Pond was amazing
Pond was so amazing playing Wang. Such a brilliant performance buy a young actor, truly well done.In was an out and out coward, never felt sorry for him at all
The mum so annoying all about me, did love Wang though.
Interesting story, not sure I totally accepted the story. I just really wanted wanted Wang to get as far away from both and met an amazing man who loved him for who he was and I wanted him to have the best life ever.
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Gives off a 'front row seat' vibe
The mood of this drama is like a very gritty play where the dialogue is given the most focus and the actors convey raw emotion.The characters are flawed and hurting and in this secluded house past traumas come to the surface in broken remembrances.
Although it is dark at times this is still a story about love and loneliness.
A lonely mother devoted to her son but wanting to control and keep him with her as her best friend.
A lonely young man just discovering his sexuality and torn between his love for his mother and his burgeoning need for independence.
A lonely architect living a monastic existence as perceived punishment for past mistakes.
In their own ways each character is trying to use their influence on the others for their own advantage. The different means they use is what defines their personality. Sometimes we are overwhelmed by the volume (lit and fig) of words and other times the silences are deafening.
Left me with a lot of unanswered questions.
Who was the most selfish?
Who really showed love?
Who was really the strongest of the group?
I would love to rewatch this as a movie without the breaks.
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deceitful with incomplete execution...or...perhaps because of it
What is this? Tension replacing chemistry?I was underwhelmed by this drama. Let me get it straight, the reviewers, you guys, I trust you and you really sold this one to me. 😂 I was ready to give money that's how well this drama was hyped. 💸
It was a slow drama that hardly kept my attention. Son and a father and a friend of a father and mother. It is very messy and in my understanding, ultimately none of it feels real. Or healthy.
Love? Hell, they are traumatized, all trying to heal themselves in another.
How do I feel about that? Not well. I cannot but feel some ick when heavy topics are badly executed to seem real and genuine for the sake of entertainment. It did not even feel real. I mean how did Wang fell in love so quickly with Inthawut? Trauma, I tell you, he said himself that In fills the gap in him.
And do not think I did not notice all the attempts to simulate Call Me By Your Name. From the music to characterization to scenery to way their bond is portrayed. Really? Wang has my props as an actor, despite bad writing of his character. Wait, let me go give him some flowers...
Ok, I am back. Wang did quite well, mother was not bad either. Inthawut was lacking for me, he was like a shell.
The chemistry between the leads is only in intense staring. Their convos held zero chemistry despite heavy topics I was bored out of hell. And what is In falling in love with, again? Immature and impulsive emotionally neglected son of his friend. Why would he though? Unresolved trauma.
You may say, JXP, this one is not about love but healing. But honestly I do not know these characters. And I never got to know them. This was irrational punch that was supposed to be intense but ended up boring. Again props to Pond, he did a wonderful job as a young actor.
Ah.. perhaps it was well intentioned project but for me...deceitful with incomplete execution...or...perhaps deceitful because of incomplete execution.
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Above and beyond all other shows in it's genre.
This is my first review of a BL. Why? Because never before have I felt compelled to write a review, but after watching this I feel obligated to.In a room full of generic fluff, this show is a true masterpiece. It is not simply a BL, but a poem that through it's masterful use of language touches on many complex themes, such as: youth vs maturity, trauma and lose, the pain that comes with confronting the past, first love, the conflict between parents and their children, self
acceptance, ect...
It does not have to rely on being cute to grab it's audiences attention, because it stands on it's on two feet as a superbly crafted narrative. In fact, it's not cute at all, but rather it is soul wrenchingly beautiful.
It's leads were phenomenal in their roles. The cinematography was lush and symbolic. Most of all it's writer/director is at heart a true playwright, and a master of his craft.
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What do you get with three actors, one script and one setting? A masterpiece.
