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Pioneering Chinese queer cinema in not having a fixed protagonist
The long-haired rent boy from Shanghai, the middle-aged lady who settled in the city upon arrival and today works hard to earn money, the young man who broke up with his ex who never returned to his hometown and now works as a pimp middle-aged, a bald and perverted old prostitute, a laid-off worker who once acted as a guest star and now runs a sexually transmitted disease clinic, the gay husband of a laid-off worker and their modest son, the introverted and taciturn son of a worker farewell who kept company with a puppy found on the road, the murderous gangster disguised as a member of the joint defense team, the young woman from Yunnan who asked for directions to the Bund, the Zhabei girl who works as a prostitute, the taxi passenger, the beautiful girl from out of town who took her younger brother and her boyfriend to a small town south of the Yangtze River...Before 'Babel' and 'Crash', the American films directed, the first by Alejandro González Iñárritu in 2006 and the second in 2004 by Paul Haggis, achieved international success due to their main characteristic of not having a fixed protagonist, and being benefited by the presence of Brad Pitt in one case and the Hollywood studio system in the other, 'Welcome to Destination Shanghai', the docudrama written and directed in 2003 by Chinese filmmaker Cheng Yusu also does not have a single protagonist.
Premiered at the 32nd Rotterdam International Film Festival in the Netherlands, then screened at the 27th Hong Kong International Film Festival, the film, starring Yang Zhiying, Cui Zi'en, Xiong Dailin, Yi Jin and other actors and Chinese actresses, cross stories, intermingle lives of queer characters in their daily lives on the streets of the important Chinese city.
Winner of the FIPRESCI Award from the International Association of Film Critics and the Fipzig National Film Critics Award, through a collection of vignettes involving male prostitutes, elderly prostitutes and other sex trade workers, Shi Yue's precise photography combines the Shanghai on the Bund with the Shanghai on the Suzhou River, the ever-changing political Shanghai with the ever-changing economic Shanghai, the Shanghai with Chinese characteristics and the Shanghai in the process of globalization, the people common Shanghai and the people of prosperous Shanghai to present realistic Shanghai and allegorical Shanghai in a somewhat linear, full and white manner, forming a group of postmodern Shanghai images with various expressions and charms.
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Intimate, highly stylized and experimental docudrama from queer Chinese filmmaker Cui Zi En
'Night Scene' is a highly intimate, highly stylized and experimental docudrama from filmmaker Cui Zi En, one of the most prominent cultural figures in the Chinese queer community, which focuses on male sex workers in Beijing.Camera in hand, the director descends into parks, nightclubs and other public spaces to interview both real-life "rent boys" and actors posing as male prostitutes.
In this work Cui Zi En manages to scrutinize one of the greatest taboos of contemporary China: male street prostitution.
The film becomes a unique portrait of a twilight world in parks and nightclubs, which oscillates between documentary and fiction. Cui filmed gigolos and real actors playing homosexual prostitutes, without detailing precisely who is real and who is not. There is no strict distinction between homosexuals and prostitutes, nor any moral verdict. However, the director has filmed an ambiguous and layered film, as limitless as the lives of prostitutes in China.
Cui Zi'en's second film in four months is more of an expanded footnote to his memorable 2003 effort titled 'Feeding Boys, Anaya'. As in this work, 'Night Scene' investigates the lives of prostitutes on the streets of Beijing, here using the most subtle narrative to gather first-person interviews to document the clandestine sexual world of the Chinese capital.
While not as compelling as 'Feeding Boys, Anaya' and less formally interesting than 'The Narrow Path', Cui's one-take work, 'Night Scene' found a home at the same festivals that have regularly showcased his work, as well as the support of critics and the public.
The docudrama explores the construction of queer discourse in China through the lens of male prostitution, and thanks to a fragmented and layered narrative that is combined with diverse perspectives and polyphonic voices, giving rise to all these representations being presented in one performance highly conscious that it needs to be put into context: that is, China's queer visual discourse, which is constantly under construction and in need of self-criticism.
Presented in the Official Selection of the International Film Festival Rotterdam, 2005, Busan International Film Festival, 2004, Viennale, 2004, and Frameline: San Francisco International LGBTQ Film Festival, 2005, the documentary collects confessions of sex workers as they speak directly to the camera, but it also features some fake scenes.
I draw the viewer's attention, because since all the false scenes are located in the footage at the beginning of the film, we can come to believe that we are actually watching a fiction film and not a docudrama.
The line between fact and fiction is blurred from the start, but in some ways the faux approach helped make the more intimate, one-on-one scenes with the sex workers feel much more vulnerable and personal.
Cui Zi En shows mastery of an intimately embodied vision, the effective use of the haptic camera, reflective performances and subjective editing strategies, characteristic features of his work, with which he manages not only to present alternative perspectives on issues of identity from within of queer communities but, more significantly, practices a boldly performative and intimately engaged mode of documentary filmmaking, and in the process challenges the very distinction between documentary and fiction, truth and opinion, self and other.
