The Ambiguous Focus (2018)

The Search for Identity & Self-invention

I just saw the full length movie version of The Ambiguous Focus (2017) not the 6 episodes drama (2018) and was pleasantly surprised by the high quality of both the story and cinematography. This is not your typical BL movie with fluffy, hilarious, or angsty scenes about teenage love. Right from the start the viewer is pulled into mature scenes with a gay couple trying to maintain their relationship.

The male leads, Nan and Zhe, know each other since school, their love story is shown in the prequel Kinematics Theory (2018). Both males are introverts, one is highly intelligent, highly sensitive, struggling to become a writer, the other is a good looking sporty guy who earns a living for both of them combining an office job with housekeeping. Just like the title their story is told, and filmed in a cryptic way, with different points of view from both men alternately, complemented by comments of their friends.

Plot
Nan and Zhe are nearing their 10th anniversary together, Nan is secretly saving money to buy a new apartment for them which makes him vulnerable for a rich guy named Jimmy who likes to bribe and sabotage Nan into a relationship with himself. Suddenly Nan's father must be hospitalized and from that moment on Nan's lot spells disaster, forcing him to make rash promises and decisions that have a huge impact on his partner Zhe, and his own future with Zhe.

Pros
I've read a lot of comments on the sadness of this movie, or the quality of acting, but I don't see it that way. First, the story has an open ending, second the actors were eye candy, their acting above average even natural at times, third, I found the story beautifully told, not overly dramatic... although living in a homophobe world is dramatic enough as shown in the side stories of gay friends who aren't living on cloud nine either.
The scope is on relationships, and questions about love. "Do I really love this person, or do I love it that he needs me, and I need him? Do I love him so much that I can withstand other alluring people?"

Cons
Misunderstandings are needed in a script to give a boost to a story, but I hate it, personally. A lot of grief could have been avoided if the characters would speak their minds. Further I disliked the passiveness of Zhe's character, but again, that's personal taste.

Verdict
This movie reminded me somehow of Oscar Wilde's "The Importance of Being Earnest". It shows that people are busy with image building and pleasing others, but it all comes down to our search for identity and self-invention to make relationships work. Go watch it!

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I have mixed feelings about this movie / drama. It deviated so much from the movie, not just in terms of plot, but in terms of feel as well, that I am
wondering whether I'm viewing the same story.

Story: This one is so much darker than "Kinematics Theory," relationships more complicated, and there is a lot of sh!t going on
that I wonder if whether it is the fault of the writing or the character's life-decisions.

Acting / Cast: After watching Kinematics, I guess I am surprised at how the lead character development changed from the movie to this drama.
The cast was able to deliver the transition without so much as skipping a beat, and they were believable in their angst and insecurities.

Music: Nothing worthwhile to note.

Re-watch Value: Not entirely sure I would. Maybe would only re-watch for the hot sex scenes, but I'm bad like that.

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"A Harsh Dose Of Reality: The Series" So Good But Rough To Watch

So I'm writing this review after my second viewing of this series. The first time I watched it I wasn't fully invested, so I missed A LOT of plot you cannot multitask during this show. So be prepared to sit down and really pay attention. I also watched this before its prequel movie "Kinematics Theory" which is a whole different entity. I wanted to go in fresh and to be honest I don't think it's necessary to watch that first, it wasn't my cup of tea anyway. I followed everything well enough and it can stand alone as its own story. I was told beforehand that the series and movie are hella different in tone too (weirdly lol), so depends on your preference. I much prefer this 1000% in every way and I think it deserves more credit than its given! Fluffy stories are fun sometimes, but don't overlook these absolute gems as well in storytelling and relatability just because it's "depressing" or "uncomfortable".

This series takes place 10 years into a relationship between Zhe and Nan. So from when they were 18 until 28, that's a pretty mature concept right off the bat because people can change a lot in those years. Then we add onto a plot of "cheating" coming from Nan. Which if you've watched this, you know isn't actually the case but that's what were presented with initially. So it's not deceiving at all with what's to expect from this show. However, I wasn't expecting the show to present so many complicated situations that honestly were fantastically presented in every way. It's heartbreaking, frustrating, complicated, messy and really rough to watch at times. But it felt real, so real at times that I felt like I was invading into someone's privacy. Going into more detail, there's already this huge blow to this relationship from the beginning. But then we get Zhe cheating back and for real not a red herring like Nan's. Listen, I get it but that doesn't make it okay. Especially because Nan's cheating wasn't even real! It was great storytelling, but holy crap I wanted to scream. There's quite a bit of back and forth between Zhe and Nan, to where you will get so frustrated with them guaranteed. Nobody is "innocent" they are all very much human beings making mistakes and I really appreciated that aspect of the characters developments. Because overall, this show is about them finding themselves without each other.

