Break the chains of the ordinary to choose those who love

Chinese actors Aiden Wu and Zhong Yang Sun play Lu Shi Ran and Qi Yi, respectively, in the romantic drama 'Uncle Unknown', the adaptation of the web novel "After Flirting, My Uncle Kept Pursuing Me" (乱撩后小叔对我穷追不舍) by Wan Xi Zi (皖西子).
The Chinese series, which tells a love story that is socially unacceptable for two reasons, revolves around two ex-boyfriends, Lu Shiran, a rich young man who was adopted by the Lu family in his childhood, and Qi Yi. While they were lovers, Qi Yi was in a coma and involuntarily stopped contacting Lu Shiran. Noticing the detachment, he breaks up with him, thinking that he no longer loved him.
In this way, once his health recovered, Qi Yi was unable to contact Lu Shiran after, not knowing how to locate him, he was blocked as a contact on the phone and social networks.
After the reunion, they begin dating again and both relive their romance, but they will soon discover that they were related, but without blood ties. The series also tells the story of a second couple, made up of the two best friends of the protagonists.
For a short drama, with an average duration of just 8 minutes each episode, low budget, a poorly developed script and mediocre performances, I loved the story, the attractiveness of the four main characters, the solidarity and ingenuity of the group of friends .
I like how the four young homosexual lovers feel free and happy to shout their love through Chinese nightclubs, streets and beaches, where between games and laughter they will kiss and love.
Despite having many characters for such a short time of plot development, the story explains well the reasons why they are all connected to each other.
Now, let's get to the heart of the matter: 'Uncle Unknown' seeks, and manages, to break two taboos, specifically the taboo when there is a relationship of kinship (although in truth there is no relationship of consanguinity in the story but of affinity), and the so-called "rainbow pride."
After learning of the relationship between the two young people, Lu Shiran's adoptive mother, based on a superficial moral compass, will oppose the romance for both one and the other type of relationship that society disapproves of or considers inappropriate.
However, both young people choose to defend their love, to let the world know that they do not work by its rules, and they manage to break the chains of ordinary to choose those they love.

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Love on the menu or menu without love?

Han Ji Yoo likes to eat and drink. Unlike his friend and roommate Park Ji Ha (Jeong Ho Gyun), Ji Yoo drinks to forget his sorrows. Recently, his boyfriend broke up with him and working on the marketing team of a soju production company, called Pai Syn Tang Liquors, even helps to get free samples of the distilled drink native to Korea and preferred by the youth of that country made at base of rice, potato, wheat, barley, sweet potato or dangmil, among other ingredients.
One day, the extroverted young man must fulfill an assignment from his work team to find an up-and-coming chef to partner with to help promote the company.
In this way, Ji Yoo returns to the restaurant owned by the handsome and talented chef Park Ki Hoon and from which he was expelled for asking to be served soju. His mission is to convince him to be the chef of an advertising campaign.
But how do you get a chef who meets the proposed requirements when he hates alcohol and refuses not only to sell alcoholic beverages in his restaurant, but also expels customers who try to smuggle liquor into the restaurant? How could such an introverted person, with stage fright, who refuses to give interviews and does not even have social networks because he does not like dealing with others, appear on television programs and become an idol?
Han Ji Yoo's pleas to Park Ki Hoon to consider the company's proposal will be fruitless, which could even be very useful to promote his own establishment in the face of negative publicity from dissatisfied customers who cannot have drinks in his restaurant.
Han Ji Yoo refuses to take no for an answer, so she takes a part-time job at the restaurant in an attempt to get to know Park Ki Hoon better and find a way to finally get him to agree to work with her agency who runs the risk of being fired if he cannot convince the chef.
As the men begin to get to know each other, they develop feelings for each other. Hence, from the first moments in the relationship of the two protagonists, a powerful question arises: could love be on the menu?
On these budgets is built 'All the Liquors', the South Korean Movie directed by Kim Jin Yeol ('Individual Circumstances'), which fails to satisfy me for, among other reasons, despite showing Ji Yoo as an understanding and willing person to support Ki Hoo in overcoming his anxieties and internal conflicts, his character fails to achieve true character growth.
Likewise, the trauma due to which Ki Hoon rejects the consumption of alcoholic beverages takes too long to be explained, while the story does not fully explore the changes that have occurred in the character to suddenly not only allow the consumption of alcohol in his restaurant, but also to consume it himself.
I don't find it appropriate to start the plot with the breakup of Ji Yoo and her boyfriend. It is a scene that provides no tension or any usefulness to the development of the plot. Apart from being one more reason for the character to need to consume alcoholic beverages, this character never appears again, nor does he have any weight in the story. It only serves so that from the beginning we have the information that Ji Yoo is gay, which is laughable to say the least because as viewers we already know that the intention is to narrate a homosexual romance and that Ji Yoo is one of the members of the leading couple.
But the main problem lies in the fact that the promise of a romance does not burn and the story fails to show the passion between the two boys and reach the climax.
Despite a coherent, easy-to-follow story and cozy love scenes that tantalize the audience, the narrative is slow to develop and loses momentum rather than gaining it. The initial romantic sparks are extinguished in the ending with the waves of the sea where the protagonists go, while we left want to witness an attractive romantic relationship in which deep feelings are expressed and the audience is able to convince themselves that they are seeing two people in love.
The lack of chemistry and convincing romantic development between the protagonists manages to disappoint me.
Both Ji Yoo, played by Kim Joon Hyung, and Ki Hoon, the character assumed by Won Do Hyun, fail to act convincingly in accordance with the feelings and emotions we expect from them. They give us only a very superficial relationship, while the slight potential at the beginning disappears as does the tender love story that tepidly forges.
Like dishes prepared without seasoning, the story lacks flavor and fails to excite the public.
Is the weak romance due to the fact that South Korean idols receive rejection from the homophobic, patriarchal and heteronormative South Korean society and, especially, from their fans if they star in BL dramatized films, as has happened on other occasions?
Won Do Hyun is a debut actor in this role, and after this role he has never officially been in front of the cameras again. For his part, Kim Joon Hyung does have a longer career in the acting scene of the Asian nation, even being the protagonist of the films 'Streamer' (2023) and 'The Education' (2020), and appearing in several series as an actor guest or secondary character after 'All the Liquors'.
But aren't other actors who have convincingly starred in boys' love stories and are produced annually in South Korea at equal risk of being despised by fans? Or do Won Do Hyun and Kim Joon Hyung have no prejudices when playing homosexual characters but they will have qualms about being tender and loving on screen? Will the obstacle to the development of a passionate romance fall on the script by newcomer Kim Hoy Joon?
Or will these mistakes have served Kim Jin Yeol well? It may very well be like that, because in 'Individual Circumstances', a love series between boys released in 2024, the year after 'All the Liquors', its protagonists, Ha Yeon Woo, played by Han Jeong Wan, and Seong Woo Jae, a character who comes to life through actor JunQ, builds an emotional bond with more passion and love and both clearly show that they are in love with each other.
The truth is that the absence of seduction, the lack of romance, which also lacks ardent kisses, passionate glances, sublime gestures, convinces me that both characters are just close friends or were sitting in an intermediate space between close friends and more than friends. The lukewarm connection between the protagonists contributes to the lack of seduction in the romance.
Many find the secondary couple more attractive, composed of Choi Wan (Bae Shi Jun), Ki Hoon's assistant at the restaurant, and Kim Yu A (Han Da Sol), the deputy boss of the company where Ji Yoo works. How to value a BL product when the heterosexual couple has greater potential? Aren't these arguments for the work being condemned to oblivion?
With so many BL content productions, many of them South Korean-made, the technical and artistic teams should have taken their work more seriously to convince the demanding public.
This is not a completely disappointing production. One can still laugh and dream of sitting at Ji Yoo and Ki Hoon's table, tasting delicious dishes and drinking bottle after bottle of soju, but their story, without spirit, fails to move me.
Despite showing handsome actors and actresses, 'All the Liquors' is an artistically weak exponent of BL, whose main success lies in the fact that, luckily, it is only about an hour and a half long.
So now I can answer: love is not on the menu. The menu lacks love.

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"Padayon": "Continue the fight"

