Watch the Award-Winning Gay Short Requited on Its 10th Anniversary

In celebration of its 10-year anniversary, the short film Requited is now available free to stream.

The 2010 film, written and directed by Sal Bardo and starring Chris Damon, Max Rhyser, Matthew Watson, and Crystal Arnette, focuses on the character of Nicolas as he "struggles to decide whether to go to the wedding of his best friend from high school, Aaron, who he's always been quietly in love with," according to its description. It features intimate bedroom scenes as well as emotional moments of reckoning of how to "get over something you never had."

Upon its release, Requited won an audience award at Reel Affirmations, an LGBTQ+ film festival in Washington, D.C. Previously, it was only available through the short film compilation Blue Briefs.

Bardo, who went on to write Pink Moon (2015), Great Escape (2015), and Chaser (2013), described Requited as his "first pancake."

"It's never going to be perfect. But looking back 10 years later, I'm really proud of this film. It was a huge turning point in my career," Bardo told The Advocate. "I originally wrote it as a vehicle for myself as an actor and never thought I'd direct another one. But it was such a rewarding experience and received such a warm response that it actually changed the trajectory of my career."

Watch Requited below.