved. Hopefully they’ll see all the love this is getting and they’ll turn this into a series!

[@aggiepride2]

This was great! I would watch a full series with these two.

[@mrm112776]

I appreciated the genuine chemistry, very very sweet! Thank you for the smile ☺

[@carl056]

Stop!!! I loved this. Just the right amount of drama

[@franklinaucapina1741]

Ryan Jamaal Swain was amazing in Pose so it's so nice seeing on this! Great film!

[@brentfisher6484]

Wonderful! Would enjoy a longer version that includes 'the back story.' Two appealing men in a very lovely and appealing story. Thanks

[@brucerosepapa3748]

Loved this movie! Great to see a diverse casting too. Asian/People of Color in front-and-center-roles...more please! Thank you.

[@harryliu2923]

This was so cute and entertaining, I’d love this to be a series. It’s refreshing to see a LGBTQ couple that aren’t both white or one of them white and I say this not to be divisive but representation really matters.

[@Ceares]

This was lovely. They are such a cute couple, and Elliot's sister and Darren's friend are great. The multiple proposals at the restaurant was hilarious. This works great as a short but I would have loved a full film too. I have to say though, my anxiety was off the charts watching him stand in the street like that.

[@Melarona23]

Brilliant shortl film! Social anxiety is nothing easy to handle. Its also refrshing to see a black and asian pairing.❤❤

[@gareth.6657]

We really need to see this in a series. This is an underexploited niche in gay drama.

[@oiseauNoir]

Finalement. A Short that's in English. My partner & I did one of those games on a cruise in 2003. We only got one answer right, yet we're still together.

[@truerthanyouknow9456]

The unified scream was the best.

[@Jupiterwillow]

Such a beautiful film and an accurate depiction of social anxiety.💕

[@tonybarlow4291]

Nicely done. I was caught up from beginning to end. And both actors are real cuties

[@joshuae.705]

This film made my little gay heart so happy 😩😭😍… Thank you for that representation 🔥🌈🙏🏾

[@yamkelanintika6973]

What a soothing and captivating queer story! So relatable! I so want a longer version. A series, maybe. I'm sold. What a cathartic watch. Loved the cinematography as well. I'm definitely recommending this!

[@k4zz1i]

I love this so much, I want more. Black and Asian gay relationship epic! I wish this was a whole movie!!!

[@lancecdcw]

This is what I’ve been wanting to see. This couple was so beautiful to watch. The story was perfectly what I needed to see. The couple was so attractive. I got a strong sense of the characters instantly thanks to the combination of the acting, directing, and script. Elliot’s look for the engagement party was *chef’s kiss* Micro-coming out is so real. Thanks for creating a word for that feeling. Darren’s anxiety is relatable. Great film. I’m glad the algorithm got this suggestion right. Great job all around! ❤

[@CarlosSilva-td3nn]

Sooo cute!!! Many thanks from Sao Paulo, Brazil.❤️🙏

[@der_Allsehende_Seher]

The Murphy's Law popping of THE QUESTION😅😂😅😂😅😂😅

[@kennethjacobs6049]

Beautiful movie really nice to see that it's a black guy and a Asian guy to show that love comes in spectrums this could be a series.

[@drnickcarter]

Darren get yo ass out the street, you in NYC, lol. Loved the film BTW.

[@abrahamboniface6305]

Love Them ❤

[@phoenixwalker543]

True friend will tell you what you need to hear not what you want to hear

[@myathtoozaw7282]

Lara actress's voice is so soothing btw... and the character herself is really a good fri tho❤❤

[@hlonimawela4413]

Beautiful! We need more , I would definitely watch this series

[@Carnibee]

The top comments are all about this being a Black/Asian couple, which is great, but I want to add something important: As a Black person who loves my culture, and who also watches Asian media from multiple countries, I noticed the couple and maybe thought “oh that’s cool” and then completely forgot about their races and fully focused on the story without trying. I was able to notice the acting still, the plot, the cinematography, the script… but I literally completely forgot about their skin until after the video ended and I went to the comments. We need more media like this where everyone can see relationships like this as normal, not even think twice about it, nothing to applaud. Real, human couples who may not have the same cultural background but that isn’t the point of the story at all and is barely worth mentioning. We need our kids to grow up in a world where they can look at us marveling at something like this and say “what are you so excited about?”

[@arthut3828]

THIS!! LIKE OMG

[@brandonjuno]

but as you can surmise from the comments, it's not commonplace, and people are not used to seeing it. in order to create that world, we must be intentional about displaying this kind of love, deliberate about normalizing it.

[@Carnibee]

@@brandonjuno to clarify, I am not disagreeing or countering anything. I 100% agree with you, we need more media like this so one day we will no longer find it surprising.

[@brandonjuno]

@@Carnibee i understand. i agree w your sentiment; it would be nice if media like this were unremarkable. but, almost counterintuitively, we have to deliberately shape the world we want to see. celebrate and amplify this kind of work when we see it so that more of it is produced.

[@Carnibee]

@@brandonjuno yes… I hope you understand that I am agreeing with you 😅 my only original point was to add a comment, not counter the comments.