In Bisaya, the second most spoken language in the Philippines after Tagalog, “Padayon” means “keep going, continue, move forward, do not give up, do not stop…”. It is common to hear the inhabitants of the Visayan Islands pronounce phrases in this language such as: "despite the difficulties, despite the difficult path, Padayon!". In Tagalog there is a term with a similar meaning: "patuloy".
Another way to express this determination is “dasig lang,” which is a much deeper Bisaya version of the phrase. "Laban lang" is the Tagalog version, which is also frequently used in the Visayas. All of these expressions essentially translate as "keep fighting".
Whichever phrase you choose, it sums up the spirit that moves 'Padayon', a miniseries written and directed in 2021 by Tyrone Lim Pasaylo, a Filipino accountant turned filmmaker, writer and director Founder of DILAT Productions, who has in this romantic drama of LGBT+ genre, his only film work to date.
Among the successes of 'Padayon', a low-budget Pinoy production is the profitability of the natural space, not as a mere casual vector of setting, or much less as a postcard background commissioned by the Philippine Ministry of Tourism. It is something that I do not point out in vain, since it is also done quite a bit; although in other types of work of lower quality and achievements, or self-respect.
This is not the case: Tyrone Lim Pasaylo's team (mainly himself as scriptwriter and director, in addition to the director of photography and Maria Andres as co-writer) has taken due note of the lessons of Filipino series in particular and Asian series in general, by turning the environment into a dramatic subject and a significant contributor to the ominous atmosphere of the material.
This story places its story in a beautiful rural area, whose exuberance, warm temperatures, impressive fields of plowing and harvesting crops, majestic rivers, and the photography of John Carlo Nova, brilliantly interrelates the plot through close frames, of excellent composition. Ocher or brown colors predominate to highlight the atmosphere of poverty and humility in rural Filipino communities. The exterior images are bright and clear, although with a predominance of the same colors.
Kai Andres (defended with great acting character by actor Ian Rosapapan, one of the best in the play), is a young man who aspires to graduate from university, but circumstances force him to delay his wishes to help his mother Karrisa Andres ( Marga Erasmo), in the cleaning, gardening and maintenance of a luxurious hacienda in the Philippine countryside.
It's a pleasure to rediscover Ian Rosapapan, whom we already admired in his brief but intense role as Kyle in the drama 'Why Love Why Season 2'.
The boy has a simple, but happy life. He helps his mother in the mansion, who works as the housekeeper of the old manor house, while helping to support his humble home, where his sister Kira (Harlene Mayor) also lives. He has a group of good friends, among which Drixler "Drix" Penamonte (Yoyen Bautista) stands out.
But everything changes when Andre Rodriguez (John Padilla, in his debut and only role in his acting career so far) suddenly arrives at the ranch, the young heir to the rural property branded as a playboy and with an impressive feeling that leaves with the The mouth pours water on more than one of the characters and spectators, who has been punished by his abusive father by sending him to the remote region.
This will be the start of a series that, despite always traveling on known plot ground, resists conventionality. The script bridges or relaxes, as appropriate, the complex process of discovery and self-acceptance, since both boys will fall in love despite starting their relationship on the wrong foot, since, unlike Kai, the newcomer is an arrogant and vain boy.
To do this, the series is based on a pillar like the character of Kai, whose load of kindness, camaraderie and good heart enriches the piece. Ian Rosapapan brings the charm, naivety and mischief that the role demands.
For his part, Andre's character learns from Kai honesty, humility, trusting others, asking for forgiveness, being grateful and loving.
Although there is curiosity about "the two boys who are suddenly friends and go to the river alone and spend time together", there is no sign of homophobia. After all, all the young people around Kai and Andre are queer characters and in one way or another they express their homosexuality or transsexuality.
The series also addresses, among other topics, family relationships and the family's acceptance of their son's homosexuality.
Also highlight the soundtrack, in which we will hear John Padilla performing the musical themes "Viaje" and "Himig NG Elehiya", composed by Lester V Flores, and also others, such as "Tanong sa Langit", by Paulo Zingapan, "Mahalaga ", performed by Rojene Ortega, and "Hinto", by Angelique Ferro.
'Padayon' is not very romantic, but it offers a pleasant and affectionate time, and the love story, which can give the sensation of being unbalanced, also works.
Among its main successes is that, without mincing words, the series points an accusing finger at some of the problems faced by the Filipino peasantry, such as difficult access to education, rural poverty that dates back to the country's colonial policies, the persecution of Filipino farmers who advocate for the fair implementation of the land reform program by the government, threats against their fundamental rights to land, life, housing, livelihoods and basic freedoms, the continued and systematic criminalization of rural peasant movements through the presentation of false charges by landowners, influential claimants and companies and their agents, among other problems that result in greater poverty and marginalization of peasant communities through physical displacement and economic towards a future of uncertainty.
On the other hand, it explores the complex problems of the transgender community, identity, gender discrimination, among others, such as personal improvement, desire to fight and work as ways to get ahead.
It hurts deeply that many subplots are left unexplained and unresolved: for example, the motivations for the murder of Kai's father are not explained. Are you dying for your commitment and participation in the social struggle for improvements in the working and living conditions of the Filipino peasantry? Are you a political and agrarian activist? None of this is clear. He could have been murdered for any other reason beyond political and social reasons.
Other subplots that remain open are that of Elaine Eugenio (Milen Alonde), Andre's ex-girlfriend, who arrives at the ranch to, in addition to trying to win back her boyfriend, serve as a spy for the co-star's father. And that of Drix, Kai's jealous and desperate friend for the future.
The six episodes are binged in one go. Its little more than 20 minutes pass quickly, due to the rhythm and the distribution of plateaus and dramatic climaxes. Now, what he successfully builds throughout those chapters, 'Padayon' destroys it in the epilogue.
In the sixth and last episode, a series that – by virtue of its nerve and craft – seemed to obtain a better conclusion, is not consistent with itself. For two reasons: the first: it is a shame that its low budget and the short time available for putting it on the screen has not allowed us to delve into the complex themes exposed in its premise, in fact, little addressed in Pinoy and BL dramas in general.
These outlined objectives, instead of being analyzed in depth, are presented in a way that is too didactic and explanatory, in the style of sermons, with the characters sitting around a bonfire or at their jobs in the field, expressing dispersed and diverse opinions to send messages social. The series talks about social struggles, but the characters spend the day working and having fun in the countryside and show no real interest in changing the economic and political-social situation of the country.
It would surely have been more far-reaching to have shown the viewer the problems faced by Filipino rural workers, on the one hand, and members of the LGBT+ community, especially homosexuals and transgenders, on the other, and their struggles to "move on". "Padayon!".
And the second cause: he then succumbs to a scammer, unintelligent closure. Logical, it is explained in the commercial intentions, in the clear (and reckless) desire for continuity in a second season. But that's not worth it. Today, three years and seven months after its premiere, we have no continuation or ending to this story.

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"Death" as a synonym for misfortune for LGBT+ people in a society without laws to protect them?

He's not part of the vanguard of Thai BL drama writers and directors, but Boonyawat Thongtong knows how to film and how to tell. He was able to demonstrate it in the specials 'Views of Love: Love from the Sea Level', 'Views of Love: Heart Land' and 'Auto-Focused Love', all from 2016.
That's why some mistakes, terrible, bitter, hurt in the framework of the script, the way the story is woven together and in tying up its loose ends, as well as the staging of 'Grey Raibow', a BL drama filmed that same year, about all when he seemed to have conquered the task, which would reach, no doubt, quotas of excellence. In fact, he has not been behind the cameras since then.
Despite the performances, the work in the editing room and the photographic work, already in the final stages, a series that from the first scene runs like honey on a flake, powerfully drawing the attention of the viewer who screams euphorically with passion and delight, The script throws into the ring some ideas that do not have a development and justification, which I will comment on later.
'Grey Rainbow' tell us a classic love romance between two boys, best friends. However, what sets it apart is the fact that it explores themes that other Thai BL dramas ignore or do not address in such depth, such as the process of self-discovery, coming out, the problems faced by the LGBT community in that country due to not having laws that protect them, homophobia, family dynamics and parents' acceptance of their children's sexual orientation, especially if we take into account that it was released in 2016 when these issues were considered much more taboo than they still are today.
The series introduces us to Nuea (Rattanamongkol Nutchapon), an energetic and outgoing university student, and Porsche (Hongladaromp Kasidej), a sensitive and introverted young man, who for two years has secretly developed feelings for his dorm and study partner.
After the first two episodes we have a well-established couple in love. Nuea has also discovered his sexuality after being exposed to Jane, his girlfriend, who has been suspecting for some time that Nuea's feelings for his friend are more than those of a simple friend, and after leaving the period that he himself calls of "confusion", in a beautiful, tender and moving scene of a Thai boxing match, in a ring, culminates with a kiss and Nuea's confession of love to Porsche. By then, the sexual tension between the two had already reached unimaginable levels.
From the third episode onwards, the series gains in nuances: here we see Nuea living and working in the family resort, in the mountains of Chiang Mai, in a picturesque and paradisiacal setting with an elephant sanctuary as a background. Porsche arrives there after leaving his home in Bangkok after arguing with his father about his desire not to practice law.
The elephant sanctuary is the perfect place for Nuer and Porsche to rekindle their romance after graduating from university. The scene of correspondence between the two boys is beautiful through small love notes written on a paper plane that, at night, were sent to both sides of a terrace where they both slept to be as close as possible, given the impossibility to occupy the same bedroom so as not to raise suspicions about their secret relationship.
This will also be the moment when Nuea's parents learn about the relationship between the two young people. Once the initial surprise of rejection of their child's sexual orientation has been assimilated, parents show love for their child and accept him as he is, always keeping his happiness and that of the new member of the family as a priority. His emotions seem genuine, realistic.
Now, there are several points that fail to convince me and I would like to present:
1- Jane's arrival at the elephant sanctuary: it is true that her presence seeks to provide drama and tension by putting a new test to the couple who have just begun to even talk about marriage, when same-sex weddings are still illegal in Thailand even today. The important thing is that the objective of its late incorporation is to fulfill one of the struggles of the members of the LGBT+ community and present in the series: the possibility that two people of the same gender can adopt children. Jane dies, and this makes it possible for Nuea and Porsche to adopt their daughter. But how could they legalize adoption? Today she is a girl, but tomorrow, when she grows up and tries to look for a job, or a position at a university, or tries to get a driver's license or a marriage license, how can she proceed if she does not have legal documents to do so?
2- At one point, Nuea asks Jane: "Is the girl yours and...' daughter?". Why are you asking this question? Do you suspect it could be his? Is she trying to determine if it is from Watt, the young man with whom Jane begins an affair after separating from Nuea, or from another man? What good would it do for him to know if Jane had other relationships besides the one she knew with Watt? Do you want to tell us that he had sexual relations with Jane? It may well be: they are both young, they are in a dating relationship, they share many hours a day together, but nothing indicates that their bond includes sex: they live in separate residences, their meetings are in the middle of the university or public spaces... Anyway, the scope and reasons for this question are not understandable.
3- The series touches on another complex and tricky topic: corruption and how rich businessmen violate the laws. In this sense, Sam, a businessman who has a business near the Nuea properties, tries to obstruct a public river for his benefit, which also flows through the properties of Nuea's parents and where the elephants bathe and are exhibited to tourists. And although Porsche, as legal advisor of the hotel complex, directs the steps seeking justice, which leads him to suffer a homophobic attack, there is no conclusive closure on this issue.
4- Interesting to see how Nuea cross-dressers as a woman, to imitate Jane and thus ensure that the girl does not cry in the absence of her mother. Cross-dressing is a topic rarely covered in Thai BL series, and the actor is also convincing when representing this facet of his character.
5- Nuea's refusal to continue her relationship with Porsche to avoid suffering for his mother. Although he seems to soon forget about the issue, Nuea is not consistent with the struggle of the majority of homosexuals when it comes to facing this problem. Days before, he himself was in this dilemma, because initially his parents, when they found out about his sexuality, did not accept it. What would have happened if Porsche told you the same thing?
6- Porsche's father was reluctant to accept his son's homosexuality. It is true, he remained firm and the mother collaborated by telling her husband that if she maintained her position she would stay with Porsche, implying that she was willing to leave the marital home, but soon we see the father accepting his son, without living that arduous and difficult process of acceptance, especially for a homophobic person who hides behind shame in the face of "what will they say." Of course, he will tell Porsche that it is still too early to take Nuea to Bangkok.
7- I would have liked a happy ending, let's say, a happy and timely closing in the moments when the two boys took their wedding photos, recounting emotional moments that reflect the romance of the protagonists. However, the director and screenwriter choose to kill Nuea. If his death is physical, as everything seems to indicate, I would have liked it to have been much more dramatic, moving and profound, and not through a snap of his fingers on Posrche's part, as if he knew in advance that he was going to die, to freeze the image while Nuea collapsed and died in the middle of her wedding; and another snap of the finger to restart filming while family members and those present throw themselves at the young man's lifeless body.
8- But Nuea's death can be symbolic, and in this way it connects with the supreme objective of the series: to denounce the lack of a law that protects Thai LGBT+ people. In this sense, Nuea's death would represent the death of the members of this human group as they do not have real protection against the harassment and discrimination of a heteronormative, patriarchal and homophobic society.
9- I am not fluent in the Thai language, but while the final credits are rolling, a text may mention that Nuea suffers from a health problem, which caused her death; but for the purposes of the script, this element is not taken into account or incorporated. Therefore, the sequence is not dramatically valid. We will always have in contrast to a young man of about 25 years old, healthy, strong, vigorous, who never had a toothache, who meets his death on the happiest day of his life. I would only explain it to myself, with difficulty, if, I repeat, his death were symbolic: "death" as a synonym for misfortune, misfortune, is the end of LGBT+ people as long as they do not find support in society through laws that protect and grant them the same rights as non-LGBT+ people.
Therefore, the main problem with 'Grey Rainbow' is that we never understand Nuea's death. It is not organic how they tell us. This is due, in large part, to the notable deficiencies in the composition at the writing level.
Despite all these mistakes, the series is recommended.

