This review may contain spoilers
My Favourite Film of 2020 So Far...
I've been waiting for this film ever since it was first announced to be coming to Netflix worldwide on December 24th. Being a gay Asian male, this film was one of my most anticipated of the season, alongside Wonder Woman 2 and Soul. And I was not disappointed! My heart was full by the end of this touching story of two teenagerso fall in love and then, reunite as adults several decades later. Though there were some structural issues, such as the unnecessary flashback scenes, and some head-scratching plot points, such as the random inclusion of a French Canadian priest or the way-too-convenient reunion at the end, I still LOVED this film!On a side note, as a Canadian, it was weird seeing Ji-an visit Niagara Falls as if it was located in Montreal lol.
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Your Name Engraved Herein” – A Poignant Love Letter to the Past
This film hits deep. Your Name Engraved Herein is not just a love story—it’s a haunting reflection of what it meant to be gay in 1980s Taiwan, a time of social repression, religious guilt, and cultural change. The attention to historical detail is immaculate: from the costumes to the school setting, and even the subtle atmosphere of post-martial law Taiwan—it’s all spot-on and immersive. 🎞️📻🇹🇼This is my third time watching Edward Chen, and once again, he delivers a stunning, emotional performance. 🥺 His portrayal of Jia Han is raw, vulnerable, and full of inner conflict. The chemistry with Tseng Jing-hua (Birdy) is layered and complex—it’s not just about romantic tension, but also about identity, repression, and loss. 💔
One scene that I wish had been left out is when A-han is comforted by an older man, which suddenly turns into an unwanted sexual advance. That moment felt unnecessary and honestly quite uncomfortable. It pulled me out of the emotional rhythm of the story. 🚫
Still, the film’s strength lies in its bittersweet tone and realism. The final act and the ending really stayed with me—both beautiful and heartbreaking. It doesn’t tie things up in a neat bow, but instead lingers, just like unspoken love often does. 🕊️
If you’re in the mood for something tender, melancholic, and quietly powerful, this is definitely worth watching.
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This review may contain spoilers
The Love Of Chang Jia Han
This movie is Like one of the Best Movie That i ever watchedI liked the way jia han loved birdy its awsome
Even birdy loved him in the same way
I can see how birdy is saving jia han from trobules like if he loved him in open the both
would have been in trouble its precious
And i felt bit incomplete about the adult story line of the birdy and jia han they could have told us more
The music in this movie is perfect
I liked they way birdy is not letting go of jia han its so precious and pure
Totally this movie made me cry and rewatchable worth is 10 on 10
If you want love you must watch it
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What a masterpiece
This movie is so beautiful. What a masterpiece, every scene was just wonderfully executed. Definitely a must watch. I still can’t move on after watching this, my hear still aches and torn to pieces. Especially in the telephone scene I can feel the great pain they both endured. It’s sad that you can’t always get the happy ending you wanted, no matter how much you like each other. Their love for each other transcends that even if they don’t say it out loud their action speaks for themselvesThe acting was excellent Edward and Jing Hua portrayed the characters magnificently. The music is beautiful, magical and nostalgic, it will give you all the feels.
Kudos to Edward Chen, Tseng Jing Hua, to all the actors, director Liu Kuang Hui and to everyone who made this movie happen for a job well done. One of the best, if not the best, lgbt movie out there. Thank you for this movie
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"is your love bigger than the love i give?"
just let that sentence sink in for a moment..."is your love bigger than the love i give? tell me, what's the difference between your love and mine?" no sentence has ever made me feel more than this sentence did. i am an avid reader, i've read more than 300 different books since 2020. on top of that, i usually go for whatever will break me the most - and yet i've never been more impacted by a sentence than this one. i think that says a lot, about this movie (or perhaps about me).
i watched 'your name engraved herein' for the first time, the day it was released - i had been sitting waiting for it to show up on netflix, and i was not disappointed when it came - quite the opposite actually. i watched it three times within the first week, just because i loved it to a point, where i wanted to make sure that i had seen it all. i think i've watched it 5 times since then (probably more), and i still find something new to unravel every time.
i can't tell you just why this movie means everything to me, but perhaps, it's because i see parts of myself in it.
