This review may contain spoilers
A little bit of Dead Poet's Society
This series reminded me a little of Dead Poet's Society, in that it explores themes of conformity versus individualism, and the unstoppable force of purpose and value that can overcome a person and drive them some times (sadly) to their demise.
Shine was as much a series about two love stories as it was about suppression of self (the exchanges between two music critiques in the news columns, the forbidden romance), conforming to societal demands (Krailet) and the difficult choice of 'peace at the cost of ignorance' or 'freedom at the cost of chaos'. So if you're looking for a fluffy romance, skip this; but if politics and poetry interest you, stick around.
Overall this was a well-made drama worth anyone's time; the main characters were well written, music was impeccably curated (can't go wrong with Slot Machine), production and costume smelled like money, script was poetic, screenplay had a good amount of drama, romance, politics and humour, and there was some amazing acting from actors who played Trin, Krailet, Naran, Moira, Dhevi and Victor.
That said a couple of things didn't quite sit well for me, for e.g. the over dramatisation of Grand Paradiso (too over-the-top circus-like) and the hipster/drug life, the one dimensional characterisation of the student protestors (to the point it felt comical) and Tanwa's character felt a little lacking ( I know he's supposed to be a tad screw loose, but there's something else missing that I can't quite put a finger on). I also wished Trin's relationship with his students was more well developed and we could see how his ideologies made an impact on his students.
Memorable scenes include that library scene leading up to Krailet and Naran's meeting (talk about old school flirting before the age of phones and memes), Trin breaking down in Tanwa's arms after the protest (Apo's acting here was truly masterful, he acts with his entire body), and Dhevi serving out her mercy to Krailet. I thought the ending to both love stories was appropriate albeit it being bittersweet, but that's the whole point isn't it.
Shine was as much a series about two love stories as it was about suppression of self (the exchanges between two music critiques in the news columns, the forbidden romance), conforming to societal demands (Krailet) and the difficult choice of 'peace at the cost of ignorance' or 'freedom at the cost of chaos'. So if you're looking for a fluffy romance, skip this; but if politics and poetry interest you, stick around.
Overall this was a well-made drama worth anyone's time; the main characters were well written, music was impeccably curated (can't go wrong with Slot Machine), production and costume smelled like money, script was poetic, screenplay had a good amount of drama, romance, politics and humour, and there was some amazing acting from actors who played Trin, Krailet, Naran, Moira, Dhevi and Victor.
That said a couple of things didn't quite sit well for me, for e.g. the over dramatisation of Grand Paradiso (too over-the-top circus-like) and the hipster/drug life, the one dimensional characterisation of the student protestors (to the point it felt comical) and Tanwa's character felt a little lacking ( I know he's supposed to be a tad screw loose, but there's something else missing that I can't quite put a finger on). I also wished Trin's relationship with his students was more well developed and we could see how his ideologies made an impact on his students.
Memorable scenes include that library scene leading up to Krailet and Naran's meeting (talk about old school flirting before the age of phones and memes), Trin breaking down in Tanwa's arms after the protest (Apo's acting here was truly masterful, he acts with his entire body), and Dhevi serving out her mercy to Krailet. I thought the ending to both love stories was appropriate albeit it being bittersweet, but that's the whole point isn't it.
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