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Skip School (翹課日) is a short film that mixes romance, youth, school life and Yaoi, published on YouTube on June 19, 2020.
The film follows Yuan You and Mu Hong, two students from different high schools, considered the best in Taiwan. Exams are approaching and all students are preparing to beat them.
On the way to class, Yuan You and Mu Hong meet and decide to skip class together, trying to escape all the hassle of the exam, to have a romantic moment of relaxation and escape from the monotony of life.
Under the bridge pier, the imagination of the two teenagers and the confusion about the future intertwine...

A short, but tender and charming film.

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The love of two young people and the homophobic South Korean society

'Brake' (native title 브레이크), the LGBT+-themed romantic and psychological drama directed by South Korean filmmaker Yoo Yong-hwan, tells the story of self-discovery, love and obsession of Byun Shi Woo, a shy and fragile teenager whose only hobby filming his daily life with a camcorder, and he will live a heartbreaking love story with Ha Joon, his classmate and motorcycle racer, who has earned the respect of others by imposing himself through fear.
Shi Woo's life is sad and monotonous. Abandoned by his parents in an orphanage, he spent his childhood in foster homes. Without a circle of friends or relatives, the decontextualization of his environment and where he comes from adds an aura of sadness to his person. It is therefore the viewer's task to build the puzzle that is our protagonist, using what he tells us through the way he manages his time and, above all, through his interactions with himself through the videos recorded with his camcorder.
The film is fully part of the aspect of cinema that documents the intensity of youth and young love, but against the backdrop of a heteronormative and patriarchal society in which homophobia and discrimination against those who are different persist, which, as it clearly states, Its title will mean a brake on the development of the love relationship between the two characters.
Yoo Yong-hwan and his technical team are on a mission to talk about something very complex in a sensory way, while the film tells the story of people in need of affection and love through teenage stories that seem somewhat rough and crude.
Thanks to a video filmed by Shi Woo, Ha Joon (role played by Lee Ki Hyuk – 'Little Bird', 2021), and his friends manage to evade what would be a police accusation for damage to third parties in a road accident, so that the young man until then ignored by the other classmates will become part of Ha Joon's gang. From this moment on, the attraction materializes into a tortuous and absolutely living relationship that will not escape harassment and discrimination.
Based on the script by the same director, the film captures on the screen the fierce and veiled feelings of the two young people, their discoveries and their problems, through the most frontal silences and the most violent beauty. In this story the two will choose paths that will determine their lives forever.
Love arises at the first opportunity between these two young people, who launch themselves into a relationship without materializing, because while Shi Woo secretly loves, Ha Joon does not easily assume the homosexual dimension of his growing friendship with Shi Woo. And this circumstance is subject to harassment from the protagonists' other classmates when they discover the growing love attraction between the two boys.
The dedication to deciphering a little of the psyche of the young Shi Woo is understandable, because it is clear that what matters most to Yoo Yong-hwan is the process of emotional transformation of his fascinating protagonist – played with courage by Jang Yoo Sang, an actor who We had already seen him in other LGBT+ themed films before this one, since in 2014 he starred in the drama 'One Night Only', by directors Kim Jo Kwang-soo and Kim Tae-yong, and two years before in the short film 'Night Bugs', by the latter director.
However, the process of a teenager who has never been loved in his life falling in love with someone for the first time will not be as beautiful as expected.
The story is simple, dark and normal: a person falls in love with another person, and with whom a beautiful friendship begins. However, the much more complex story of Shi Woo and Ha Joon begins to fight against the "normal", moving away from the social canons of duty, relationships, and, above all, romance. Between the simplicity of a romance and the battle against convention, 'Brake' submerges, an uninhibited, emotional, astonishing and sad portrait of two people (and everything else) who meet in the midst of adolescence, rebellious and nonconformist, and in the cracks in the establishment of South Korean society.
After crossing their destinies and fooling around with ambiguity, Shi Woo and Ha Joon will not be able to start a love relationship, as their destinies will be irremediably separated when they are ridiculed and harassed by others, so they will have to distance themselves and break up with their friendship.
The relationship between the two characters is, like many of those that happen at that age, unhealthy, absorbing and exciting. The already concise surroundings of the protagonist end up completely disappearing and what we are left with is his silent way of feeling that love and, above all, attraction. 'Brake' speaks, without making things simple for the viewer, about chemical connection and desire.
That chemical connection and that desire that leads to heartbreak because one party is far above the other in terms of having things clear. Or that's the impression it gives. The other big question that the film touches on, and it does so in an always suggestive way, is that of identity. Although Shi Woo is the main character, both he and Ha Joon will see their relationship as the definitive moment to make an irrevocable decision and define themselves as people.
Regarding this last character, the film is astutely vague when it comes to delineating the nature of their conflict. We don't know if he is struggling with repressed homosexuality or poorly digested bisexuality. Yes, we will know, by the time the adventure is over, that our main protagonist is aware of the impossibility of a romance, so it is time to move forward and not look back, to free himself from a relationship that could hardly come to fruition. If feeling that love has done anything for Shi Woo, if his erratic behavior has gotten him anywhere, it is embracing the truth about his self-discovery and sexual identity. And so, putting an end to a love relationship that never took place, in order to move on with his battered life.
Then, the film, premiered at the Seoul Pride International Film Festival, becomes a denunciation against the homophobia present in South Korean society and against its sister, internalized homophobia, as well as the lack of institutional support for helpless children.
The courage to step outside the box, therefore, must be highlighted. The creators' choices try to do so but with humility, without pontificating at any time.
Produced by Use Film, a film production project team established in 2016, the director aims to broaden the perspective of the world through stories of people who do not receive adequate care and are excluded by society.
'Brake' is an exciting example of a young cinema that is even reflected in contemporary creations – from the sentimental and social nudity of the portraits of Leesong Hee Il or In-shik Kim, to the aesthetic and ethical productions of Kim Jho Kwang Soo, Lee Joon-ik, Yoo Ha and Bang Eun-jin, among many other South Korean filmmakers, where he moves like a fish in water thanks also to the most successful and dynamic decisions, such as a musical selection where the lyrics of the songs dialogue great with the action.
The best thing is that the heart of 'Brake' is able to go beyond its stylistic resources to offer itself to the viewer as a mature, moving, intelligent, authentic and honest story, which transcends all possible borders.
The film, a true raw gem, beautiful and murky, delicate and wild, fragile and implacable, is permeated by that vehement breath of commitment to the cause told, of the almost suicidal impulse to follow the characters' choices and not distance oneself from what what happens to them, and in which the color "winter green" appears as a tone and drawing of their general image.
If you are not tired of teenage stories, the discovery of sexuality, love and heartbreak, and amorous obsessions, you will be able to fully enjoy 'Brake', another notch in the LGTB+ cinema imagination that demonstrates the good form of the theme.

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Shoko (Yakushimaru Hiroko - 'Miss Cinderella', 1997) is a young and beautiful Italian translator with great emotional instability, who, on the verge of alcoholism, is not in a position to have a romantic relationship.
For his part, Mutsuki Kishida (Toyokawa Etsushi - 'Beautiful Rain', 2012) is a handsome, emphatically homosexual doctor with a boyfriend, the beautiful university student Kon (Tsutsui Michitaka - 'Kimi to Ita Natsu', 1994).
In a heteronormative and patriarchal society where appearances are of great importance, both must satisfy their worried parents, so they enter into a marriage of convenience. Even though she knows about her husband's sexuality, each of them finds in the other the perfect partner for a fake marriage.
On the one hand, the marriage of convenience would be important for Mutsuki for his career as a doctor, while at the same time it could be perfect for him to hide his homosexuality in a society like Japan; However, there is genuine affection between the doctor and his wife, as they find some comfort with each other.
However, external pressures weigh on the newlyweds; for example, parents' questions about when there will be a grandchild. As Shoko says: "My comfortable, carefree marriage was as fun as playing at home, but it came at a price after all."
Of course, the parents of the newlyweds know the nature of their own child, but not that of the spouse, and at first the marriage manages to please them. And while the newlyweds hope, in their own way, to live happily ever after, they inevitably come face to face with the fact that no marriage, real or simulated, is a fairy tale.
Although Shoko accepts Mutsuki's relationship with Kon, the young couple will face tough tests, especially when Shoko's parents discover the falsehood of the marriage.
Neither partner seemed to have high expectations about it, and Shoko said, "It was good to have marriages like ours. You didn't expect much, you didn't want much. You lost nothing, there was nothing to fear.
Written and directed by Matsuoka Joji ('Shinya Shokudo 2', 2011), the psychological and LGBT+-themed drama 'Kira Kira Hikaru' was the winner of the Golden Hugo Award for Best Film at the 29th Chicago International Film Festival 1993, while Etsushi Toyokawa won the New Star of the Year Award at the 16th Japanese Academy Awards (1992 Films).
With a rather slow pace, the script adapts the book of the same name written by Kaori Eguni, known for her novels "Reisei to jônetsu no aida" ("Between Calmness and Passion", "Sweet Little Lies", "The Mamiya Brother" and "Tokyo Tower".
The search for connection, trying to fit into social standards, having to pretend in a society that is intolerant of homosexuals, isolation even when you are surrounded by people who are supposed to know and love you, family relationships, urban alienation, These are some of the themes explored in the feature film.
The performance of Hiroko Yakushimaru stands out, playing a depressed young woman who fights against alcohol problems, loneliness, and against what society expects of a young woman: getting married, having a baby, etc. Even though Shoko knew that Mutsuki could never love her the way she wanted, she really tried to make it work.
Her friend and confidant does not help her, telling her that having a baby will help her "calm down" even though she knows that her husband is gay and living in a fake marriage.
With a somewhat open closure as the director opted for people to create their own ending, the marriage that is already built on a fragile foundation and seems to break under the pressures of parents and society and personal weaknesses, finally the three protagonists find a kind of solution.
Despite the difficulties, they come to see that there is a bond and manage to hold on to it. Amidst the demands of submitting to gender roles and collective duties, the three main characters find happiness in their own oddities.
"I would have liked to have done a lot more to develop the relationship between Mitsuki and Kon, because the few scenes they have together show a lot of potential and chemistry between the two."
In my opinion, the book and the movie complement each other well. The complexity of the characters is a bit lacking in the book, but the characters' flaws are more evident in the film adaptation.
Starting off with a happy vibe, in the second part of the film the plot takes a rather sad and dark turn, but somehow manages to come out on the other side, but not without making the viewer suffer. It is a transition of humor that can entertain and, above all, make viewers reflect.