Okay... I had to take my time to collect my thoughts, but here we are. I never expected this drama to be this heavy, and heavy it was. I had to pause so many times to take a breath and think before I could carry on watching it. This show 110% deserves a higher rating.This entire script banked on the actors delivering the emotions, and DELIVERED THEY DID. Everything was raw. The emotions, the acting, the characters. They were real. You could feel their pain and suffering. It wasn't just a script, three actors and a location. It was a tragic tale of how two people's ideals, reality and selfishness can destroy the people around them.
Wang's mother is the perfect example of a manipulative and narcissistic woman. I will forever hate her character and no one can make me think otherwise. The way she controlled Wang so his world would only consist of her, not letting him have his freedom despite giving him the illusion of it. And not even getting onto the fact that she was 100% the main reason why In blamed himself to this day and felt all that guilt. She never saw any wrong in herself, and constantly blamed everyone around her for her wrongdoings. And until the very end, she got what she wanted, and for that, I will forever hate her.
Wang and In on the other hand are like right person wrong time kinda deal. Watching Wang go from this carefree to this broken kid with no light inside him was one of the saddest things I've ever had to witness. While Uncle In was the perfect tale of a man bound by his fear and cowardice, and how because of it, he will forever be locked inside the cell he put himself in. Watching Wang call In out in his bullshit was the best piece of cinema I have ever watched.
"You're hurting because you're ashamed of the feelings dad had for you. You're hurting because you're ashamed of the feelings you had for dad. You're ashamed of what you did to dad. And now you're ashamed of you're feelings for me." — The dialogue, the acting, the emotions, the directing, the music... everything was superb. And only after the scene had ended did I get to take a deep breath to breathe again.
Wang was such an amazing character. Yes, he was flawed, and yet, he was more mature and sure of his feelings than any of the two adults in the room. Every piece of dialogue that was said by him was beautiful and heart-breaking, and watching this young man bleed because of the selfish decisions made by the "adults" in this life was pure devastation. "I may be young, I still have a lifetime a head of me. But how long do I have to wait? Do I have to wait until those people die so I can love who I love? The world isn’t even theirs . It wasn’t theirs then. It isn’t theirs now."
"From him I learned that people may live in the same world but people experience it differently. I learned from him sometimes we can’t change people because some people just don’t change. Uncle, I will never forget you. It’s daytime here in my world. But your world is it still in the evening. I will never forget about my journey to 180 degree longitude." — Tears, fucking tears. Just rip my heart out and throw it away. He deserved so much better.
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This one was a tough one for me to rate
As much as I thought this was so good in terms of quality and acting, it just didn't capture me like it should. I liked the study of human thought, emotion trauma, love and how everyone deals with the same situation in different ways. How adults can be incredibly selfish or cowards and end up hurting the people who least deserve it. How a mother's" love" can sometimes be the worst thing for her child. And how love doesn't always win because people are too stubborn to fight or it sometimes. I wish I could give it a higher rating----------Yet I didn't feel what I was supposed to from all the above. I did find the dialogue, situations and acting compelling still I struggled to get thru the episodes. I guess this series as mature and well written as it was just wasn't for me. I didn't drop it because I liked the acting and I wanted to see how it all ended. So I stuck it out to the end.
I got to say tho the two leads had phenomenal chemistry the sexual tension was palpable even if it led nowhere in the end. The heartbreaking end made sense. I just don't see how it could go another way as sad is it was it made sense for the characters.
Overall I give this series a 7.5 and that was definitely for the acting that was incredible. maybe others will enjoy this one more than I did.
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This is a true drama
This show had me from the very first. It i true drama in that you dont know what the outcome will be of Wang's search to understand who his father was. I think what nade this story so interesting and captivating for me was that it is based around 4 people. Wang , his mother Mol, his father Siam (who never makes an appearance due to his death several years earlier) and In a close friend of Mol and Siam. It is truly a drama based on how all 4 of these people decision affected each other deeply. It is slower paced and dialogue driven.If you are looking for a romantic story this one is not it. But if you up for something more and a little heavy this is worth your time.
I gave this an 8.5 for rewatch only because I shed more than a few tears and it will be a bit before I can rewatch this.