So I will say this. Without the talent of our two main actors, this series would've crashed hard. The actors didn't pull any punches, in many ways. There's so much love and care there from the characters, from the flashbacks (that swim scene with the kiss was super cute) and even from more present day exchanges. Like so so much, little things too that you kind of forgive the misgivings this couple has because you want so badly to see them work out! Which is the point I know, but my god it was really something. Like when you see Nan (played perfectly by John Wu) look at Zhe (also played beautifully by Huang Li Feng) its magical and obvious that the love never goes away between them. Even after the forced breakup when there's healing going on and then eventually reconnecting after all that they fall right back into place. If the actors weren't as good I wouldn't of felt so invested, but because they are it actually hurts to see them in love and hurt each other. Hurt themselves too even in the course of the story! Like my heart was aching dude. Especially during Nan's perspective, holy fu**. That phone call scene was roughhhhh. "Can't you fell how much I love you?" Yes Nan I can feel it. Some of the best and most believable romance acting I've ever seen, let alone in an LGBTQ centered story.

So last thing I'll say about the acting specifically may sound weird, but hear me out! So like I said the two main actors did a great job at presenting as being realistic. So that was also during the scenes where they were gettin down (you know what I mean lol). It looks pretty real first off, I was whiplashed in the first like 10 minutes of the show and later on after the bench reunion. My lord give me warning first! So the reason why I bring this up is because there's even explanations of where the characters are at emotionally in those scenes too. Which is interesting. Like whether it be feeling distant and broken (ie. the cup) or needing to take control (ie. "wrestling" lmao). Its adult and very much needed in the story for it to make sense. Moving onto some of the overarching themes. Like I said before, self-discovery apart is HUGE in this. Dependability vs. love, feeling needed vs. being taken care of. All fascinating concepts and HEAVYYYY. Even just trying to move on from a breakup and find independance again. This is stuff that a lot of series or films about romance/love will avoid because it can be so dark and dreary but you know what! It's reality baby and it needs to be discussed. I loved seeing Zhe realizing he kinda needed that pull away to find himself again, even if it's done in not a good way at all.

Although Zhe was mostly the MC of the series I would say, I loved let me repeat LOVED that we got Nan's side too. Made me think of "Theory of Love" but obviously much darker. So we transition from Zhe to Nan after they "run away together" after the...bench and reunion lmao. This made the title of the series much clearer to me, since obviously "ambiguous" means more than one interpretation. There's never just one side. He literally just wanted to surprise Zhe with a house and here comes Jimmy (demon embodied) bribing him with money for that and blackmailing him with his father's illness, medical bills and outing "scandal" eww. Jimmy's character made me feel so gross, I wanted to fight I swear. It also made me so mad and devastated for Nan's character whom was my favorite (and Chunzi, whom we'll get to). He never cheated! I wanted Zhe to prove Jimmy wrong by not cheating "back" but again this series isn't trying to sugar coat stuff. We're getting deep ya'll and it sucks. Heart broken many times. The first time I cried in the show was learning the truth about Nan and having to see him suffer being so in love.

Alright, so we all know I had to talk about Chunzi. Best friend Chunzi, who had the sass and determination to snap Zhe out of his funk so he kept his dignity after the forced breakup. Good friend and deserved better. Chunzi was such an interesting character to throw in at the side and throw me off. Because I was already so invested and then I got even more invested! It made me want to cuss out Chao, because seriously f*** him! Making Chunzi think they finally found a hubby and dude is texting Zhe being like "believe me you're the one I love." F*** you! He wanted love for once and this was the last shot. TRASH! Also Chao saying he was staying with Chunzi because they're depressed and lonely. Ooh I was so heated. Great topic of discussion and presentation in the plot, but ooh I saw red. Again I have to say, poor Chunzi. I felt for them I really did poor baby. What a devastating storyline ending. That was the second time the series had me bawling.

In the final act we get a callback to peeling the shrimps, but now Zhe is independent and does it himself. Jimmy confessing to what he did, which should've happened earlier dbag. Canada doesn't want you dude trust me! We learn he's a literal sociopath, whose had some awful things happen to him. But it's not really meant to make us sympathize with him, more understand the motives. And we get a flash forward to a few years later. The characters needed time and as "open" as the ending wanted to be, it was pretty clear to me what this was. Zhe and Nan crossing the bridge at the same time means they will always cross paths. It's time to start anew with each other based on the looks they give and saying one anothers names. There's a lot of hope there and the love never went away, as it wouldn't and shouldn't. Circumstances or not, like Zhe said it's in the past and they can move on together again. Hopefully this time they can actually get married though. Damn, I wouldn't change anything about this other than the dialogue being really really fast. Which made it hard to keep up sometimes. So rewinding will be needed to watch this lol. But do watch it, please. Especially if you need a good cry.