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Anusorn Soisa-ngim, the irreverent, the illusionist

Anusorn Soisa-ngim is a 35-year-old Thai man with a frank smile and happy eyes, a clean-shaven beard and modern pants and shirts as his clothing of choice, in which there is no shortage of the image of Britney Spears, which along with love is the other thing in this world that you believe in.
He looks like a high school math teacher. However, sometimes I imagine him in another way, with a wardrobe of bright colors, an earring in his ear and a bohemian air, and in his hands a banner with a motto drawn in the colors of the rainbow, in the middle of a crowd, fighting for the right to equal marriage and the end of the discrimination to which LGBT+ people are subjected in their nation, or actively participating in other protests against harassment and marginalization carried out by executives in the Thai entertainment industry.
Perhaps this way, Aam, as he likes to be called, was more similar to his film work, because Anusorn Soisa-ngim is not dedicated to teaching logarithmic equations to inattentive teenagers: his job is to be a Thai iconoclast or, what is the same, one of the most unique authors of contemporary world cinema.
From his beginnings on the big screen as a screenwriter and director, Aam showed his ways as an original creator. With great artistic skills and indie creation, he says what he thinks and, above all, tells the truth.
Eternal nonconformist and controversial to the core, but never apologetic, few filmmakers can boast in their entire careers the significance of the titles they have delivered from 2012 to date. His debut was with 'Present Perfect', a short film made during his university years, in which he filmed a story related to himself, which would be taken up five years later in a film with the same title, with which he set out to bring back to Toey and Oat, his main characters, with the aim that the audience enjoyed his realistic perspective on what he believes about love, and with the key message that if you think in a new and different way, sometimes it is much better than you expect.
It would then be followed by the films 'Bangkok Dark Tales' (2019), and 'There Is No Space for Me' (2014), the three seasons of '2moons: The Series' (Mello Thailand, 2019), the documentary 'BL Broken Fantasy ' (2020), the feature film 'Present Still Perfect' (with which the cycle momentarily closes, but another installment is planned), the film series 'Call It What You Want' (GagaOOLala, 2021), which includes 'It's Complicated', and the film series 'Till the World Ends', the latter two from 2023.
Their creations share a taste for telling realistic stories that reflect their own lives, or about how they wish society was, how they wish people would treat each other. Despite the stylistic variations between each work, one cannot escape the feeling that they point to the same essences, convictions, fears, securities, philias and intimate worldviews of the author. As if Anusorn Soisa-ngim created a portal to his mind through his filmography, because the Thai director believes in the power of telling stories, in creating content that speaks to people, that makes them feel, think and question . He ultimately believes in being unapologetically himself, no matter what the industry says.
His journey has not been easy. After graduating in 2014, the filmmaker dove headfirst into the world of glitz and glamor that is the entertainment industry, only to discover that it's more about who you know than what you can do. But here's the kicker: Instead of following their rules, Anusorn Soisa-ngim made his own. And that provoked the anger of the hierarchy.
Inspired by real events, 'Call It What You Want' reflected the pressure of the BL industry on artists: plastic surgery, strict diets and, worst of all, the suffering to which young actors are subjected when they are harassed by film producers series, in addition to the need to keep the relationships between many of the protagonists of these dramas a secret from the company and fans. This meant an attempt to silence him.
Being banned from the entertainment industry has meant for him that he is not chained to having to follow guidelines, so he can break the rules and, although he does not have money for his creations, he has been able to push the limits and create art that really means something, without fear that it may generate controversy.
Aam's cinema has as many tricks as a conjurer. Characterized by telling real, raw stories full of passion, his works are about people, life, struggles and triumphs, and that is what makes them unforgettable. His creations go from laughter to horror as they reflect the sexual harassment of young actors by executives in the entertainment industry, or the promises that giving them their bodies would guarantee them entry to Earthly Paradise; but perennially having as its main theme the romance between boys.
Always trying to be himself and, at the same time, trying to understand what the fans really want to see.
Away from fiction, but about it, in the documentary 'BL Broken Fantasy' he addresses the behind-the-scenes of BL. Starring Bright and Win, the protagonists of the famous BL 'Still 2gether', Anusorn Soisa-ngim himself and a group of directors, producers, actors and scriptwriters of the genre, including Aof Noppharnach, Vachirawit Chivaaree and Metawin Opas-iamkajorn, try answer questions such as: Where does the BL series come from? Why are Yaoi fangirls devoting themselves physically and financially to BL?
Revered in 2022 as the best-selling BL sales director, in 2023 he was the Filmmaker of the Pride Month. He was nominated twice for the Asian Contents Awards, the first in 2020 thanks to '2moons: The Series', and then the following year with his second series, 'Call It What You Want', with which he was also nominated for an award. Content Asia, for "illuminating the struggles of independent filmmakers in the cutthroat entertainment sector." This series of films reveals, through the lens of Aam Anusorn, a tapestry of challenges, triumphs, and eternal perseverance.
Known for his unique approach to storytelling, drawing inspiration from his own experiences to create stories, Aam has made a name for himself in the independent film industry, and founded his own production company, COM'ME'TIVE By Aam, while still He was in his second year at Bangkok University, where he earned a bachelor's degree in Film and Performing Arts.

'PRESENT PERFECT' AND 'PRESENT STILL PERFECT'

Aam's most notable work to date is 'Present Perfect', which he adapted from the original 2012 short film. It is considered the first Thai film to receive funding from the government of Hokkaido, Japan.
The film revolves around Toey, a young Thai man who, after a painful breakup, decides to heal his broken heart in the Japanese city of Higashikawa, where he meets Oat, a man who travels to Japan to experience freedom for the last time in his life, because he is about to get married. From strangers to friends, romance blossoms between the two. Before returning to the "real" world, the two men have to pick up the broken pieces and rebuild them.
Starring Kritsana Maroukasonti as Oat and Tonawanik Adisorn as Toey, for her 2017 debut, Aam Anusorn Soisa-Ngim drew on him own experiences to tell this romantic story that will take the viewer on a moving journey as the characters follow the simple quest of love The encounter forms a beautiful relationship between two men, because each has his own trauma.
For the filmmaker, recovering these characters, especially Oat and Toey, was like seeing himself.
Produced by Nuttachai Jiraanont, Tanwarin Sukapisit and Chen Rong Hua, the film won the Best Film Award at the Amsterdam LGBTQ Film Festival in the Netherlands and was screened at many film festivals around the world, including the World Festival Bangkok Film Festival, the Serile Filmului International Gay Film Festival, Romania, and the Western Visayas Film Festival, Philippines.
Then, the film ended inconclusively, in the airport scene in which both young people have to separate. The director faced a dilemma, when one is about to accept or delete the other's friend request. And he chose to just leave it there, because he wanted people to create their own ending. "Those were those times, in 2017, when gay marriage was something we didn't talk about in Thailand," he told the press at the time.
While 'Present Perfect' is more realistic and intended to be true to life, 'Present Still Perfect', released on March 12, 2020, offers a more idealistic view of same-sex relationships in modern Thailand, while the A pair of former lovers reunites once again on the remote island of Koh Kood.
Four years after what is told in 'Present Perfect', Toey meets Oat at the airport and all his pain returns. In an attempt to cope with her pain, he decides to travel to Koh Kood where he meets Jane (Darina Boonchu), the guesthouse owner who recently discovered that her husband was having an affair, and Kenta (Ryota Omi), a traveler from Japan who was staying at his house.
The peace and beauty of the island brought Toey joy again, but he knew he couldn't ignore her feelings for Oat forever. Until one night he receives a message from Oat about how much he missed him. Toey responds by stating that he loves him too, because deep down being with Oat is all he wants, but he is cautious, knowing that his love is forbidden. The next morning, Oat appears on Koh Kood. Now Toey has to decide whether to follow his heart and rekindle his relationship with Oat or let him go since they can never truly be together.
'Present Still Perfect' is more about how Aam wishes society was. With his dream of getting married one day still unfulfilled, the filmmaker needed his dream to come true, at least on screen. For this reason, he did not hesitate to see his characters triumph in love. "I feel like I'm already married, even though that's not the truth. So yeah, the reason I keep coming back to these characters is because I want them to be successful in love, and ultimately they were."
The sequel to 'Present Perfect' makes a clear statement in favor of same-sex marriage.
And if on the one hand, the film has contributed to changing mentalities and making visible people from the LGBT+ community and their struggles for the legalization of same-sex marriage in Thailand, it also leaves another clear message: the act of letting go, the act of forgiving. If your husband is gay and you already knew it because you have been with him for years, you have to learn to let go and accept the truth.
In 2018 he did not have the budget to film the second part because no one supported him. Then one of his fans suggested, "Why don't you go to Indiegogo.com and then do some crowdfunding?" And after a lot of thinking: "Who is going to pay me the money? I'm a nobody. Nobody cares about me. Why do I have to?", he discovered one day that he had enough money to embark on that other trip. .
On the other hand, much of 'Present Perfect' and its sequel deal with cultural differences. In 'Present Still Perfect', for example, a Japanese character explains how in Japan it is considered disrespectful to let an old woman take her seat on the bus.
However, what is truly extraordinary is the cinematographic wrapping of these topics in films and series that leave the unmistakable feeling of being unique.
This, and no other, is the key to Anusorn Soisa-Ngim's exceptionality. If we look closely, the themes are not different from those of hundreds of authors, many of them also Thai, no matter how much personal quirks are sought in their work. However, his way of conceiving stories on celluloid has such a singularity that there is no other choice but to applaud and applaud him, like the magician who has just pulled a white rabbit out of his hat.