Its embodied approach not only demonstrates the potential for minority discourses to actively and critically engage with social reality, but also represents an important direction – that of increasing reflexivity – for the continued development of documentary film in China.
The candid confessions of all those interviewed offer a glimpse into the culture of street sex workers in the Chinese capital, touching on common themes such as gay rights, class disparities and the search for true romance.
The docudrama also follows a gripping story about a young man named Yangyang, who discovers that his father is gay. The boy sets out to investigate his father's hidden past and confronts his secret partner Xiaoyong in the process. At the same time, in all this confusion, Yangyang is surprised to discover that she also falls in love with a boy, Haobin. But his world falls apart when, after a while, he discovers what his friend really does.
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Beautiful, interesting and incredible cinema
The innovative Chinese filmmaker, film scholar, screenwriter, novelist, activist and gay academic Cui Zi En, known worldwide for his films 'Zhi tongzhi' (2009), 'Jiu yue' (2001), 'Feeding Boys, Ayaya' (2003 ), 'Nannan nünü - Nan Nan Nü Nü' ('Men and Women'), 1999, 'Queer China, Comrade China' (2008), among others, makes a surprisingly transgressive debut in 'Chou jue deng chang' ('Enter the Clowns').Inspired by the likes of Andy Warhol and Rainer Werner Fassbinder, but set in a specifically Chinese context, the filmmaker, novelist and queer activist adapts his own novel of the same name to explore sexual identity and gender through a series of vignettes about transgender people.
Made in 2001 in digital format, the film, of the dramatic genre, which does not shy away from showing extreme sexual content, eroticism and nudity, revolves around mothers who change their sex, dissatisfied wives who seek solace in the arms of any other man and other transgressions of propriety, when in 82 minutes straight, gay and gender-fluid Beijingers unleash a whirlwind of transsexual mayhem in this groundbreaking debut from the noted filmmaker queer from China.
Our protagonist, Xiao Bo (played by Yu Bo) lives in a world where the lines that define men and women are constantly dissolving.
His father has transitioned and wants to be called mom (both characters played by Zi'en Cui himself). On her deathbed, she insists on having oral sex with her son. And Xiao Bo fulfills the dying woman's last wish.
His boyfriend has also changed his sex and now goes by the name Nana (Narenqimuge), but Xiao Bo no longer finds her attractive as a woman.
Other acquaintances of Xiao Bo also undergo gender transition as Xiao deals with her loss, and Nana becomes disheartened at the prospect of never finding suitable man.
In this context, a sexual chain reaction occurs that wreaks havoc on the traditional Chinese roles that govern men and women, parents and children.
Presented at the International Film Festival Rotterdam 2003, San Sebastián International Film Festival 2011, Buenos Aires International Festival of Independent Cinema (BAFICI), 2004, Vancouver International Film Festival (VIFF), 2003, Jeonju International Film Festival 2002, Ghent Film Festival, 2003 , Frameline: San Francisco International LGBTQ Film Festival, 2003, the film, produced by Cuizi Film Studio and with a artistic photography by Deqiang Yuan, conveys a sensation of avant-garde cinema and inaugurated a new way of making queer Chinese cinema.
'Chou jue deng chang' ('Enter the Clowns') is a film that says that everything you know or think you know about sexual identity and gender orientation is wrong, that you should rethink everything, while definitively installing Cui Zi En in the international pantheon of queer filmmakers on a global scale.
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This review may contain spoilers
An important and comprehensive historical record of the queer movement in modern China
Directed in 2009 by Cui Zi En, China's most prolific celebrated gay filmmaker, 'Queer China, "Comrade" China' documents the history of the queer community in the People's Republic of China from the 1984s to the 2000s.Premiered on the opening night of the 2009 Shanghai Queer Film Festival (Festival that carried that name until 2012, but as of 2016 began to be called ShanghaiPRIDE Film Festival), the first LGBT pride festival instituted in China and second in importance in the Asian nation After the Beijing Love Queer Cinema Week (previously Beijing Queer Film Festival, since 2001), the documentary 'Queer China, Comrade China' was recognized as the most authoritative account of the story queer culture in China to date.
Presented at the Vancouver International Film Festival and Busan International Film Festival in 2009, the film uses a chapter structure (like a history book) to document advances in rights, literature and the arts, community and LGBT+ activism in this long period of that nation's history.
Through many exclusive interviews with more than three dozen prominent queer activists, academics and filmmakers, including Cui Zi En himself, Shi Tou, Li Yinhe and Zhang Yuan, as well as the use of historical archival material, the documentary becomes a record important and comprehensive history of the queer movement in modern China.
China's leading queer theorist, activist and academic includes rarely seen footage of the first appearance of gays and lesbians on Chinese state television in the documentary, including several featuring the documentary film's director himself.