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Trash, Chinese propaganda

Trash, just tries to prove that gay people don't know true love and are all about cheating and having sex with random people

I enjoyed the Kinematics Theory prequel and I was satisfied with the ending but I regret watching this sequel because it ruined everything for me.

Think about it, all BL movies/dramas made after 2015 have been very censored to the point they can't even say they're in a relationship but just hint at it, only Taiwan can make good BLs.

Now this short sequel doesn't include a single kiss or physical affection just like the first season, yet it includes so many graphic sex scenes between main leads and lots of cheating. The main theme they keep trying to point out in the drama is that "there's no true love in gay relationships, no relationships will last, no partners will continue to satisfy, there'll always be lots of cheating, that's gay life."

So they can't promote gay love by romantic kisses because of the China ban but they can promote that gays don't have true love by graphic sex scenes.

Heck even the first sex scene in the drama right after one supposedly cheated and immediately forgiven was like how a prostitue gets fucked on the spot in a bar, so unromantic and just sexual need driven.

If you go thinking "no no this is a masterpiece, they're just trying to display more realistic gay relationships," oh please- more like a propaganda by China to show watchers that there's no true love in gay relationships.

Also in the previous season, Zhe was supposedly a "genius" so how come he barely can make a living now and decides to write novels when he was crazy abut numbers and math?? oh they're gay so they can't have a bright future besides have sex with random people.. oh until they marry a woman then their life will start to get better. Oh yeah that makes sense..

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“There is forever in the uncertainty ahead, and with it, the infinite possibilities."

I loved this drama. Absolutely, completely loved it. It was a beautiful, heartbreaking, reality check that I found intriguing and interesting. The characters did a wonderful job, and I LOVED the characters inner dialogue, and the flashbacks that explained what was really going on. This series deals with love, loss, betrayal, manipulation, coming out, suicide, homophobia, and the toll all these factors have on a life that was thought to be well lived. I liked the ending, and felt it perfectly summed up the entire point of the series. This is not a cute, fluffy, feel-good BL, and I really appreciated that. It was honest. And beautiful. And gut-wrenching. It was perfect. I loved it. And there’s also some great sex scenes, too. If you’re into that. Which I am. In summation, definitely watch this series. It’s great.

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This movie isnt intense, but it's got twist and turns that keep the view engaged.

Nan and Ze have been together 10yrs after the events of Kinematics, and now there relationship is tested. At fist I couldn't even Recognize Ze's actor for the reason he was so different. He was a supposed genius but 10 years later he's like the rest of us...it just felt off. The story moves fairly linear and has some flashback that are linear, it's only when they flash back to the couple's happier moments, is when you can be thrown off a bit
I think it tackled a lot of same sex issues well and didn't sugar coat them, I do agree with some reviews about the not just being upfront and resolving things, but that's how a lot of people behave, and two it's fiction that's the route of dramatics chosen for the film.
I related to Chunzi so much, and that is something very real and visceral. His death didn't make any major plot points other than to give a natural flow to people meeting up, but it just show, to me the process of someone going through depression in a world that has cast them out.

Music seemed to just be present like a heart beat in this film. Moments just landed one after the others and I felt drawn into their world.

I found the movie to be one of those that sits with you on some level that after you've had time to ruminate and figure out what that is you can appreciate that feeling that moment brought.

I think it deserves a rewatch in the future just to get a better grip of the characters choices and the overall narrative

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i think this really reality in this world. like what this relationship like this so complicated.

this drama was good really. i enjoy this and can make you think more and more, and this absolutely make u choose u'r own choice.
i like the end of this drama. its not about happy or sad ending. its up to you. but, in my opinion, they are not happy ending (life together i mean). but at the story, (some people say) Nan was dead after jimmy go to canada.
its about how u drive u'r live and getting old.

i really recommend this drama, but u have to watch the "Kinematic theory" first. this because all start from that movie. and u can see how they are now each other.
enjoy

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i watched the first episode and stopped, i already sensed the heartbreak, I skipped to ep 6 and let me tell you that the reason behind it all got me a 'wtf' feeling. you can tell from the synopsis that they aren't getting back together anytime soon. Watch it if you liked zhang nan in kinematics theory which is part one of this. this show is more like finding yourself (the reason them youtuber couples are breaking up where they need to find themselves and be less dependent) in this show zhe is sooo dependent on nan its an issue and that was in ep1. it wasn't the worst thing i watched but not the best, i'd have preferred a happy ending but the characters did break up on a good note but i cried, they showed heir flashbacks and i cried even though i barely watched it.