i showed the movie to my best friends just a few days after it came out, on new year's eve - and i was bummed to say the least, when the only scene they found interesting was the shower scene one .-. i think it saddened me how they missed the whole point of the movie. they saw it as something light, something that's easy to forget (which i don't blame them for), i just wish they had looked more into the depth, and realized that this movie isn't just about two boys getting together, it's about the struggles of humans, finding your identity - and being free to express the said identity. it's about religion - and the question of who's right when humanity and your beliefs collide.
also, the way my heart broke every single time jiahan had a scene with the priest - the way jiahan was so DESPERATE for birdy to accept him back - not because of the physical intimacy, but simply just because he loved him to pieces. especially the way he was just so desperate, and longed so much to be accepted, to feel normal that he literally said " help me go to hell, i'd rather go to hell now - don't all homosexuals deserve to go hell? maybe more people would UNDERSTAND me in hell." how heartbroken does one have to be, to wish hell upon themselves? how heartbroken does one have to be for a RELIGIOUS person to prefer going to hell? because that way, there might a slightly bigger chance of acceptance?
i cried as i wrote this, i don't think i'll ever be able to leave this movie behind.
thank you, if you read to this point - i hope you enjoy/enjoyed the movie <3
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A story of longing and yearning from the Days of Disapproval !
Though this movie was released in 2020, it's reminiscent of a classic 1900s film, portraying the struggles of a queer relationship amidst societal repression and how homosexuality was not to be accepted by family and the society in the social unrest period.The story follows the intricate relationship between Birdy and Jia Han.
It was complex and intriguing at the same time. The depth and vulnerability of both the characters were heartwrenching and was portrayed beautifully.
The story is set up in an 'All boy's school' with Jia-Han and Birdy meeting and bonding immediately. There are subtle hints of their intimacy at the start. Even with the obvious hints, I liked how the romance was not rushed delivering a believable chemistry.
Ji-Han's struggle in trying to come out in a homophobic society contrasts with Birdy's attempt to suppress his feelings and be accepted into societal norms. (The famous star-crossed romance).
The acting was phenomenal by both the leads. The craving, the yearning, the constant push and pull for each other. Holding each other and crying during the shower and the telephone conversation scene were the peak for me.
The editing of this drama is also noteworthy. I like how the narration is done by Jia Han and how the scene seamlessly goes into flashbacks so effortlessly to tell us the story.
The story felt more of Ji Han's point of view and I would have liked more context of Birdy's thoughts. I felt his character was bit under developed. His decisions here and there defied reasoning.
However, the ending was too abrupt for me. Abrupt won't be the correct word- Unsettling maybe. It serves as a realistic, sad and overpowered portrayal of lingering feelings and effects of societal repression. You can feel the tension, suffocation and smell the regret.
It could be considered a sort of a happy ending in the grand scheme of things. It does show and give a glimmer of hope for the future generations.
This movie is like a harsh reminder of all the struggles faced by queer community and I do recommend this despite its minor flaws
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One of the deepest BL's I have ever seen
Just finished watching the movie and altough I haven't had any expectation, I was deeply satisfied by the story.ACTORS: Edward Chen rock it! Literally the best representation of feelings. Trought all of the movie, 120 minutes, his acting was perfect. I believed every single word that came out from his mouth and every scene without having to say a word. Will surely watch every movie he will be in. Tseng was very good too, but I kinda dislike his role.
STORY: Don't wanna give spoilers, but I was hoping for a happy ending and a smooth delivery of it. Always will be a good guy a bad guy, altough here none of them was bad. One is a dreamer in an unperfect world, the other one is a realist guy. Everything fit perfectly in the story: the music, the places, the actors, everything.
REWATCH VALUE: For me is a 11, not a 10. I will rewatch it for sure for a couple of times.
I would recommend it for BL/LGBTQ+ fans. This has to be in their portofoliu of watched films.
Maybe to realistic? That is the single point I hated it. I stand freedom of choice in sexual preference and hate it when there is discrimination. But in this movie it suppose to be this way. I understand the point of Birdy and why he made that choises, but I loved Chang determination and desire to step on everything for his love. A forever love I would say.
I don't have gay friends, but I would love to, for me to understand the depth of relationships between them.