Lire davantage

Anusorn Soisa-ngim, the irreverent, the illusionist

Anusorn Soisa-ngim is a 35-year-old Thai man with a frank smile and happy eyes, a clean-shaven beard and modern pants and shirts as his clothing of choice, in which there is no shortage of the image of Britney Spears, which along with love is the other thing in this world that you believe in.
He looks like a high school math teacher. However, sometimes I imagine him in another way, with a wardrobe of bright colors, an earring in his ear and a bohemian air, and in his hands a banner with a motto drawn in the colors of the rainbow, in the middle of a crowd, fighting for the right to equal marriage and the end of the discrimination to which LGBT+ people are subjected in their nation, or actively participating in other protests against harassment and marginalization carried out by executives in the Thai entertainment industry.
Perhaps this way, Aam, as he likes to be called, was more similar to his film work, because Anusorn Soisa-ngim is not dedicated to teaching logarithmic equations to inattentive teenagers: his job is to be a Thai iconoclast or, what is the same, one of the most unique authors of contemporary world cinema.
From his beginnings on the big screen as a screenwriter and director, Aam showed his ways as an original creator. With great artistic skills and indie creation, he says what he thinks and, above all, tells the truth.
Eternal nonconformist and controversial to the core, but never apologetic, few filmmakers can boast in their entire careers the significance of the titles they have delivered from 2012 to date. His debut was with 'Present Perfect', a short film made during his university years, in which he filmed a story related to himself, which would be taken up five years later in a film with the same title, with which he set out to bring back to Toey and Oat, his main characters, with the aim that the audience enjoyed his realistic perspective on what he believes about love, and with the key message that if you think in a new and different way, sometimes it is much better than you expect.
It would then be followed by the films 'Bangkok Dark Tales' (2019), and 'There Is No Space for Me' (2014), the three seasons of '2moons: The Series' (Mello Thailand, 2019), the documentary 'BL Broken Fantasy ' (2020), the feature film 'Present Still Perfect' (with which the cycle momentarily closes, but another installment is planned), the film series 'Call It What You Want' (GagaOOLala, 2021), which includes 'It's Complicated', and the film series 'Till the World Ends', the latter two from 2023.
Their creations share a taste for telling realistic stories that reflect their own lives, or about how they wish society was, how they wish people would treat each other. Despite the stylistic variations between each work, one cannot escape the feeling that they point to the same essences, convictions, fears, securities, philias and intimate worldviews of the author. As if Anusorn Soisa-ngim created a portal to his mind through his filmography, because the Thai director believes in the power of telling stories, in creating content that speaks to people, that makes them feel, think and question . He ultimately believes in being unapologetically himself, no matter what the industry says.
His journey has not been easy. After graduating in 2014, the filmmaker dove headfirst into the world of glitz and glamor that is the entertainment industry, only to discover that it's more about who you know than what you can do. But here's the kicker: Instead of following their rules, Anusorn Soisa-ngim made his own. And that provoked the anger of the hierarchy.
Inspired by real events, 'Call It What You Want' reflected the pressure of the BL industry on artists: plastic surgery, strict diets and, worst of all, the suffering to which young actors are subjected when they are harassed by film producers series, in addition to the need to keep the relationships between many of the protagonists of these dramas a secret from the company and fans. This meant an attempt to silence him.
Being banned from the entertainment industry has meant for him that he is not chained to having to follow guidelines, so he can break the rules and, although he does not have money for his creations, he has been able to push the limits and create art that really means something, without fear that it may generate controversy.
Aam's cinema has as many tricks as a conjurer. Characterized by telling real, raw stories full of passion, his works are about people, life, struggles and triumphs, and that is what makes them unforgettable. His creations go from laughter to horror as they reflect the sexual harassment of young actors by executives in the entertainment industry, or the promises that giving them their bodies would guarantee them entry to Earthly Paradise; but perennially having as its main theme the romance between boys.
Always trying to be himself and, at the same time, trying to understand what the fans really want to see.
Away from fiction, but about it, in the documentary 'BL Broken Fantasy' he addresses the behind-the-scenes of BL. Starring Bright and Win, the protagonists of the famous BL 'Still 2gether', Anusorn Soisa-ngim himself and a group of directors, producers, actors and scriptwriters of the genre, including Aof Noppharnach, Vachirawit Chivaaree and Metawin Opas-iamkajorn, try answer questions such as: Where does the BL series come from? Why are Yaoi fangirls devoting themselves physically and financially to BL?
Revered in 2022 as the best-selling BL sales director, in 2023 he was the Filmmaker of the Pride Month. He was nominated twice for the Asian Contents Awards, the first in 2020 thanks to '2moons: The Series', and then the following year with his second series, 'Call It What You Want', with which he was also nominated for an award. Content Asia, for "illuminating the struggles of independent filmmakers in the cutthroat entertainment sector." This series of films reveals, through the lens of Aam Anusorn, a tapestry of challenges, triumphs, and eternal perseverance.
Known for his unique approach to storytelling, drawing inspiration from his own experiences to create stories, Aam has made a name for himself in the independent film industry, and founded his own production company, COM'ME'TIVE By Aam, while still He was in his second year at Bangkok University, where he earned a bachelor's degree in Film and Performing Arts.

'PRESENT PERFECT' AND 'PRESENT STILL PERFECT'

Aam's most notable work to date is 'Present Perfect', which he adapted from the original 2012 short film. It is considered the first Thai film to receive funding from the government of Hokkaido, Japan.
The film revolves around Toey, a young Thai man who, after a painful breakup, decides to heal his broken heart in the Japanese city of Higashikawa, where he meets Oat, a man who travels to Japan to experience freedom for the last time in his life, because he is about to get married. From strangers to friends, romance blossoms between the two. Before returning to the "real" world, the two men have to pick up the broken pieces and rebuild them.
Starring Kritsana Maroukasonti as Oat and Tonawanik Adisorn as Toey, for her 2017 debut, Aam Anusorn Soisa-Ngim drew on him own experiences to tell this romantic story that will take the viewer on a moving journey as the characters follow the simple quest of love The encounter forms a beautiful relationship between two men, because each has his own trauma.
For the filmmaker, recovering these characters, especially Oat and Toey, was like seeing himself.
Produced by Nuttachai Jiraanont, Tanwarin Sukapisit and Chen Rong Hua, the film won the Best Film Award at the Amsterdam LGBTQ Film Festival in the Netherlands and was screened at many film festivals around the world, including the World Festival Bangkok Film Festival, the Serile Filmului International Gay Film Festival, Romania, and the Western Visayas Film Festival, Philippines.
Then, the film ended inconclusively, in the airport scene in which both young people have to separate. The director faced a dilemma, when one is about to accept or delete the other's friend request. And he chose to just leave it there, because he wanted people to create their own ending. "Those were those times, in 2017, when gay marriage was something we didn't talk about in Thailand," he told the press at the time.
While 'Present Perfect' is more realistic and intended to be true to life, 'Present Still Perfect', released on March 12, 2020, offers a more idealistic view of same-sex relationships in modern Thailand, while the A pair of former lovers reunites once again on the remote island of Koh Kood.
Four years after what is told in 'Present Perfect', Toey meets Oat at the airport and all his pain returns. In an attempt to cope with her pain, he decides to travel to Koh Kood where he meets Jane (Darina Boonchu), the guesthouse owner who recently discovered that her husband was having an affair, and Kenta (Ryota Omi), a traveler from Japan who was staying at his house.
The peace and beauty of the island brought Toey joy again, but he knew he couldn't ignore her feelings for Oat forever. Until one night he receives a message from Oat about how much he missed him. Toey responds by stating that he loves him too, because deep down being with Oat is all he wants, but he is cautious, knowing that his love is forbidden. The next morning, Oat appears on Koh Kood. Now Toey has to decide whether to follow his heart and rekindle his relationship with Oat or let him go since they can never truly be together.
'Present Still Perfect' is more about how Aam wishes society was. With his dream of getting married one day still unfulfilled, the filmmaker needed his dream to come true, at least on screen. For this reason, he did not hesitate to see his characters triumph in love. "I feel like I'm already married, even though that's not the truth. So yeah, the reason I keep coming back to these characters is because I want them to be successful in love, and ultimately they were."
The sequel to 'Present Perfect' makes a clear statement in favor of same-sex marriage.
And if on the one hand, the film has contributed to changing mentalities and making visible people from the LGBT+ community and their struggles for the legalization of same-sex marriage in Thailand, it also leaves another clear message: the act of letting go, the act of forgiving. If your husband is gay and you already knew it because you have been with him for years, you have to learn to let go and accept the truth.
In 2018 he did not have the budget to film the second part because no one supported him. Then one of his fans suggested, "Why don't you go to Indiegogo.com and then do some crowdfunding?" And after a lot of thinking: "Who is going to pay me the money? I'm a nobody. Nobody cares about me. Why do I have to?", he discovered one day that he had enough money to embark on that other trip. .
On the other hand, much of 'Present Perfect' and its sequel deal with cultural differences. In 'Present Still Perfect', for example, a Japanese character explains how in Japan it is considered disrespectful to let an old woman take her seat on the bus.
However, what is truly extraordinary is the cinematographic wrapping of these topics in films and series that leave the unmistakable feeling of being unique.
This, and no other, is the key to Anusorn Soisa-Ngim's exceptionality. If we look closely, the themes are not different from those of hundreds of authors, many of them also Thai, no matter how much personal quirks are sought in their work. However, his way of conceiving stories on celluloid has such a singularity that there is no other choice but to applaud and applaud him, like the magician who has just pulled a white rabbit out of his hat.

Lire davantage

Considered to be the first Thai BL series and also the initiator of the expansion of Asian boy love dramas to the rest of the continent and the world, 'Love Sick The Series' explores the experiences of students who attend an exclusively university. male called Friday College, based on the budding love story between Noh, the president of his music club, and Phun, the vice president of the Student Council of the aforementioned house of higher studies.
The series has two seasons: the first aired in Thailand from July 6, 2014 to September 21, 2014, with 12 episodes, and the second in 2015, with 36 episodes. In April 2019, the main characters appeared in the three-part miniseries 'Reminders'.
Broadcast on Channel 9, the series is directed by Andy Rachyd Kusolkulsiri, the filmmaker of the Thai queer scene for writing and directing both the first season, as well as many other series and films, such as the homoerotic drama 'Me: My Familiar People', which caused a stir due to the strong sexual scenes, and for being the producer of the comedy 'Tom Gay', which portrays the relationships of a gay and lesbian couple.
Also behind the cameras are Cheewin Thanamin Wongskulphat ('Why R U?', 2020), who plays Jenny in the first season, a director, producer and owner of Copy A Bangkok who is credited with being the first producer of the series Y in Thailand, and Yuan Tin Tun Danop, the director of 'Hit Bite Love', the daring series adorned with sexual scenes and sadomasochism, the films 'Tom Gay', 'Let's Go Bangkok Holiday' and 'The Right Man : Because I Love You', and the series 'Make It Right' and 'War of High School', among others.
With extensive experience in addressing topics such as homosexuality, homophobia, love triangles, secret affairs, multiple partners, family conflicts, unrequited love, youth and the school environment, the trio of directors adapt the original novel of "Thai Boys Love Love Sick: The Chaotic Lives of Blue Shorts Guys", written by Latika Chumpoo, the Thai screenwriter and novelist who publishes her work under the pseudonym Indrytimes, doing a very restrained job of putting teenagers before the cameras.
We are facing a story of coming of age and coming out of the closet. Also, before a love story. I wouldn't say it's an LGBT+ story because their struggle to fall in love is more complex than gender. As in the first season, the series stands out for adapting many Japanese yaoi tropes.
Starring Captain Chonlathorn Kongyingyong ('Rak Sood Jai Yai Tua Saeb, 2023), and White Nawat Phumphotingam, ('Water Boyy The Series, 2017), as Noh and Punn, the script of the series is written by Kwang Latika Chumpoo (' Cause You're My Boy', 2018), the same Thai screenwriter and novelist author of the novel on which the series is based, Fern Tanyatorn Butyee ('ReminderS', 2019), and Saipirun Chaichiangpin ('May-December Romance, 2021).
The beautiful cinematography of Panit Jirawattananunt (Midnight Motel', 2023), the correct editing of New Siwaj Sawatmaneekul and the music of Boy Sompob Pokepoon ('2 Worlds', 2024), capture the viewer and immerse them in this exciting series.
It's adorable how Siam and related areas are shown. The daytime scenes and especially the nighttime ones are beautiful.