'Queer China, "Comrade" China' documents the changes and developments in lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgender culture that have taken place in China over the past 80 years up to the time of its release.
Like never before, this film explores the historical milestones and ongoing advocacy efforts of the Chinese LGBT community.
The film examines how changing attitudes in the law, media and education have transformed queer culture from an unspeakable taboo to an accepted social identity.
The film culminates with the submission of Dr. Li Yinhe's same-sex marriage bill to the Legislative Affairs Commission of the National People's Congress of China, the highest legislative body of the People's Republic of China in 2003, a milestone important in the fight for the acceptance of queer identity in China.
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This review may contain spoilers
The most beautiful declaration of love in world cinematography
Chinese cinema, supported by European critics in the 80s and 90s and by the public in recent years, has been in good health for more than a hundred years.Chinese cinematography makes about 400 films annually, covering all genres and themes. In its exhibition halls, this production occupies 60 to 70 percent of the projection time.
They also make just over a hundred television series and about 20 cartoons for younger audiences.
The awards from European festivals are repeated, and although the Hollywood Oscar resists, the European and Asian awards are almost never missing.
The development of childhood and adolescence, the daily life of the peasantry and the development of contemporary Chinese society are among the priority themes of the Asian giant's cinematography.
Stories about young people who love, study, work, live and make their way in life are present in the Chinese films of the so-called Sixth Generation.
From the hand of contemporary filmmakers, films such as 'As black as coal' (Báirì Yànhuǒ, Diao Yinan, 2014), 'I am not Madame Bovary' (Wǒ Búshì Pān Jīnlián, Feng Xiaogang, 2016), 'Mrs. Fang' (Fang Xiu Ying, Wang Bing, 2017), 'An Elephant Sitting Still' (Dà Xiàng Xí Dì Ér zuò, Hu Bo, 2018), 'That woman/Ash is the purest white' (Jiang hu er nü, Jia Zhang Ke, 2018), 'Long journey into the night' (Dìqiú zuìhòu de yèwǎn, Bi Gan, 2018), 'Farewell, my son' (dìjiǔtiāncháng, Wang Xiaoshuai, 2019), 'The Wandering Earth' (Liu Lang Di Qiu, Frant Gwo, 2019), among others.
Queer cinema is not far behind, and if in 1996 Zhang Yuan released 'East Palace West Palace', Cu Zi En filmed 'Jiu yue' (2001), Wang Chao released 'Xun Zhao Luo Mai' (Looking for Rohmer), Lu Po-wen presented 'River Knows Fish Heart' (2018), Luo Ye filmed 'Chun feng chen zui de ye wan' ('Spring Fever' / 'Nuit d'ivresse printanière') and Xu Fang Yi exhibited 'Kinematic Theory' and 'The Ambiguous Focus', filmmaker Tang Shi premiered 'Sentimental and Peaceful Today' ('The Raccoon', or 'The Reccoon'), with a script of his own.
Originally conceived as a degree project by professors of Chinese Literature at Peking University, the interest of an increasingly large group of admirers and benefactors made it possible to turn the short film into a feature film.
'The Raccoon' is a faithful reflection of the predominant Chinese personality as a people and culture: interactions that are not warm, although love and affection are still shown. It is part of the formal nature of relationships in Chinese culture.
Gu Xiao An (actor Weng Hai Bin) is a student studying Chinese Literature at a university in Beijing. One night he receives an invitation from his dorm roommates to sleep on the roof of the building to escape the heat. Xiao An lies down, and a friend lies next to him. In the early morning he feels cold, and when he wakes up he notices that his blanket (printed with bears) does not cover him, and next to him a person sleeps with his blanket. He pulls it to get hold of it and, accidentally, touches the erect member of the sleeper, who wakes up and shouts: "It hurts, it hurts". Xiao runs away with the blanket. When he gets to his room he discovers that his friend is sleeping covered with his blanket, so he took the wrong one. He hopes that because it is dark at night, the owner of the blanket has not seen him, but the next morning he is woken up by the owner of the blanket, Mao Cai (actor Wu Di), ready to get his blanket back. The entire misunderstanding is cleared up and when Mao Cai is about to leave, Xiao tells him that he offended, upset, tried to hit someone, and not an apology. Mao Cai invites him to dinner, as an apology. Thus begins a love triangle, as Lao Si (Deng Tian Xiong), another roommate, is in love with Xiao.
Xiao and Mao Cai quickly become close friends. Mao Cai is the first to approach Xiao. He calls her "my wife" to his friends. The friends tell Mao Cai why he dresses so elegantly if his wife lives in the front room and he sees her every day. Students govern relationships in the dorms. There is no presence of any professor or administrative official of the university interfering in the lives of the students.
Xiao sick with jealousy. Moments before he argued with the handsome and slender seme Mao Cai. He is confused by his feelings for him and doesn't want him around. He remembers that Mao Cai, to his question, answered that two years ago, in high school, he was in love with a girl, but they broke up when they graduated. Xiao is sad. Mao Cai is not among the visitors to the hospital, but later, upon returning to his bedroom, he finds out that Mao Cai was the one who picked him up, took him to the hospital, and bought his medicine. This makes him go look for him and they reconnect.
