This review may contain spoilers
Dark tale, with stellar acting, cinematography, and lots of unresolved angst...only if....
This is one beautiful movie....but if you are planning to watch this, be warned that the story will not let you sit easy even for a moment and there is very little in way of redemption, if at all....its dark, painful and bleak all through...if that's not your thing, don't start on it...Do I recommend it? YES
BL-needle score: Not applicable. This is not really a BL, even though gay men are some of the main protagonists.
Even though the storytelling could feel a tad overtly dramatic in places, it rings true on so many levels about the dark and stark reality of same-sex love and relationships....the insecurities given no social or legal sanctions, how easy it is to cheat and betray and yet, get away to live just as you wish, the lurking fear that the person never loved you at all, and was just after what you had to 'supply' to them, the trauma and helplessness when law helps greed and hatred win, the feeling that there is no justice ever, and you just need to suck it up and go on...or give up and perish.....the dreaded and numbing insecurities and triggers of a queer life....it has it ALL....
It made me feel livid, clench my fists and want to punch almost all of the characters ...yes, including even Thongkam at times, but leaving out Jingna, who seemed like about the only saving grace in all this madness......it was a difficult feat to sit through the manipulative and intensely infuriating behaviour of these hyper real characters...made me fret, fume and curse constantly.... and during rare occasions, desperately hope that may be, just may be.....only to end up feeling devastated and drained.....in the end, it hurt like hell....but could relate to a lot of it....in other words, just my thing
It has some really stellar performances, particularly by the actors who play Mo and Saeng (Sek's mother)...Jeff and Keng are good too, but the women plain steal the show....the direction, screenplay and cinematography are stellar too...and that song by Jeff - Rain Wedding...it's plain mesmerising....do check it out on YT!!
But even though all the darkness sits right with me, I wish they would have left some glimmer of hope, maybe at least let Jingna live ....so that Thongkam and Jingna could leave the orchard together for whatever the future had in store for them.....only if.......
BL-needle score: Not applicable. This is not really a BL, even though gay men are some of the main protagonists.
Even though the storytelling could feel a tad overtly dramatic in places, it rings true on so many levels about the dark and stark reality of same-sex love and relationships....the insecurities given no social or legal sanctions, how easy it is to cheat and betray and yet, get away to live just as you wish, the lurking fear that the person never loved you at all, and was just after what you had to 'supply' to them, the trauma and helplessness when law helps greed and hatred win, the feeling that there is no justice ever, and you just need to suck it up and go on...or give up and perish.....the dreaded and numbing insecurities and triggers of a queer life....it has it ALL....
It made me feel livid, clench my fists and want to punch almost all of the characters ...yes, including even Thongkam at times, but leaving out Jingna, who seemed like about the only saving grace in all this madness......it was a difficult feat to sit through the manipulative and intensely infuriating behaviour of these hyper real characters...made me fret, fume and curse constantly.... and during rare occasions, desperately hope that may be, just may be.....only to end up feeling devastated and drained.....in the end, it hurt like hell....but could relate to a lot of it....in other words, just my thing
It has some really stellar performances, particularly by the actors who play Mo and Saeng (Sek's mother)...Jeff and Keng are good too, but the women plain steal the show....the direction, screenplay and cinematography are stellar too...and that song by Jeff - Rain Wedding...it's plain mesmerising....do check it out on YT!!
But even though all the darkness sits right with me, I wish they would have left some glimmer of hope, maybe at least let Jingna live ....so that Thongkam and Jingna could leave the orchard together for whatever the future had in store for them.....only if.......
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