THE HISTORY

The second season of Love Sick the Series begins with Noh and Punn deciding to be just friends. The two focus on preparing for Friday College's main football event while maintaining their platonic relationship. When the game ends, Noh, Punn and their friends celebrate their victory at a restaurant where Noh meets Golf, a former student of Friday College.
Golf tells Noh about a disturbing indiscretion involving Aim, Punn's girlfriend. Golf asks Noh to tell his friend Punn about Aim's indiscretion, as it was the right thing to do as Punn's friend. Noh struggles with this information and drinks too much and ends up at Punn's house, further confirming her relationship with Punn to her sister Pang and her friends.
Later, Aim and Yuri invite Punn and Noh on a couple's vacation to Hua Hin to spend time together. During a quiet moment in Hua Hin, Noh is faced with evidence of Aim's indiscretion, confirming Golf's claims. Noh then begins to worry about how he will tell Punn the truth about his girlfriend without hurting him.
When Noh's friends throw an impromptu party at Noh's house, Punn shows up and accidentally stumbles upon Golf's evidence that shows Aim's secret. Punn runs off, struggling to deal with Aim's betrayal, and Noh rushes to Punn's side, promising to support him through the next difficult times. Punn and Aim's relationship comes to an end shortly after.
Punn and Noh maintain their relationship as friends for a while, until Noh's band performs at an open house event at the girls convent school. When most of the girls work to win Noh's heart, Punn decides to confess him feelings and asks Noh to be him boyfriend. They keep their relationship a secret, as Noh is not ready to let everyone know the nature of their relationship. Their secret relationship leads them to multiple misunderstandings with their friends and Noh's girlfriend, Yuri.
To put an end to the fighting and pain, Noh confesses his feelings to Punn and decides to end his ambiguous relationship with Yuri. The day after Noh talks to Yuri, she witnesses an intimate scene between Punn and Noh that confirms Noh's feelings for Punn. Unable to accept the truth, Yuri distances himself from Noh, which causes him great pain.
Noh and Punn then navigate their experiences of coming out as gay to their friends, facing prejudice and, in Jeed's case, possible ostracism. The series comes to an end as Noh and Punn finally find balance and acceptance of each other's experiences and feelings. They promise to stay together as long as possible.
Luangsodsai Anupart, Chindavanich Primrose, Charnmanoon Pannin and Vachiravit Paisarnkulwong are part of the cast and bring drama, humor and intensity to the series.
YA

Lire davantage

Considered to be the first Thai BL series and also the initiator of the expansion of Asian boy love dramas to the rest of the continent and the world, 'Love Sick The Series' explores the experiences of students who attend an exclusively university male called Friday College, based on the budding love story between Noh, the president of his music club, and Phun, the vice president of the Student Council of the aforementioned house of higher studies.
The series has two seasons: the first aired in Thailand from July 6, 2014 to September 21, 2014, with 12 episodes, and the second in 2015, with 36 episodes. In April 2019, the main characters appeared in the three-part miniseries 'Reminders'.
Broadcast on Channel 9, the series written and directed by Andy Rachyd Kusolkulsiri, a filmmaker from the Thai queer scene, known for directing the homoerotic drama 'Me: My Familiar People', which caused a stir due to the strong sexual scenes, and for being The producer of the comedy 'Tom Gay', which portrays the relationships of a gay and lesbian couple, does a very restrained job in 'Love Sick: The Series' by putting teenagers before the cameras.
Director of series and films such as 'Friend Forever' (2020), 'Thank God It's Friday' (2019), 'Water Boyy' (2017), 'Make It Right' (2016), 'Water Boyy: The Movie' ( 2015), and 'Cause You're My Boy' (2018), among others, Rachyd Kusolkulsiri adapts in his debut work the original novel of "Thai Boys Love Love Sick: The Chaotic Lives of Blue Shorts Guys", written by INDRYTIMES or Latika Chumpoo.
In writing the script, Andy Rachyd Kusolkulsiri has the collaboration of
Fern Tanyatorn Butyee, renowned BL writer, with scripts that were later brought to the screen in the series "Chains of Heart" (2023), and "ReminderS" (2019), among others.
We are facing a story of coming of age and coming out of the closet. Also, before a love story. I wouldn't say it's an LGBT+ story because their struggle to fall in love is more complex than gender.
Starring Captain Chonlathorn Kongyingyong ('Rak Sood Jai Yai Tua Saeb, 2023), and White Nawat Phumphotingam, ('Water Boyy The Series, 2017), as Noh and Punn, respectively, both in their acting debut, the first season stands out for adapt many Japanese yaoi tropes.


THE HISTORY

Punn has a dilemma: despite having a girlfriend, his father insists that he date the daughter of one of his friends. Punn decides to ask his little sister, Pang, to help him convince his father to change his mind. Knowing that his sister is a true Y-girl obsessed with boy love novels, Punn comes up with a crazy plan to win her support: convince Pang that he has a boyfriend.
Due to unforeseen circumstances, Noh discovers that his Music Club's budget is short and they need money to buy new batteries. Noh runs to the Student Council for help and finds Punn, his vice president, to whom he presents his case, and Punn decides that he has found the perfect candidate for his plan.
Punn asks Noh to be her fake boyfriend in exchange for help with her Music Club's budget. Noh is reluctant at first, but when he shows up at Punn's house, the plan goes as Punn intended and Pang is convinced they are a couple. She agrees to help Punn with his father.
Throughout the first season, the story revolves around the many adventures that Noh and Punn encounter. Their relationship changes through these experiences and eventually the two 17-year-old boys fall in love with each other.
Luangsodsai Anupart, Chindavanich Primrose, Charnmanoon Pannin and Vachiravit Paisarnkulwong are part of the cast and bring drama, humor and intensity to the series.
I love this show, the first Boy's Love show I ever saw in my life when it comes to Asian shows, to the extent that I watch it again from time to time, and today, 10 years after it aired, when it's just hours away from premiering a new version, I enjoy the drama again and decide to write this review.
'Love Sick The Series' is credited with doing a lot to make the LGBT+/Boy' Love/Gay show acceptable in Asia.
The chemistry between the two boys is perfect. Their relationship is great. They are very good with each other. Without any toxicity. Pure innocent love and understanding. Many shows have had the same premise, but nothing could compare to the pure adoration and feelings these characters show for each other.
Seeing Punn and Noh, who can't help but fall in love, and hence the name of the series, seeing them suffer from lovesickness, seeing them sick with love, something that is portrayed wonderfully, turned me into a lover of the genre.
The performance of Chonlathorn Kongyingyong and Nawat Phumphothingam is magnificent as they show themselves confused by feelings they do not dare to admit.
I enjoyed this incredible show. I'm literally lovesick too just looking at it. Seeing the tension, Puhn's eyes make me feel very strongly for him. And Noh is so adorable that I can't help but want love to emerge between the two.
Unlike other dramas, here the two main protagonists are portrayed as equals where twists, innocence, friendship, jealousy, care and clumsiness are mixed. In addition to the main couple, there are also other heterosexual and homosexual couples.
The beautiful cinematography draws the viewer in. It's adorable how Siam and related areas are shown. The daytime scenes and especially the nighttime ones are beautiful.

OTHER CHARACTERS

Jeed is a new student transferring from a public school to a private convent school across from Friday College. There he meets Aim, who is Phun's current girlfriend, and Yuri, who is Noh's girlfriend. Jeed then meets Noh's friend Khom/"Sharp" and they fall in love. At the same time, Jeed tries everything he can to fit in with his new classmates and the couple struggles to overcome the many expectations they encounter.
For his part, Tangmo is a student at a nun's school, and Moan, a student at a technical school who is the nephew of the principal of Friday College. They live together in the same condominium as husband and wife. All his friends know, but his parents have no idea. Golf, Moan's best enemy, lives next to them and keeps his secret.
Madmee and Jiab, Prang's little sister's best friends, also share a love for Yaoi. They all go to the same acting school. There, Pang and her friends meet Pop and Shay, who are inevitably "imagined" by the girls as a couple, and the trio does everything they can to ensure that Pop and Shay fall in love, but things are not so easy.

THE SOUNDTRACK

The soundtrack is sublime. Highlights include songs such as "Shake/Sun" [สั่น]", in two versions, the one performed by Sompob Pokepoon/Boy Sompob, and by Various Artist; "Begging" [ขอร้อง]", by Kongyingyong (performed by Chonlathorn/Captain Chonlathorn), "Did You Forget? [ลืมไปหรือเปล่า]", (Primrose Chindavanich); "Pass [ผ่าน]", (Chanagun Arpornsutinan/Gunsmile); "I Still Can't [ยังทำไม่ได้]", (Coates Samantha Melanie); "Just Only That [แค่เท่านั้น]", (Ausavaterakul Ausavapat/New); "If I Died [หากฉันตาย]" (Anik Kornkulchat & Pantita Kongsomtith); "Is This Love?" (Various Artist); "The Voice That Changed [เสียงที่เปลี่ยน]", (Luangsodsai Anupart/Ngern); "Farsighted [สายตายาว]" (Various Artist); "I Like You Both [อยากเก็บเธอไว้ทั้งสองคน]", (Paisarnkulwong Vachiravit/August); "Don't Get Me Wrong [อย่าเข้าใจฉันผิด]", (Nalurmas Sa-nguanpholphairot); "Nungira", (Hanwuthinanon/Gale & Manassanant Arkomdhon; "Door [ประตู]", (Tol Vonthongchai); "Unconditional Love [รักไม่มีเงื่อนไข]", (Nat Sakdatorn & Tol Vonthongchai) and "My Love Never Changes [ไม่มีวัน เปลี่ยน]", performed by Sompob Pokepoon/Boy Sompob.
Season 1 of Love Sick the Series ends with Phun and Noh deciding to stay away from each other for the sake of their two girlfriends, whom they don't want to hurt with their affair.
YA

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Fun, witty and charming film with good performances and an interesting premise

'The Boy Foretold by the Stars' is a charming 2020 Filipino gay romantic comedy about coming of age, romance, and exploration of sexual identity.
The film explores the love story between two teenagers in a Catholic school setting who, with the help of a fortune teller, find themselves on an optional school retreat called "Journey with the Lord."
Through a series of events dictated by astrology and destiny, the protagonists discover the true meaning of love and acceptance.