At another point, the cute and sweet Mao Cai tells Xiao that he reminds him of "his brother", who died years ago. He liked bear-printed blankets, he liked the same foods that Xiao likes, and he always walked behind Mao Cai's back, as if he were his shadow, like Xiao walks behind him. "I'm going to sing for you. I'm going to call you my brother". Hugs him. Mao Cai skips his class, and enters Xiao's. He tells him not to write, to play with him. The game consists of reaching under the table and touching the other's penis. A surprised Xiao scolds him. "Are you sick?". The teacher notices. She, the only teacher in the film, is cheerful and positive when she discovers the two boys holding hands in her Chinese Literature class.
Xiao asks him, always on the rooftop where they met and where they meet, why he wants her to call him "brother". And Mao Cai tells him about his parents' divorce when he was a child. He went with his mother to another city, and his younger brother stayed with his father. Xiao now doubts if Mao Cai is in love with him or if he just reminds her of her brother. And, hurt, he distances himself again. This moment is taken advantage of by the thin and passive Lao Si to approach Xiao.
The action is slow, but the film captures the viewer, keeping them interested in the events, often with the need to put a handkerchief close to their eyes. The film takes its time to reach intimacy quickly. It is in the manner of that great Asian and universal filmography that is Chinese: the protagonists meet to talk for hours over a long period. Then a shy, light hug, to give way, after long hours of conversation and after a long period, to a much warmer hug, and finally a kiss, as a prelude to the tender love relationship. That is the classic courtship employed by the Chinese methodological way: step by step and often tumultuous, as we continue to see among Chinese university students, in the last premiere of that country, in the one before it and in the one to come.
They reconnect again. They go back up to the roof to talk. They share the bowl of noodles again.
Mao Cai is jealous, because in the dining room he saw Xiao looking into the distance at Lao Si while he was looking for lunch for the two of them. Mao Cai will be acting in a play in which his girlfriend betrays him with another man. Mao Cai is the first to provoke Xiao: "Aren’t you worried about the female character kidnapping me? ". But Xiao replies: "It's good to have a sister-in-law. It's not bad to have someone taking care of me. To check if my future sister-in-law is suitable, I would have to go see the play…".
It doesn't end. A tormented and jealous Mao Cai, little by little, while listening to him, stopped eating, and as in his character in the play, he threw the bowl of food and left. He is already in love with Xiao. He no longer wants him as a brother. He desires it, longs for it as a lover.
It's the dress rehearsal. Mao Cai goes to Xiao's room to look for him so they can both go to the theater, but he has left early with Lao Si. At the theater, the two arrive holding hands. Mao Cai throws the bowl on the floor when he sees them and leaves the theater. Xiao thinks it's part of the performance, and applauds. He goes to Mao Cai's room. He finds out that he is in a bad mood and has not gone to rest: “Haven't you realized why Mao Cai is in a bad mood? "Shouldn't you have gone to the theater with him? ". Mao Cai's companions understand the reason for Mao Cai's mood, but Xiao is unable to understand.
They see each other on the roof. "Xiao, why didn't you wait for me to go to rehearsal? I don't know why, when I saw you holding Lao Si's hand, my heart hurt terribly. I feel like you belong to me". And after a hug: "Xiao An, do you still love this brother?". Mao Cai pulls Xiao over and they kiss.
Lan Xin, the young student and female character in the play, pursues Maocai. After the success of the play and a night of drinking, Xiao An and Mao Cai wake up naked in a hotel bed the next morning. Xiao says he doesn't remember anything from the night before, and Mao Cai throws himself at him and tells him that if he wants they can repeat what they did. That's when Lan Xin arrives to give Mao Cai the "jacket you left in my room last night." And he sits on the bed in which Xiao lies still, without getting up, naked, and tells him, before a disturbed Mao Cai, that the night before he got drunk and Mao Cai brought him to the hotel room, that he should be grateful to him. , and invites him to go eat together, the three of them. But Xiao doesn't go. And when he is alone he calls Lao Si. Xiao hugs him when Lao Si tells him how could Mao Cai leave him in that condition in the hotel. Mao Cai sees them hugging, from the doorway, with food in their hands, and leaves without them noticing. He didn't have time to go to eat with Lan Xin. He immediately returned to look for Xia. Throw the food in the trash can. Were Xiao and Mao Cai together? Were Mao Cai and Lan Xin together? At this point, Mao Cai admits to being in love with Xiao.
Apparently, Xiao believes that Mao Cai played with his feelings. That's why he is close to Lao Si now.
Lan Xin shoots a photo at Mao Cai and hands him her cell phone, but her goal is for Mao Cai to see a photo she took the day before of Xia and Lao Si in the hills "looking cute together."