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boring
I binge watched it and I skipped so many timesI loved the deep meanings of it and the ACTING which was the best part. But honestly the dialogues... it's ONLY dialogues nothing happens like ever, the son pissed me off, I get it he has issues trust me I get it, but it doesn't excuse some of his shitty behaviour. Also I think he was the only one in love, In was probably just thinking of this boy's dad all along. At first I didn't wanna watch because of the creepy age gap but then I saw people praising it... yes I agree the subjects are great but clearly not expressed in the best way. like the show makes you think the uncle loves Wang back when I really didn't feel like it was the case.
And the mom was portrayed as a crazy old woman and apart from her homophobia (which wasn't relevant to the plot and just brought the subject of queerness in a really useless way btw it went nowhere) she's not that bad of a mom, and if my son announced he was in love with my best friend who's my age I would go crazy too, the boy is barely legal, I know it's not against the law but laws and morals are different and I'm not letting an old man touch young people, this is just creepy.
To conclude, this didn't go anywhere, had some good points but was basically just boring long dialogues.
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Intense Drama with Powerful Performances
Overall Review:It is a very intense slow burning series, almost like a thriller, but make no mistake, it is a drama through and through. Each scene and character builds up the world, with very powerful performances leaving no room for non-sensical actions or motivations with the camera-work being a cherry on top. If you're looking for a light series, this aint it. It would not be surprising if it gets nominated for and/or wins awards.
Plot:
- The plot has layers on layers and it unfolds in a very slow-burn manner.
- Scenes and events are very natural flowing.
- The lack of time jumps makes it super easy to follow.
- Careful consideration is given to beautiful execution of the plot.
- Some episodes are more intense than others and thus some scenes in other might seem like filler in comparison.
Characters:
- The series revolves around three main characters and they built very realistically and profoundly.
- While other background characters may appear, their screen-time is negligible, leaving more focus on the main characters.
- The motivations behind characters' actions feel very natural.
- The cast lending their skills to these characters are very talented, they keep a hold on you.
Conclusion:
A very powerful and serious drama, waiting to have a hold on you, setting a standard for all the other dramas existing in this genre.
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Disturbing Concept
I found the entire plot very weird and disturbing. I couldn't finish it cause I got creeped out by the age difference and also the relationship that existed between the two leads!! It was disturbing!!! But apart from that the casting and acting was really good. It felt like a reality show and not acting, the actors were also very visually pleasing and the house of the second male lead! Omg the architecture is amazing! I really enjoyed the scenes that showed more on the house and the architecture design of the house cause it was really pretty. But then again this plot is just really weird and creepy and I sincerely hope its not a true life story cause that would be soooo nahhh.. I hope not..Was this review helpful to you?
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Astoundingly Beautiful
A lustrously gorgeous story, quiet and told in glances and body language and silences as much as it is told in words.The realities upon which this series shines light are all too real, raw and heartbreaking. Each character tells their own part of the story and how decisions of one person weaves into the lives of those around them. We have a story about how the force of one person can impact another and how the mores of society can be a detriment for some.
Mol is someone whose personality is almost like a force of nature. She is loud to cover her loneliness. She is bright and personable so no one notices the cracks leaking her sadness everywhere she goes. However, she is also the epitome of the parent who wants the best for their child without listening to their child. This is the parent who loves you without actually loving you because to love a person is to accept and embrace who they truly are. This is a parent who “does everything for” their child, yet makes everything about themselves.
She is selfish and self-centered. She wanted a man and made him hers, only to refuse to see the truth: that he was closeted and in love with his best friend. She wants to be the center of her son’s world. She will not give him up because she needs him to fill a void in her that a child should not be asked to fill for their parent. She will not listen to what her child actually wants, too busy wanting the happiness she has decided will make him happy. Even at the end of the last episode, she is talking all about herself while he cries quietly in the passenger seat beside her.
Mol is an abusive parent and a narcissist (and I mean this in the clinical sense not the colloquial sense). While there are times she evokes sympathy, she is ultimately the detriment to the happiness of three people. All to center herself and her wants.