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Is this BL?
I like this movie a lot, even though I'm not wild about the ending.I think it is an excellent piece of queer cinema, although not necessarily BL. It doesn't use any of the tropes, archetypes or narrative beats I would expect from the genre.
I would recommended it as queer cinema. Beautifully filmed and acted, thoughtful and thought provoking. Although it is more likely to make you cry than smile.
It's one of Taiwan's few queer film pieces of this type, and stylistically it owes a lot to early Japanese queer cinema. Which, in turn makes me think of the new Japanese stuff we've been getting that harkens to those roots like Restart After Come Back Home or His the movie, but less cerebral as it has Taiwan's signature excellent chemistry and visceral passion.
Your Name owes a lot to its sibling source (?) project 2017's Red Balloon. So If you enjoyed YNEH then you should track that one down, it shares a main actor. You'll probably find it worth watching. Korea's Just Friends? also tackles enlistment but is way more BL.
I feel like if you're a big fan of YNEH then you probably also enjoyed (or would enjoy)
Love of Siam (Thai)
I Told the Sunset About You (Thai)
Present Perfect (Thai)
Life: Love on the Line (Japan)
Junjou (Japan)
Does the Flower Bloom? (Japan)
Cornered Mouse Dreams of Cheese (Japan) v. explicit
Gaya Sa Pelikula (Pinoy)
Papa & Daddy (Taiwan)
Goodbye Mother (Vietnam)
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This feel good LGBTQ+ movie
The most beautiful LGBTQ+ movie I've ever watched in my life if you really think about it it's a movie you don't have to cry for but you need to cry for it, I'm still crying right now 😭😭🤧I hope we can get more boys love movies like this, I've already re-watched it even though I'm not Homosexual I hope I can a love so beautiful(PUN NOT INTENDED) like this one .The ending credit song is what made me cry the most there's just something about it that's so soothing about it. I really hope everyone enjoyed watching this movie as much as I did 😊Was this review helpful to you?
Gut Punch
I've had this on my PTWL for awhile cause I knew it would put me feels and I wasn't ready for the tears. Surprisingly, I didn't cry but I'd be lying if I said I didn't come close. DON'T let the potential tears steer you away from this film. It's an amazing story with a great cast. I laughed probably a few more times than I should have, but dark humor is in my personality. Overall, I wouldn't recommend to someone easily offended, heartless, close-minded or the like. This is a film you need to broaden your horizons with to fully enjoy every aspect of...Was this review helpful to you?
Predictable, but not in a bad way!
Thanks to a slight fever and laryngitis I got to watch it earlier than I thought it will happen.Before I say anything else I will point out the acting. I loved it. Main cast, support cast, fantastic job and greatly directed. Only for that I'd give it a high mark. They got it right. The chemistry was there. Beautiful!
So, considering the time period I kinda foresaw how the story will go. At least neither of the characters ended up dead. So that already makes it a happy ending story. What makes these stories, that happened so often in those days, special is how you relate to it. I think for me, it came with a lot of mixed feelings and brought back some "regrets". I put regrets in quotation marks because they aren't really regrets. More like "I wonder how my life would have turned out if..." But yeah, too late for those kinda thoughts. :)))
I guess the younger generation should definitely take this piece of art as a lesson. Be honest with yourself cause time doesn't wait for you. There is no pause button. Avoid regrets even if later you'll use quotation marks for them. :)
Enjoy the movie either for its historical value or its lessons, which are loud and clear. Time flies, so make the best of it. :)
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An amazing movie about being true to yourself honestly
Wow, what an amazing movie to watch. I live in the usa and saw the preview on Netflix and really wanted to watch it and it didn't disappoint. It's about 2 boys that meet in a all boys Christian high-school. Ji Han is truthful to himself being gay and Birdy is having a hard time admiting it. Jihan would talk to Father Oliver to discuss his love for birdy. It was 1987 after Marshall law was lifted, but being gay and admiting it or displaying it you would have gone to prison and/ or beaten up. Years go by and jihan goes to Canada as Father Oliver passed away and he learnef that birdy would also visit and told him the bar and they meet... Now you have to watch to fill in all the missing parts. Worth the watch 10++++Was this review helpful to you?