Lao Sin and Xiao return from a walk. Xiao is sad. Mao Cai and Lan Xi wait for the bus to go to dinner. The four of them are seen. Mao Cai tries to talk to Xiao, but Lao Sin interferes: "if you already have the girl, why your interest in going after Xiao?" And Mao Cai hits him.
The next morning, Lan Xin calls Mao Cai from the ground floor of the building to go to breakfast, but he kindly and politely shows his disinterest.
Mao Cai calls Xiao. He awaits him in the stands of the university stadium. Arrives. It's cold. "As your friend, I'm tired. So let's stop being friends," Xiao suggests. And, when he turns his back to leave, Mao Cai gets up, hugs him from behind, surrounds Xiao's entire body with his arms, and the most beautiful declaration of love ever written in the history of cinema occurs: "Don't go." Let me tell you everything I feel. These days I haven't even seen you. I can't sleep at night. It's all you. Our chemistry, your way of lying, the way you get angry. …My mind is "Sometimes I want to go find you, but I think you want to see Lao Si. Looking at you and seeing you laugh makes my heart sad.
Here I am, annoyed with the translation. Parts of the monologue are lost or poorly translated.
Mao Cai turns Xiao on his heel, and the two look into each other's eyes. Shy, Xiao, lower your gaze. Mao Cai continues: "Do you hear me?" "Yeah". "Can you understand it?" Xiao looks up. Their gazes meet again. "NO". Mao Can, defeated, collapses his arms. And Xiao's voice is heard again, while, happily, he runs away from Mao Cai and he chases him, laughing, with happy music that plays for the first time: "I would like to hear your declaration of love again." "Xiao, idiot".
And as the credits roll, Xiao hugs Mao Cai, tells him he missed him, and will sing a song adapted for him.
Note: The structure of the review is very atypical in my production, but I am reluctant to review the film in any other way.
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'Moreno', between polygamy and absent monogamy
Already in 'Doubt' ('Duda, in Tagalog), his debut film filmed in 2003, and in 'Bathhouse' (2005), his second film, Crisaldo Pablo addressed topics such as promiscuity, infidelity and homosexuality.In 'Moreno', in Tagalog, (translation: 'Bronze'), a 2007 film shot on digital video, the pioneering director of Philippine guerrilla cinema addresses infidelity in a homosexual relationship, and compares its consequences with the marriage traditions of a poor town on the margins of civilization.
Characterized by its low budget, the intervention of a small number of actors, mostly non-professionals; an unconventional production method, few resources in production, a script without great needs and expenses, few locations, predominating real places to the detriment of sets built for filming; filming wherever necessary without asking for the relevant permission, filming with reduced technical and artistic teams, 'Moreno' follows a raw and independent approach to the so-called guerrilla cinema, as Pablo did in his debut film 'Doubt' and in his second film ' Bathhouse'.
In 'Moreno', its director chooses to demonstrate that he is capable of bringing homosexual relationships to the public eye and making the viewer care about the characters he develops.
Its main protagonist, Cris Vicente, is a documentary filmmaker who is going through difficulties in his romantic relationship with Denver (Ray An Dulay, 'Bathhouse'), his long-term partner.
While Cris tries to improve him relationship with Denver, Denver likes to be unfaithful to him boyfriend. Despite loving Cris deeply, Denver feels the need to look for lovers with whom to share him daily life. At the anniversary party, Denver drugs Cris so he can have a clear path to participate in an orgy with all her male guests, while Cris is unconscious.
The opportunity to leave behind his recent dark past is presented to Cris when the next day he must leave for Lake Sebu, in South Cotabato, to fulfill the assignment of documenting the traditions of the people of T'Boli, specifically making a profile on local women and their changing opinions on multiple marriages.
Waiting him in T'Boli is a woman Mawen (Ynez Veneracion, 'Retaso' 2007), his old friend, who serves as a link between the film company and the inhabitants of the coastal town.
Mawen's husband is also blatantly unfaithful to her, and his situation mirrors that of the cuckolded filmmaker.
The film leads the viewer to reflect on the polygamy of the town's inhabitants and, on the other hand, the absent monogamy of Denver.
Consider the last-minute twist involving Cris and his boss, which turns out to be too much of a coincidence to be believable.
Cris is also aware that one of the male villagers is bothering him. During filming, Cris forgets that he is supposed to be objective and becomes personally involved in the lives of several young women who are engaged to the Datu sa dokyu (Wings Lock), the village patriarch.
The Datu, as the richest men in the village are known, are allowed to have dozens of wives, forced by their impoverished families into marriage against their will to live a life of servitude in exchange for a dowry.
Thus, once again, another disturbing and undesirable view of marriage is presented to the public.
When Ngapon, a young T'boli woman, tells Cris that she wants to free herself from the marriage established by her parents and go to Manila, the main character begins to confront what she left behind in the city. Like the proud Datu with many wives, Cris remembers that he has Denver, his tanned-skinned lover in Manila, who is proud of his many relationships. Ngapon's search for freedom becomes Cris' journey into a dark and very sad past.