In is the heartbreaking illustration of what internalized homophobia does to a person. He avoids, as long as possible, to admit the truth. In fact, even by the end of the last episode he had never voiced his love for either of the men he has loved. He won’t even bring himself to voice the fact that Siam loved him. He skirts around it, speaking of it only to Wang without stating it outright. It is ultimately up to Wang to put words to what In wants to leave in the silence.
We also see the effect others have on someone who has internalized the deep shame of loving someone of the same gender of themselves. He lives with regret, blaming himself indirectly for Siam’s death (though I’d argue he probably should blame himself more directly, as should Mol), but we never hear him state a wish to have done things differently. He clings so hard to the idea that he did what he thought was right, what would make everyone (except himself) happy. Not only could he not accept the love of a man he loved in return, not only could he not give that man the love he had for him, but he cannot admit to himself that their own happiness could have saved Siam’s life.
Watching In open up to Wang as he relays stories of the man he loved is breathtakingly beautiful. You watch his walls thin and lower, though they never disappear. He’s filled with an agonizing, all-consuming fear. But you watch that fear get quieter when it’s just the two men. When the only thing in his world is himself and Wang, who gently but fearlessly moves forward. And you watch it all crumble because of the guilt and shame he carries regarding Siam and Mol when she asserts her will and manipulates his emotions to give her what she wants. It’s clear, to me, that while he was not prepared to declare his love prior to that conversation, he WAS prepared to accept Wang into his life and build something with him as Wang desired.
Wang…beautiful, brave Wang. It’s impossible to not adore this character. He is caught between grief for his father and exhaustion from his mother when we meet him. It is clear he is the emotional caretaker of his mother who has a codependent relationship to him. However it’s also clear he wishes to escape her, to not be responsible for her happiness and be allowed to find his own.
He is relentless in pursuit of answers. You can tell early on what he suspects and knows but isn’t saying. He isn’t pushing people to give him the information he craves but rather gently leads them to disclosing it bit by bit. He’s headstrong and passionate but I don’t think he’s idealistic. He knows the darkness that lurks in the world for someone like him (queer folks). He isn’t ignorant to it but he learns, as he falls in love, to be undaunted by it, to refuse to allow it to steer his life.
We see Wang falling in love before he even realizes himself that’s what is happening. The magnetic draw In has on him is captivating to watch just as much as In captivates him. He is admirable in his willingness to stand and fight for the love he has for In even when In isn’t willing to fight beside him. He is thoughtful and careful in ways he doesn’t even notice.
What is more heartbreaking than In deciding he should leave is Wang seeming to fall back into role of Mol’s protector, caretaker and babysitter. When he tells In that she’s done nothing wrong for wanting him to be happy and it isn’t fair for her to lose (if he decided to refuse to leave so he could win) it feels like the abuse cycle is starting over, the victim of the abuse giving into the path of least resistance. Watching him cry silently as they drive home while his mother centers herself in her one-sided conversation once more was more heartbreaking than the scene with In the night before.
While one could nitpick little things that are not spelled out but generally assumed (i.e. the “coincidence of them ending up there, for example), those things do not make this story any less to me. The soundtrack and cinematography complement the emotions of the story so well. (I’m in love with the color palette.)
I think Mol could be genuinely triggering for people who have suffered from a narcissistic parent or similar types of emotional abuse from a parent. Her reaction to Wang disclosing he’s in love with In could also be triggering. But I think the series is more than worth watching even so.
The typed out messages on the screen at the nd just made me cry more.
I wouldn’t change anything about this series. Not a single thing.
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A true Masterpiece
This series was exactly what the title states… A True Masterpiece.This series will have you going through emotions. It was complicated yet painful and lovely at the same time.
It was beautifully made. The cinematography, the story, the plot and THE ACTORS!!! All 3 of the mains’ acting was top notch. No side stories to distract you. The ending could be portrayed as a sad ending but then again being true to oneself rather than hiding and running away without confronting your feelings is a happy ending for me.
Great job on this series!
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