The story:

Written and directed by first-time trans director Dolly Dulu, who has said in interviews that the story is based on her own personal experience, this fun, witty and charming film, with good performances and an interesting premise, begins when two best friends, students of Openly gay high school at St. Francis Catholic School, Dominic and Timmy (John Leinard Ramos, in his acting debut), go to a fortune teller, Baby R (Iyah Mina), to learn about their love life. Baby R tells Dominic, the central character of the film, that he will meet his soul mate in a week, and gives him several signs that would indicate that this child is really the one the stars have predicted.
On the contrary to Dominic, who is in love with Paul (Renshi de Guzman - 'In Between' I and II), another classmate, but does not dare to confess his love, Timmy is more open when declaring his feelings to Joseph, his platonic love.
As they prepare to participate in the school retreat they frequently organize, a student signs up at the last minute: Luke Armada, the high school basketball star. And Dominic is assigned to be Luke's godfather.
Luke has a girlfriend named Karen (Rissey Reyes – 'Pearl Next Door', 2021). But they are having problems in their relationship because Karen is very busy and finally breaks up with Luke, who believes in destiny and always resorts to flipping a coin when making important decisions.
Although Dominic and Luke are schoolmates, they have never met, as they are in different groups and their interests are not the same. In addition, he spends much of his free time co-leading the optional school retreat.
Heartbroken, Luke attends the retreat as a way to find time to reflect on his breakup and his life. As fate would have it, the two boys team up and discover that they have a strong and undeniable connection with each other.
Letting Luke know that he is gay and asking if that will be a problem, Luke says no. When Luke and Dominic begin to open up to each other and become friends, Dominic is not thinking about a romantic relationship with the young basketball player. After all, Luke is straight. Luke has a girlfriend. Luke would never notice an effeminate boy like him, ideas that run through his head.
Then Dominic begins to notice the signs that the "manghuhula" predicted in the way his relationship with Luke is blossoming. For his part, Luke eventually becomes confused about his feelings for Dominic, as he grew up knowing that he is heterosexual.
And so begins their romance, which will be put in danger with the sudden appearance of Karen to reconcile with Luke, or by Luke being ridiculed by his prejudiced and homophobic friends, fruits of a society that hates and discriminates against those who are different, such as the Filipino, for get too close to Dominic.

Of characters and actors:

Adrian Lindayag is known in the Philippines as a former fashion stylist and supporting actor in plays and television series. Before becoming known to a wider audience thanks to this film, he had already starred in the musical "Rak of Aegis" and was part of the cast of the comedy "Oh My Dad!", on TV5. Meanwhile, Keann Johnson is a model which had appeared in dramatic anthologies.
In the film they play Dominic and Luke, respectively. By then, both had already worked together on the LGBT+ film 'Click, Like & Share', from 2020, under the direction of Topel Lee and Ricky Rivero. Adrian playing one of the protagonists, Your Road Monts, and Keann playing the supporting character Your Road Derek.
In the film, Adrian is believable in the role simply because he is very comfortable being effeminate and doesn't seem to act at all. His impressive acting skills have been demonstrated in other performances, especially with his role as King in Marahuyo Proyect, a 2024 LGBT+ series directed by JP Habac. If you haven't seen it yet, you don't know what a great work you've missed. I recommend it to you.
Keann is a definite find. He is a beautiful actor, a mass idol as a model and his presence in the media and digital networks, with stage and acting mastery. He is also fluent in English and pronounces all his lines in that language, which is an advantage. He is remembered for appearing in the BL drama 'Worth the Wait' and starring in the LGBT+ film 'Run', both in 2021.

Some thoughts:

Filmed before the Covid-19 pandemic, when the BL (Boys' Love) genre was not yet popular in the Philippines, "The Boy Foretold by the Stars" shows this conventional vibe that works in its favor and achieves audience applause. In fact, it is a very accessible film as it plays with love in various ways and gives up its most intimate aspects.
In this sense, love is approached more as a means of friendship, companionship, and complicity as Luke and Dominic's bond grows. This approach is very laudable, because although love needs affection and intimacy, there is this feeling of a purer love by eliminating its more sexual aspects.
The most fascinating thing about the film is not the romance, but its depiction of that love story within an endemic Philippine landscape: that of an all-boys Catholic high school, with teachers, student leaders and students in constant struggle to unite the dogmatic religious doctrine that marks homosexuals as sinners who will not be able to enter Heaven, and the diversity of sexual identities. Without being didactic, the film bravely refuses to bank on the safety and convenience of secularism and instead places romance right in the middle of expressions of religiosity.
In this sense, it is impressive how Dulu was able to avoid turning the film into an argument against Catholic conservatism. Well, although the film has scenes where characters are judged for being openly homosexual, for being effeminate, or discussing homosexuality as a sin, this only happens to confront the confusion and not to judge. It is magnificent how the director never loses sight of the objective of the film, which is none other than to celebrate the purity of love, regardless of gender.
There are some tender and touching scenes between Dominic and Luke. The film also has enough emotional highs and lows to satisfy any romance lover.
The development of the relationship between the two boys is gradual but never stagnates, and the acting between the leads is surprisingly great. However, I was always attentive to what for me was the main problem in a film that depends heavily on the idea of ​​destiny and having a soul mate, because does destiny really have anything to do with love?
Although Timmy is the person who pushes Dominic to consult the fortune teller and get a reading, his story is left aside and forgotten, so the film focuses on the story of his friend and his romance with the boy the fortune teller predicted he would meet soon. I would have liked to see more of what happens to him.
In 'The Boy Foretold by the Stars', Dominic plays a gay man who comes out as gay to his close friends at school, but claims that he has not come out to his own parents. This makes one wonder, since his actions are so effeminate, that it is impossible for his parents not to quickly deduce what his sexual preference is.
The director is right by not populating her film with big names. Instead, he entrusted the roles of two high school seniors who find love with the slight help of fate and amid the prejudices of their all-boys Catholic school to two new young actors who, although they have previous experience in theater and television, they don't have the manufactured chemistry that might have fueled their pairing. And this makes the result much more natural and realistic.
Another of the film's achievements is that the director manages to conjure an impeccable passion in a school where religion, homophobia and machismo are pillars, and creates a homosexual romance to support. Even if all the twists and beats of the film are familiar and predictable, it still convinces and succeeds, as it thrives on its simplicity and direct approach.
The film has good production and technical values. The narrative flow is smooth and the setting of the Catholic boys' school is used to great advantage to establish the setting of the story.
Its narrative, based on a well-written script, has a great pace in general.

In summary:

'The Boy Foretold by the Stars' is a fun, witty and charming gay film that follows the blossoming love relationship between two students at a strict all-boys Catholic school, in which one of them is openly gay and doesn't believe in destiny. , while the other is heterosexual and decides everything by flipping a coin.
Produced by Jodi Sta. María under Clever Minds Inc., The Dolly Collection and Brainstormers Lab., the film seeks to unravel themes such as growing up queer in a Catholic school, facing homophobia and sticking to your faith, whether queer or not.
One of its most interesting aspects is that it is not afraid to portray the effeminate gay, a trope that is often used in secondary characters and other times as a stereotype to denigrate the homosexual. In this film, destiny is as real as the people who experience it.
Without being apparently subversive and through a formula that favors tradition, 'The Boy Foretold by the Stars', considered the "first Filipino BL film", finalist in the feature film section at the 2020 CineFilipino Film Festival, opens a path for making homosexuality visible in a strongly patriarchal and heteronormative society, while encouraging escapist cinema to go through the realities of coming of age.
Despite its imperfections and lack of coherence when it comes to its visuals, especially as its few visually pleasing scenes are interspersed between prolonged and unspectacular passages, the film is visually pleasing, and brings a much-needed dose of positivity into a world in which hatred and discrimination against homosexuals prevails.
While it will make you reflect, the story, which has its conclusive closure in the series 'Love Beneath the Stars' (2021), will captivate you and leave you smiling.