However, the experience lived in T'Boli will allow Cris to solve his relationship problem and find the only and correct answer.
With an autobiographical approach, in three of Crisaldo Pablo's films his main character is called Cris. Thus we have Jet Alcantara's Cris from 'Bathhouse', Andoy Ranay's Cris in 'Doubt', and Cris Vicente from 'Moreno', played by the director himself.
Curiously, in the 2009 film 'Showboyz', the main character is named Krys, and is played by Filipino actor Kristoffer King.
Accustomed to fighting battles against censorship, Crisaldo Pablo challenged, confronted and defeated the Philippine government's Film Board, when the film was originally given an X rating, which would have prohibited its exhibition in theaters. Finally, it was able to receive the desired R-18 rating.
Among the mistakes of 'Moreno' we must point out that the dynamics of Cris and Denver's toxic relationship are interesting and should have been explored more. When the story leaves Manila to unfold in T'Boli, it seems as if we left one film behind to watch another.
Although at the beginning Cris frequently remembers Denver's moments of infidelity and the viewer witnesses the slow disintegration of her marriage through some very effective flashbacks, these disappear towards the middle of the film and do not reappear until its climax.
All of this prevents the story in the coastal town from developing organically and effectively, leaving the viewer with what appears to be a very choppy documentary. The reaction of the public that criticizes the lack of a structured story with fully represented dramatic peaks is logical.
Among its successes, we can highlight that the film is capable of showing homosexual couples who have the same problems and struggles that heterosexual couples face; the director develops interesting gay male characters who are not the stereotypes of macho dancers, rent boys or drag queens very common in Filipino LGBT+ themed films.
The first act of the film is very attractive. It's also surprisingly explicit and features a lot of frontal male nudity.
Crisaldo Pablo's work is thought-provoking and encourages the viewer to hope that the characters will be successful in their relationships and achieve a sense of peace and satisfaction in their lives.
The beautiful photography by Jonathan Batoy, Claude Santos and Crisaldo Pablo himself show village scenes and virgin, exotic landscapes that can, in themselves, stimulate the senses.
Despite its low budget and murky night photography, Pablo shows a good eye for the cinematic image. The scenes involving Cris and Denver give the symbolic image of a couple breaking up. Equally striking is the Bergman-style image that almost functions as a split screen in which Cris is sitting, dejected, on one side of a wall, while Denver lies in bed with another man at the other end.
The difference in the men's attitudes is also conveyed by their contrasting appearances. Cris's appearance is average, while the flirtatious Denver usually appears bare-chested and sports a shaved head with a light tuft of beard on his chin.
Isha's low-key, ethnic music, usually consisting of a single repetitive note, effectively sets the mood of the characters in each of the flashbacks.
'Moreno' confirms Cris Pablo as a pioneering figure of the guerrilla style in Philippine cinema, a filmmaker who has turned his cinema into an integral pillar of Filipino, Asian and world independent cinema, celebrated for his ingenuity, authenticity and unfiltered vision, by that gives it a documentary touch.
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A rare gem of Chinese queer cinema
The innovative Chinese filmmaker, film scholar, screenwriter, novelist, activist and gay academic Cui Zi En, known worldwide for his films 'Star Appeal' (Xingxing xiangxi xi', 2004), 'Zhi tongzhi' (2009), 'Feeding Boys' , Ayaya' (2003), 'Chou jue deng chang' ('Enter the Clowns'), 2001, 'Nannan nünü - Nan Nan Nü Nü' ('Men and Women'), from 1999, 'Queer China, Comrade China' (2008), among others, offers in 'Jiu yue' ('The Old Testament') a rare vision of the gay life in China.Presented in the Official Selections of the renowned Berlin International Film Festival, the Outfest: Los Angeles Gay & Lesbian Film Festival and the Philadelphia Film Festival in 2003, two years after its filming and premiere in China, the episodic film, written by Cui Zi En and co-directed with Jiangang Wei, uses biblical references to weave three interesting vignettes on the themes of sexuality, homophobia and AIDS, while Greek-style choirs sing the moralistic conclusions of each of the trio of stories.
At the same time, it promises an ironic commentary on the tension historically between the Church and homosexuality, as the images show soapy shower scenes with naked men, underwear groping and bed scenes.
Produced by Cuizi Film Studio and Glory Film TV, and distributed by Water Bearer Films, the Chinese film has received praise from critics: "The film's roots are planted in the fertile soil of avant-garde filmmaking", he noted the film the Outfest jury.
In 'Song of Solomon', a couple of men receive an unexpected visit from the ex-boyfriend of one of them who is sick with AIDS. Faced with the commitment to provide palliative care to the former lover, the couple must face the breakup of their own relationship.