[@TimCarey215]

This was a great short film. I teared up at the end

[@tilpatterson]

Am I the only one who screamed when they screamed??

[@Shawndoe08]

Super cute! Please give me more. I loved how this film address a lot of the anxiety of posing the question as a Lgbtq person.

[@Narutofanfreak45]

Lord this got me crying ! I loved this short, beautifully done and very well written and cast. Omg ❤

[@dearzuko]

THIS KIND OF CONTENT>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> I LOVED THIS

[@Cityvega]

Wow... great topic for a short film. We couldn't avoid to include it in our web magazine... Thanks a lot for sharing it... Kisses & hugs!

[@thatonemoodyguy]

Love this!!! Need a full-length film or series. These characters are AWESOME, this is excellent filmmaking ❤

[@picassofriend3289]

wtf- I was screaming too! 😂 This is more than just a film, thanks for allowing me the opportunity to reflect, experience, laugh, question… ❤

[@andys6303]

really totally funny， high quality filming

[@SeraProbleme]

I love this. As someone who is gay and has anxiety, I really connected with the main character.

[@adamybarra3518]

I’m not crying you are!

[@BlerdTV11]

Love seeing this. This is a fun idea. Love seeing the black and asian couple dynamic and the pressures of getting engaged. Beautiful stuff.

[@royalgreenlantern]

love this. This should be turned into a full show

[@AaronHolland]

Love this! exactly the right vibe and the characters felt real. Especially the Best friend. loved her.

[@sherrickwatson678]

This was so good! Why am I crying like a baby tho!?!!??? 🥰

[@sm2353]

Good stuff! Good acting, good script, good direction.... Good stuff, thank you!

[@SoulfulQueerIntimacy]

This was incredible! Totally relate and I also love the Black/Asian couple! Never seen it before, it’s nice!

[@craig2469]

KZbin recommend this. Glad I watched. I loved it frfr 🔥🔥

[@stephenstephen1505]

Beautifully done - the conjunction of great directing and acting. You have a huge future. Well done!

[@richardwhitehouse8762]

I guess short form is still where the money is... Very nicely done. Understated, stylish. And short. 😅

[@piscesgroovesupreme]

Oh this was BEAUTIFUL 🥹🥹🥹🥹

[@toekneeburn]

That was sentimental but very heartwarming For an old codger to watch.

[@ladybird131]

Omg that was so good. I am crying here!!! Shirt and sweet but why am I craving more?!!! I think I need more. Please ❤

[@mooseluvs08]

I want the series neow because omg this was so realistically portrayed

[@FabianFleitas1989]

Laura is the best friend we all need! Also, beautiful film. I need more of this, please and thank you ❤

[@kivonshe]

I love it!!!!! The laughs were perfectly placed n the deep dialogue esp in the bar was PERFECT! The crux. N the ending omg I was tearing up

[@The3rdjp1995]

Need a movie about their wedding now 😭😭

[@SONaddict61]

UGH so relatable and SO freaking cute 😩😭🥹😍

[@kobydale5304]

This was so cute and heartwarming 🖤✨️

[@nuwanarts20089]

Beautiful!!! Loved it! Rated it on IMDb!! Got a 10/10; from me!! Noticed, David Scala, that you directed Grotto too, which I saw some years back!!

[@VicSant0]

I need more! Lol this was beautifully done🙌🏾

[@brandonjuliuslee]

I absolutely loved this!

[@blkstele]

Wow thank you to some of the posters. I was having ALL types of thoughts watching this film. So beautiful.

[@marcusanderson-yeager6740]

Love this, that was my Jon who was afraid of what others would think after being "roommates for 21 years" and raising our four sons that only I was able to adopt, and he is a big guy, me 5'3.

[@billycarroll9153]

Loved this so much. It made my day.

[@RaldieYoung]

awwww… Damon is doing okay after all. ☺️

[@crownjewel832]

Loved this beautifully written short! We need a full feature movie or a series next. I'd really enjoy following the lives of these amazing characters!

[@JC-jd1us]

Omg I can't imagine being him about to propose and then everyone else doing it 😅

[@PkmnLovr1]

If you ask me, Darren was being a pushover. He does not need to come out repeatedly if he doesn’t want to. And he certainly doesn’t owe anyone his breath like when the pushy taxi driver kept negging him to talk. Elliot was being pushy by pulling Darren on stage even though he said he hates being on stage. Elliot was also the worst boyfriend by saying “if ever get the nerve to pop the question” and “do you even want to get married”. He is putting a lot of pressure on to Darren tbfh. They are both grown btw. Either one of them can pop the question tbfh. And Darren’s best friend says things to him that aren’t actually the best for him imo. She speaks out from her emotions and is not careful about hurting her friend’s feelings which is what makes a good friend imo. Other than that, 7.65/10. Great coupling. Great actors. Too many social issues for my liking

[@yourstrulybrenda]

This is beautiful 🥺🥺 Why did i leave it on my Watch Later List? Love to see this presentation and more