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Hong Kong writer-director Simon Chung addresses the relationship between men loving other men and strives to speak on behalf of the gay community through his films.
Premiering at the 26th London Gay and Lesbian Film Festival (since renamed BFI Flare: London LGBT Film Festival), on March 28, 2012, 'Speechless' (Chinese: 無言; pinyin: Wu yan), its fifth film, between short films and feature films, after filming 'Stanley Beloved' (1998), 'First Love and Other Pains (1999), 'Innocent' (2005) and 'End of Love' (2009), is a homosexual drama about a mysterious young Frenchman who is found naked on the banks of a river in a remote border city in southern China, precisely in Wuhan.
On this occasion, Chung joined forces with fellow writer and director Claudia Priscilla ('Look at Me Again') to take the protagonists on a journey in which destiny transcends differences in gender and culture.
In this film, the director continues to represent the violence of queers, but the film not only focuses on homosexuality, but also on the frustration of love.
The stranger (Pierre-Matthieu Vital), is arrested by the local police. Apparently he doesn't want to or can't talk (hence the title of the film), so he is sent to a hospital to find out what's wrong with him.
During his convalescence in the health center he remains mute, plagued by nightmares and scenes from the past. Despite having lost the ability to speak, the mysterious character is still able to create an emotional bond with the cute and kind Xiao Jiang, a nurse, who decides to help him when he is about to be transferred to an asylum, taking him clandestinely to his uncle's remote house in a distant village.
As Jiang connects with his new, silent friend, he discovers the secrets of his past and the reason for his silence. Jealousy, homosexuality and cultural differences caused the young Frenchman great harm from which he has not yet recovered.
The discovery leads to the retelling of a secondary love story between exchange student from France, Luke, who is eventually revealed to be the patient's identity, and a fellow college student named Han Dong. Unfortunately, Han has a girlfriend, Xiao Ning, who proves to be dangerously jealous.
Screened at major LGBT film festivals in London, Vancouver, Toronto and Turin, the interracial romance easily appeals to people of all sexual orientations as it reveals the true nature of love: that it is transcendent, but can also fade like dew.
Although the film is slow and somewhat confusing, it conveys this sad reality about the differences between the acceptance of homosexuality by different cultures. The drama gives way to a thriller that addresses themes such as betrayal, jealousy, revenge, and investigation, while showing scenes of frontal male nudity and sexual content, and viewers discover the truth step by step.
"Speechless" has quite a few flaws, notably the use of flashbacks to tell everything, completely interrupting the narrative, but it is a beautiful song against homophobia and for friendship and acceptance of those who are different.
'Speechless' is a surprisingly intriguing film that unfolds slowly and reveals what happened to Luke to render him mute. In the first half of the film, we glimpse Luke's memory as he attempts to piece together his own backstory, including scenes in which he has sex with another man. Once Luke leaves the hospital and joins Jiang, he disappears, leaving Jiang to investigate to find out how he ended up in the hospital. What follows is a series of twists and turns as Jiang tries to uncover the truth about his mysterious friend.
Following the personality of the main protagonist easily leads to falling in love with him, and that is what will happen to the viewer who is able to convince that any act is justified if it is out of love.
On the other hand, being faced with a story based on memory loss gives rise to a certain intrigue and a development to reconstruct the forgotten personality.
Simon Chung makes sure you are immersed in Luke's story as you, as Jiang, try to discover what really happened. From the opening scene of the film, where we see Luke swimming naked before he is arrested, you are intrigued to know what happened and if he is really crazy. Of course, things aren't that clear cut, but the film's many twists and turns eventually reveal the events leading up to that moment.
The handsome Han Dong is played by mainland Chinese model, actor and magician Jian Jiang, while actress Yung Yung Yu plays Xiao Ning.
Chung also gets strong but sensitive performances from his young cast members.
One of the difficulties Chung encountered during filming is that the actor who plays Luke does not speak fluent Mandarin Chinese, so he had to offer him help to train him to deliver his lines.
Filmed in the small town of Shantou, on the east coast of Guangdong Province, and in the northern countryside of this province located in southern China, and at Shantou University, 'Speechless' is a solid mystery drama and It hooked us from the opening scene.
Of course, it helps that Pierre-Matthieu Vital is very pretty, so seeing him naked from the beginning definitely helps the film win you over. This young actor's performance is very good and he has to be expressive through other means, since his character barely utters a word.
Simon Chung has created an intriguing film that explores not only homosexuality, but tells the story of a young man whose innocent relationship with another man had such traumatic consequences.
As the director noted, the inspiration for the film came from a real-life case known as the "Piano Man", in which a man appeared on the east coast of England several years before filming began.
'Speechless' reminds me of 'Soundless Wind Chime', another 2009 Chinese film with a gay theme and a similar atmosphere, which also has as its main theme a romance between two young people, one Chinese and the other Western. Unlike 'Speechless', the dialogue in the aforementioned film is mainly in English.
Chi-Lap Chan's beautiful cinematography and Sebastian Seidel's music introduce us to the fascinating romance between Han and Luke, who was still speaking at the time. However, it is the more subtle growth of love and understanding between the silent Luke and Jiang that has stayed with me.

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Soulmates is a myth about love that has remained alive for centuries, perhaps because we are all looking for it, because we know a story that reinforces it or, possibly, we have seen many romantic movies.
Cinema has delved into the search for perfect, magical and lasting love, and has shown more than once that soul mates exist and are in the places you least imagine.
If destiny wants a couple to stay together, so it will be. This is the premise of the LGBT+ themed romantic drama short film 'The Postcard', (Korean title 엽서/ 'Yeopseo'), written and directed in 2007 by Josh Kim, the Korean-American filmmaker based in Thailand, director of the film ' How to Win at Checkers (Every Time)', the yaoi drama whose premiere at the 2015 Berlin Film Festival served as this Southeast Asian country's official entry to the Academy Awards and Golden Globes for Best Picture in Foreign Language.
In his second film after 'The Police Box' (2006), Josh Kim introduces us to Suh Inwoo and Simo as protagonists in the roles of Boy and Postman, respectively.
The film revolves around Chico, a shy young man who is in love with a handsome and sexy postman, but feels too intimidated to even dare to look him in the eyes, much less have individual conversations with him.
Are you someone who often spends restless nights thinking about your crush and wondering if you're on their mind too? The most difficult and frustrating part of falling in love is not knowing if the other person feels the same way. This may make you wonder what you will do to get their attention.
In this effort, Chico goes every day to the post office where Postman works to send himself open love letters on postcards, only with his own address, so that they can be taken by the person who makes his heart skip a beat and who will wait daily at 4:00 p.m.
On a postcard he wrote: "Your eyes, your hair, your smile and your uniform are beautiful," and this causes the intrigued Post Girl 1 (So Yun Park) and Post Girl 2 (Sun Zoo Park) to start guessing. who is destined Who will all these shipments be for? Will it be for any of them?
Postman, who also has feelings for Chico, decides to knock on the door of his house after reading the text written on a postcard, but one of the girls at the Post Office, who mistakenly assumes that she is the one the letters are addressed to, he overtakes him.
Boy, who does not believe in destiny because he has always believed in himself, and in hard work to get ahead, will discover that he has been wrong. Fate will make Chico and Postman meet, that same day, in the least expected place.
Through the use of slow shots, dividers in dead time and a certain form of naturalistic narration, the viewer is kept in a state of suspense throughout the 15 minutes of duration, the same one that the characters suffer and that the viewer literally receives through the screen.
The first scene marks the ambiguity of the film. The presentation shows us that we are looking at a contemplative film. Nothing about simple identification. But a contemplation of a present, of a dead time even, in which Boy devises within himself a plan to attract Postman's attention. His job as a card dealer will inspire him to carry out his plan of conquest.
The film does not have a fixed tone, it is sober, melancholic, nostalgic, laconic. A tone brand of South Korean LGBT+ themed cinema that we could locate in the cinema of Kim-Jho Gwang-Soo and Leesong Hee-il, with their 'Boy Meets Boy' (2008), 'Just Friend?' (2009), 'Love 100° C' ( 사랑은 100℃ / Sarangeun 100℃), or 'One Night, Two Days', 'One Night', 'Baekya' ('지난여름, 갑자기'/'White Night' ), 'Suddenly Last Summer' (지난 여름, 갑자기/'Jinanyeoreum, gapjagi') and 'Namjjokeuro Ganda' ('Going South' /남쪽으로 간다), all from 2012, respectively, addressing themes such as sexuality, identity gender and being queer in a heteronormative and homophobic society.

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In a Taiwanese village, surrounded by a picturesque landscape, two teenage best friends, Yan Ming and Shao An, have known each other since they were children, play together and maintain a close friendship. Although they share very different personalities, they both complement each other. One weak and one strong, one calm and one active.
As Shai An tries to win the interest of Yu Xuan, a girl, Yan Ming discovers new feelings for his best friend. Meanwhile, both children will play typical adolescent games, activities that serve to uncover, or activate, a sensuality that springs from all the pores of young people.
All this happens in a violent, bleak and claustrophobic atmosphere, as Yan Ming is harassed by the other students, so he must be defended by his friend. These characteristics increase in their own homes, since they live their particular drama in their humble homes. With absent mothers in their respective homes, without the presence of other loved ones, Shao An lives with his violent father, while Yan Ming has his alcoholic and negligent father as his only family member.
Shao An and Yan Ming are experiencing an effervescence of their sensuality. The former is very comfortable with girls, while Yan Ming begins to realize his attraction to his friend and feels guilty for harboring a forbidden love within him.
Let's point out the sad scene of the two boys' arrival at school, with a happy Yan Ming attached to Shao An's back while he pedals his bicycle to school, which represents the catharsis in the face of the first's incipient and misunderstood homosexuality (see how the boy they are in love with chases the girl as soon as he sees him at the school entrance), and that anticipates the open crack, and the discomfort that Yan Ming begins to suffer with his friend.
Jealous of Yu Xuan, Yan Ming decides to play a prank on her to get her away from Shao An, which provokes the two's anger when they discover the author of the prank. Confessing his secret will cause the brotherhood to face an unprecedented challenge, in addition to increasing the ridicule of his companions about him.
The film portrays the pain of growing older, of not escaping the terrible gaze of those who will never understand your emotions, of the stupidity of others.

ISSUE
The 2016 Taiwanese romantic drama 'The Confession' (Native title: 男孩心事/Nan Hai Xin Shi) is about friendship, sensuality, discovering sexuality and how it affects them personally, and hidden passions.
It is a film that, in its scarce 25 minutes, shows the germ of homosexual attraction, the awakening of the sexuality of some boys who are defining their sexual orientation, who explore their body and their emotions, at the same time as a love triangle.
It is also about the agony that Yan Ming suffers from knowing that he is in love with his heterosexual friend, the shame that this forbidden love causes him, the pain of seeing how Shao An also falls in love with a girl in the classroom and the breakup of a friendship.
It is the pain of becoming an adult and leaving behind the joy of childhood; We will see Yan Minh, with his heart wounded by the blows of life, perhaps the first of many, looking at himself with pain through the reflection of the mirror in his room, while marking the sadness on his face with paint. His gaze also gets lost in the horizon, in the nature that surrounds his house, the school and the park where he once played with the friend who now, after hearing his confession, abruptly separates him from his life. When the secret is revealed and coldness conquers the heart of the loved one, game time is over and it is time to face the harsh adult reality.
SCENERY
Everything takes place in a humble town in Taiwan, which is surrounded by natural landscapes, which will serve as an escape route, games and walks for the protagonists.
Despite the suffocating atmosphere in which the characters operate, the director divides the short film well into two moments, which will show the moods of the protagonists, that of the joy of the innocence of youth, and that of sadness, discord and misfortune.
The young protagonists, new actors, play their roles quite correctly, giving verisimilitude to the restlessness typical of an adolescence that awakens to sexuality.
The narrative focuses more on the experiences of Yan Ming, who carries the weight of the anguish and the plot of the film, whose suffering and dismay are transferred with notable note from the script to the screen.
It is a visual film, where it is described more with images and silences than with the characters' dialogues. This circumstance forces the viewer to pay more attention to the viewing.
Despite its low budget, the rich photography helps the staging of the film, with beautiful framing and use of light, although it intentionally uses dark scenes, but not to recreate it, but to associate it to a certain extent point to the emotional state of its protagonists.
In short, it is not a film that will brighten your day, and the approach of inviting tolerance and not discriminating against homosexuals is too vague, and of course the adult characters do not help, as if between alcohol, violence and depression would have aged prematurely and would have bequeathed their own unease to new generations.

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