'Proverbs' follows the love triangle between a married man, his wife and his gay lover. As the bisexual husband tries to reconcile the two-way relationship, the conflicted wife and lover begin to wonder if he is worth the fight. 'Psalms' concludes the trilogy, with a denunciation of intolerance, through a story about a heterosexual couple openly hostile to the homosexuality of the husband's younger brother, who plans to have sex with his "special friend."
With a duration of 75 minutes and a cast made up mostly of non-professional actors, 'Jiu yue' explores homosexuality in China, and features the performances of the renowned Huanan Du, Luo Dong, Zhang Jian, Yang Qing, Yu Bo , Wei Jiangang, Yu Xiaoyu, among other Chinese actors and actresses.
As in other films by Cui Zi En, 'Jiu yue' is characterized by its low budget, an unconventional production method, few resources in production, a script without great needs and expenses, few locations, predominating real places to the detriment of the sets built for filming, and the use of reduced technical and artistic teams.
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Guerrilla cinema and gay life in the Philippines
'Bathhouse', the highly provocative drama by Crisaldo Pablo ('Moreno', 2007), is a precursor of a cinema that has its dramatic epicenter in spas, saunas and public baths, where homosexual men congregate to relax, organize clandestine dates and having sex, such as the American 'Spa Night', directed in 2016 by Andrew Ahn; the Finnish 'A Moment in the Reeds', written and directed by Mikko Makela in 2017; the British 'Sauna the Dead: A Fairy Tale', directed in 2016 by Tom Frederic, the Spanish short film 'I come to look for you', written and directed in 2023 by José Provencio, among other films.The Filipino director draws on the waters of 'Hamam: Il bagno turkish', the Italian film written and directed in 1997 by Ferzan Ozpetek, among others, to deliver an emotional 106-minute film about first love and leaving closet, which takes the viewer on a dark journey to a world where meeting the wrong man could mean paying the ultimate price.
After his first film, 'Doubt', in 2003, the Filipino filmmaker films the queer comedy-drama 'Bathhouse', which has a script he wrote.
With a tone typical of many Filipino gay films, although a little different given the style of the director (who plays Cris's father in the film), 'Bathhouse' revolves around the college student Rico, played with great sensitivity by Ray-An Dulay, a young man discovered by Crisaldo Pablo and introduced into the Philippine film industry with him, until he became her favorite actor, starring in his films 'Retaso' and 'Moreno', both from 2007, and 'Pitong Dalagita', 2006.
Ray-An Dulay also starred in other LGBT+ themed films directed by Joselito "Jay" Altarejo, another of the great filmmakers of Filipino queer cinema, such as 'Little Boy Big Boy', from 2009, 'Kambyo', from 2008, and 'The Game of Juan's Life', 2009.
In 'Bathhouse', as Rico awakens to his sexuality and accepts being homosexual, he finds himself drawn to the local gay bathhouse, where he longs to establish a connection with the regulars in the clandestine world of homosexual encounters.
At the gay club and sauna, Rico establishes a friendly relationship with Genesis, a role played by a magnificent Andoy Ranay, an actor who had already worked under Pablo in 'Doubt'.
Rico receives an exclusive invitation from a stranger about 15 years older, named Cris (Jet Alcantara, an actor who debuted in 1999 in the action film 'Bullet' and starred in 'Gugma sa Panahon sang Bakunawa', by Peter Solis Nery), to meet that night at Klub Hombre, a private bar for gay men, also attended by heterosexuals looking to have sex with other men in the anonymous comfort of darkness.
In the darkness of the sauna, Rico can also glimpse bisexual and transsexual characters; people who, in the anonymity of darkness, seek to form a bond and a kinship, although they cannot later identify themselves in the light of day.
After having sex with Cris, the college nerd will fall intensely in love with the heartthrob, and accepts his habits as a gigolo or man-slut. All of this is set against the backdrop of the evolution of gay hookup culture in the Philippines, from meet-ups in parks to personal ads, to phone lines, to pagers.
In this sense, while Rico sings and plays the guitar in a park, he is interrupted by some religious boys. This sequence gives a very Wong Kar-Wai feel that I really liked.
At almost 20 years old, Rico has evolved from these primitive forms of human connection before the advent of cell phone services and gay dating apps, to a clandestine club where random sexual encounters occur, except our main character, Rico, looks for love, not sex, and gets a little lost along the way.
The reason for turning the corner is that the man she has fallen in love with is a jaded person who has combined all hopes of love and emotional connection with his nocturnal descent into the bar's orgy den.
When Rico claims that in the darkness of the sauna he can only see silhouettes of bodies around him, Cris responds: "Because we are all here for lust. Lust has no face, only flesh," to defend himself from the instant affection that the boy feels for him.
For his part, Rico will respond: "I don't want to have sex in the dark. It's for the same reason I hate movie theaters... It's very dark like you're having an illusion... When you're done, you leave the room." cinema and it's as if nothing had happened.
