STORY: Two college guys who are very close friends come to love one another before tragedy strikes. This is a short BL story, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. Happy ending.
ACTING/CAST: The guy playing Paul is just super cute. They did a fine job acting.
MUSIC: Uh, no idea. Too busy watching.
REWATCH VALUE: Yes. Such a neat short story. I hope to share it with friends.
OVERALL: A neat story, kinda like The Butterfly Effect. Hope you got 30 minutes to spare, it's worth it.
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I would rather give my remarks regarding the story instead of narrating what happened because the synopsis gave you an idea already on what the story is all about. Well honestly I love the story. I was full of message or lessons. Let me give you at least one, "Life don't have a remote control where all you need to once you've did something unimaginable is to push the rewind button and the time will swiftly return to where you wanted it to be." So don;'t waste the every moment given to you. God is not that generous to give you multiple lives to leave. For me that was the greatest lesson of this film. Uhmmm it seems that I am on the mood to give additional lesson regarding the film so here is the other one, "Don't hesitate to voice out what you really feel because you didn't know maybe the feeling is mutual." I guess with those lesson you can already comprehend that this was a good film because for me one of the basis for a film to be good was the lesson the lesson/s that we can get from it. It was really a great movie.
CAST/ACTING SKILLS:
Uhmmm this part for me was the biggest factor why I gave that 8/10 rating. The story was good but the acting skills was like ordinary to me. Nothing superb, sorry for that. I can see no chemistry as well. :-)
MUSIC:
There's nothing remarkable if we talk about the music or the background music in this film.
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What would you sacrifice for the one you love?
I absolutely loved this movie. It has a wonderful storyline, and the actors did a great job. They both played their parts very well, and are also super cute! It’s a short film, and I don’t want to give any spoilers... But I definitely recommend watching it. It was heart wrenching, and heart warming at the same time. It is such a beautiful story about love, and sacrifice. The ending was absolutely perfect. What would you sacrifice for the one you love? And would they sacrifice the same for you? It’s beautiful. Definitely a must watch!Was this review helpful to you?
To be or come out of the closet, that is the dilemma!
Set in the present day in a Chinese university, the romantic and youth film 'To You, for Me' is an example of the best of Chinese queer science fiction, in the manner of the series 'I'll Turn Back This Time' (2025), and the films 'Shao Ling Bi' ('Mermaid's Jade', 2019), by Zhang Kai Qiang, and 'Star Appeal', by Cui Zi En, among many others.With a plot that invites both enjoyment and reflection, 'To You, for Me' divides its 26 minutes into four acts, to tell us about a relationship between Ian (Ian Lao) and Paul (Paul Wong), two university students.
Written and directed by Symenie Kam and Kitty Wu, the first act explores the jealousy and shame that homosexuals often suffer from publicly recognizing themselves as such, themes that are the reality of many.
The plot immediately introduces us to the story from the moment the two boys meet, while playing the popular game of hide-and-seek in the student residence.
Independently, both decide to hide in a closet that, due to its small size, does not have space to house both of them, so Ian will demand that Paul find another place to hide and thus prevent both from being caught by the pursuers.
The friendship between both protagonists is quickly built from the unexpected meeting. And what begins as a simple game quickly turns into a secret and unconfessed love for each other, triggering unexpected conflicts and testing the strength of the relationship. While Ian is more open to acknowledging that he is in love with his friend, Paul is unable to acknowledge his feelings, so he agrees to have a heterosexual relationship with Sofia (Sabrina Tam) to avoid being singled out by his classmates.
The relationship between the two protagonists is abruptly interrupted by a tragedy that forces Ian to go back in time to precisely the moment when the two boys met in the closet during the game of hide-and-seek.
The second act addresses the theme of the established gay couple, but in which one of the two boys is not ready to come out of the closet and asks his beloved for time.
After traveling in time, Ian agrees to share the closet with Paul while the pursuers try to discover where the other players are hiding.
As happened in the first act, the friendship between the two young people blossoms and the plot quickly leads us to Paul admitting that he is also in love with Ian and they both begin to live a secret relationship.
In this act the idea of "being in the closet" is played with, because while Ian is not afraid to acknowledge his sexuality and considers, a year after starting the courtship, that the time has come to publicly acknowledge the relationship, Paul still feels confused and maladjusted in society, so he insists on still keeping the romance a secret. Despite being happy, Paul is embarrassed to hold Ian's hand and introduce him to his friends as his boyfriend, especially when everyone considers that Paul is a boy who attracts all women.
Since the reasons why Ian traveled in time have not been resolved, tragedy occurs that will force him once again to return to the moment when they both met.
Knowing the tragic outcome, in the third act, Ian will reject all of Paul's attempts to connect with his friend and lover. And tragedy ensues, but now, in the fourth act, it is Paul who travels back in time to give us a happy ending.
Despite its low budget, a script that seems to fulfill a university academic exercise, a non-professional cast that took its first steps in the world of acting with this film, and a shallow romantic content, I liked the plot for addressing topics such as second chances, choosing relationships, jumping in time and coming out or being out of the closet.
In summary: the plot line of 'To You, for Me' connects with the BL-loving public, because it is very close to their reality. Friendship, jealousy, gay shame, staying or coming out of the closet, self-discovery, acceptance, fidelity, love and the search for happiness, are essential values and themes that resonate in our daily lives, seen from all perspectives. science fiction.
Furthermore, the story addresses strong themes that may be controversial, but through reflection they seek to transmit positive messages, always starting from truth and love. On the other hand, there are situations that will invite the viewer to reflect deeply on various aspects of life.
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