Limerence (2023)

56 minutes (not a BL)

Overall: I generally give indie productions some leeway but the very ending of this was...a choice... not really sure what message they were trying to convey. Watched on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hNtNapJNVeQ

Content Warnings (it's complicated but I'm keeping this spoiler free): intimate partner abuse, held against will, non con touching/sexual assault and something else

What I Liked
- easy to follow plot
- tried to talk about mental health issues
- they uploaded to YouTube and added English subtitles

Room For Improvement
- randomly couldn't swim
- I did not agree with all of the messages around mental health issues, society/the environment is not 100% to blame, biology plays a factor as well
- that ending was not what I was hoping for, it wasn't a funny joke, were they trying to say that pushing/ignoring boundaries/sexual harassment of a coworker was fine???

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Tawan (Key Patiphan Namsamut) and Tunn are a young couple who, from the moment they met, had a great connection, but over time their relationship changes and experiences stages that bring out the true being of each one.
Tunn is the "perfect" man for Tawan with whom he shared beautiful moments of his life. However, as time goes by, he begins to discover a new side of Tunn, who enters a circle of abusive and violent attitudes to the point of chaining him to the bed, making communication with others impossible and preventing him from going outside, even to go to work or university.
With this plot pretext, the director of the Thai medium-length film 'Limerence' manages to crudely teach us that we should not ignore the red flags in a relationship, and that at the first blow or violent attitude, we have to report it and get out of there; Although saying it seems easy and not many can make the decision, it is important to see and analyze the message it offers us in its little less than 60 minutes.
Love, "true" love, is not exempt from bringing tears and jealousy, but the truth is that it should give us peace and not suffering.
The film teaches us to understand that when it comes to interpersonal relationships, we cannot force the other to love us the same because at the end of the day, love is organic and born alone, so no matter how much we love someone, that person does not is obliged to respond to us in the same way (even if we have given our best).
Getting out of a toxic attitude is understanding the previous point, having the empathy to accept that the other loves us with what they have, and if we do not receive what we expect and according to what we give, the best thing is to leave their life without burdening them blame the other.
The importance of the film, far from showing a toxic relationship, is to tell the viewer what we should not fall for the person with whom we share a life.
Tawan held on for a long time until he decides to escape the relationship, however, will this way be the right way?
Also, wouldn't the story be different if behind the cameras, the harassed person is the harasser? What if after the lights are turned off and the filming equipment is removed, the perpetrator is the victim and the tortured person is actually the executioner?

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Slow build-up dramatic tension in 56 minutes

The single 56 minute "series" is a highly entertaining and thought provoking experience. The concept is very interesting- being based on the word limerence. The ending may not be everyone's cup of tea but it is well-deserved. Overall, I think it's a very different "BL" if you can call it such.

Story: I loved the concept and that is why I rate the story so high. There are loopholes and some issues, but the execution is surprisingly great for a small production with less budget. The story has a crescendo of dramatic tensions; with each minute the story becomes more and more intense. There is a constant up and down of emotions, as we see characters doing things that may not be logical or clear- giving depth to the story. It's a dark but interesting watch.

Music: Nothing special it was appropriate for the mood.

Acting: The antagonist and protagonist of the story have excellent acting. I really liked their performance, and I would like to see more of them. This may not be the most romantic of stories but they were able to show case fear and tension nicely. Though I think the ending scene could have been better acted, as the acting was a little weak.

Rewatch Value: I like the story personally- there is something about attachment being shown in this way that makes me disturbed but intrigued. I feel like it's a story that I can revisit and it would still feel fresh- I guess it is a testament to the power of the original concept.

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Extreme love

Wikipedia says: "Limerence is a state of mind which results from romantic feelings for another person, and typically includes intrusive, melancholic thoughts, or tragic concerns for the object of one's affection as well as a desire to form or maintain a relationship with the object of love and to have one's feelings reciprocated."

Tawan and Tunn are a couple of students, dating. But increasingly, Tunn does not want Tawan to interact with anyone else but him. Until one day he chains him up in his bed, the reason being the word is a bad place and Tawan needs to be protected and taken care off.

This is definitely NOT a nice and fluffy BL but a serious drama about mental health where the main characters happen to be gay. The story is scary, difficult and tragic: Tunn has been so traumatized in his childhood, abandoned by people he loved that he does not want to take any chances of that happening withTawan therefore confining him, without realizing that he has gone completely bonkers and overboard.

The actors are surprisingly good for a school project: the one playing Tunn really gave me the creeps, so much so I FFW a lot for the first time ever. They are very much at ease with each other and the skinship scenes were rather smooth. The direction and the filming was rather correct and though it is obviously a low budget film, they tried hard. The sound recording is bad and the subs are awful!

I liked the twist in the end: the whole story was just a school project so we have the final clap and the discussion between the actors, now being themselves and the director about the mental health issues. I personally found those a bit unclear and strange. There is also a final unexpected twist in the last minutes which actually gave me a fright!

The film is a bit too long, it should have been shorter for my taste. But that is just me!

One final question: are there really groups of girls at universities in Thailand, screaming at men they ship together ? Maximum cringe!

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