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A mess is what it is

I will be completely honest, I have not watched the prequel. Mainly, because I didn't know there was a prequel until after I finished watching this one. Had I watched Kinematics Theory, perhaps my opinion on this one would have changed. Maybe the context given in KT is enough to outweigh how terrible I found this one. But I didn't watch it, and after seeing Ambiguous Focus and how much I disliked that one, I'm also not going to watch KT.

The main reason why I disliked AF is because of the way they portrayed homosexual relationships, their flippant attitude to cheating, and also because it was just really depressing. I often like watching controversial media; I like to have my opinions challenged. But only when it is done well, and I come out of it with a new perspective on something. That did not happen with AF. I found myself despising pretty much all the main characters, I could not relate to their decisions at all.

I found myself hating it even more, because I've watched a lot of lgbtq media, and this specific genre, or trope, of lgbtq media is the worst. I hate it when homosexual relationships, and gay people always have to be miserable and problematic. It feels cheap and overdone. Give me more lgbtq stories where the main conflict does not involve cheating or emotional abuse please.

I'm sorry but I cannot recommend this drama to anyone.

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The ambiguos focus

Umas das ´series que mais me impressionou até hoje. Uma história com drama, plow twists a cada ep, a inovação de mostrar a história sob a perspectiva de cada um dos amantes, e também o fato de mostrar o lado psicológico do vilão e do amigo problemático, mostrando seus traumas do passado e os motivos para o comportamento atual.
A série chinesa de 2018, traz uma crítica feroz à sociedade que marginaliza os homossexuais, que são taxados como vergonha da família, abusados, forçados a casarem com pessoas do sexo oposto para ter filhos e "virarem heterossexuais", além de outras coisas.
A atuação é perfeita, as locações mostram várias cenas urbanas e rurais. A trilha sonora, apesar de não ser tão marcante , é bem coerente com a trama, e no geral eu recomendo a trama, e com certeza verei mais uma vez por se tratar de uma história tão marcante.

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"Sometimes the best ending is the one without one."

I chanced upon this movie through a list of BL movies that I can watch and what caught my attention are the comments of different individuals who have watched the movie and so I thought I'd check it out.

I am so pissed off with this movie that I don't even know where or how to begin this review. From start to finish, DEPRESSING... redeeming quality? There's none because even at the end of the story I was left with the lingering feeling of emptiness. The question of whether they ended up with each other or not.

Right off the bat, the story began with the cheating issue of Zhang Nan (John Wu) which after a few scenes eventually led up to their break up. When Zhang Zhe (Lee-Fong Huang) finally decided to move forward he was again, cheated on by Jiang Chao (Jiaxi Wang), and to make matters worst Chao was the love interest of Zhe's best friend Chunzi (Xinchen Gu). Now, you may have guessed that this is a story about cheating and the problems that queers go through in their lives. From coming out to their parents, getting married to their partners, fear of growing old alone. There's a lot that was seen in this movie. What was really irritating is the characters. How they dealt with the problem that they were encountering. Honestly, after the 1:33:09 mark, my pent up frustration for the previous situations just blew up. There were a lot of emotions that were shown in this movie from regrets, uncertainties, imperfections, and losses. What hit me the most is that of the love story between Chao and Chunzi. I can't even imagine what Chunzi felt when he had done everything for Chao and yet he was devastated in the end. Next to that would be the story of Zhang Zhe and Zhang Nan. They have now a chance to be finally together. But why? Why can't they be together? When they both knew deep inside that they were meant for each other? I know it's not about pride. I understand it's something else. But with everything that's happened to their friends. Can't they take that as a lesson and just be together? For the love of g!

Regardless of the frustration that I have for this movie. l still rated it 10/10. The story may be too much negativity and too depressing but in reality, this does happen. Queer couples are just the same as straight couples. They go through difficulties just the same except at different levels. I love the friendship that was shown in this movie. I appreciate all the actors. They acted extremely well. I simply detest Jimmy (Kyou Aung) for being the manipulative bijj that he is.

So, not all of us would like this movie. Some would even drop it halfway. The progression is quite slow and you would need tremendous patience. I did enjoy it though and I wish and pray that my queer friends would be spared from the heartaches that the characters in this movie went through.

"Sometimes the best ending is the one without one. There is forever in the uncertainty ahead, and with it, the infinite possibilities."

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My feelings about this film/drama are very mixed. I think everyone that's watched this could agree that it is very rushed. There were so many scenes where the emotions could've been developed, but the scene would always cut out. The messages of the film were very relatable to real life, but they weren't given enough time to develop. I wouldn't really rewatch this, there was no "best/memorable" part. There was no memorable music or song in the film, just generic background music. Overall, I think this film/drama does pass, especially the characters and actors, but there are a lot of spots where it could do better.

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