Meet Me Outside (2021)

A very enjoyable light watch that leaves you with a smile

I watched the movie, after having watched the series about 6 weeks previously. I like the movie much better. At just 80 minutes it tells a more coherent and compact story (without the interruptions and distractions of watching the series episodes one after another). I think the movie gives the viewer a much better feel for the emotions and reactions of the two lead characters. Their interactions made more sense when viewed as a single work, and the end was really a satisfying logical conclusion, rather than rather random (which is what I recalled thinking after seeing the series.)

Story: Simple and straightforward, about two guys who find each other on a Christmas holiday. The interest is not in the story arc as presented, it is in the insights into what they are thinking and feeling -- the bellboy who is accustomed to being more-or-less dehumanized and turned into a sex toy, and the visitor who has lost a love and is not very interested in finding a sex toy. ("I;m game for that if ever, but that's not why I asked you to come in.")

Acting: Very good. Kaloy recreates James' standoffish personality with great success -- sometimes I didn't much like him, because he was just a bit too stuck up. Genesis was a joy to watch -- both because of his great portrayal of the flirty, eager and yet worried bellboy, and because his makeup and hairdo accentuated his gorgeous big brown eyes! In the beginning, the two didn't seem at all comfortable with each other -- but I think that was inherent in the roles! Later, there is a sweet hugging-in-bed scene, and a joyful romp around the bedroom with lots of playful embraces. I think the combination worked very well at the end.

Cinematography: Good, but nothing special. The whole thing was filmed during the pandemic at a resort, which accounts for the limited scope for different scenes and the lack of additional characters.

Music -- generally good, if not passionate I especially liked the use of "The Nutcracker's" Waltz of the Flowers as background for the online dance done by the two characters as they feinted and parried each other with text messages on their mobile phones. That was genius.

All in all, this is a very enjoyable light watch. It won't fill you with emotion or make you cry, but it will leave you with a smile.

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