And Cris doesn't listen to him, and drags him into his world, a very dark world, but full of fun.
The chemistry between them is immediately hot and intense. In love with Cris, Rico rejects the other sauna customers who are looking for a night of adventure.
Once the fire cools, Rico believes he has found "Mr. Right", but finds himself on a roller coaster of love, jealousy and infidelity, while Cris continues his conquest of the baths.
Through the performances of exotic dancers on the club stage, the film pays tribute to or pioneers the Filipino queer film aesthetic that follows young people who work in the world of sibak, or in other words macho dancers, but identified with the figure of the hustler or prostitute, such as 'Sibak' ('Midnight Dancers'), 1994, by Mel Chionglo; 'Son of the Macho Dancer', 2021, by Joel Lamangan; 'Macho Dancer', 1988, by Lino Brocka, among other films.
A lot of nudity in this film, a lot of sex, and this, instead of detracting from it, supports the plot and the performances.
Rico is a very attractive character, but fortunately this is not the only thing that makes you invest in him.
'Bathhouse' also reminds me of 'Fuccbois', but in my opinion it is much better, having a more developed main character than Kokoy de Santos' Mico Ramos, Royce Cabrera's Ace Policarpo and Migs Villasis's Thor Villasis, protagonists of the Filipino LGBT+ themed film written and directed in 2019 by Eduardo Roy Jr., since in this case it presents a backstory of what Rico's life is like and how his sexuality and coming out to his environment and the people around him.
Likewise, it is commendable that the sexual scenes do not distract the viewer's attention from the dark and depressing situation in which Rico finds himself. Instead of telling a story in which the sexual scenes create a terrifying fantasy, which makes you want to escape in that situation, the explicit scenes cause the viewer to constantly worry about the fate of the characters, because you understand what is at stake for them.
Characterized by its low budget, the intervention of a small number of actors, mostly non-professionals; an unconventional production method, few resources in production, a script without great needs and expenses, few locations, predominating real places to the detriment of sets built for filming; filming where necessary without asking for the relevant permission, filming with reduced technical and artistic teams, 'Bathhouse' follows a raw and independent approach to the so-called guerrilla cinema, as Pablo did in his debut film 'Doubt', to show a somber story with a happy ending.
Heir to the guerrilla style, Cris Pablo has turned his cinema into an integral pillar of Filipino, Asian and world independent cinema, celebrated for its ingenuity, authenticity and unfiltered vision, to which he gives a documentary touch.
On this occasion, the filmmaker once again uses shocking images and strong characters to tell, through naked bodies, extreme sexual content, the squalor of the world of gay saunas and characters with an age difference, the story of gay life in the Philippines, while recreating an idea of how a Filipino bathhouse works, where emotions vibrate, love is made, love is lost and in the end true love is found.
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This review may contain spoilers
The review I would never have liked to write
If coming out is perhaps one of the most satisfying decisions in the lives of all homosexuals, for others taking this step is an insurmountable barrier. And if it is understandable that there are those who cling to continue pretending to be someone else for logical reasons, such as the fear of suffering homophobia and exclusion, the refusal to comply with social expectations that in one way or another influence our lives and decisions, to be intimidated by the possibility of accepting oneself before others, there will also be those who, in order to hide their homosexuality, go so far as to commit terrible crimes.The latter prefer to lie and even kill before allowing their truth to be exposed to the eyes of the family, especially in a heteronormative and patriarchal society, like Japan.
Directed by Asahara Yuzo in 2020, 'Kuroi Gashu Shogen - Black Art Collection - Testimony' becomes social criticism, while exploring modern Japanese society, especially with regard to the traditional family, social prejudices and acceptance of homosexuality in that Asian nation, where apparently honor, reputation and family image are matters important enough to commit a crime.
Screenwriters Asahara Yuzo and Ishikawa Katsumi adapt the short story "Shogen" (証言), by Matsumoto Seicho, in a 90-minute special for television, which combines mystery, suspense, drama and queer thriller, which does not lack the elements psychological elements present in the vast detective fiction of the prolific Japanese intellectual.
The story follows Doctor Ishino Teiichiro (Tanihara Shosuke), who seems to have a perfect life. At just over forty years old, the main character not only enjoys the respect, affection and admiration of his wife Sachiko and his two children, but also of the patients and medical staff of the clinic in Kanazawa where he works.
But the fragile bubble in which he lives soon bursts, when the murder of a woman occurs in a building near his workplace, and the secret he has kept for much of his life threatens to come to light, when he becomes a witness clue.
Teiichiro has been hiding from everyone for three years that he is in a relationship with Umezawa Tomohisa (Asaka Kodai), a young man who shares his art studies with work in a ceramics workshop.
The two men meet in places hidden from other people, especially Umezawa's house, to show their love. Umezawa, who is more liberated, wants Teiichiro to confess to his wife and children that he is homosexual and face the truth of their relationship. But the doctor refuses to come out of the closet. His interest in not losing his reputation is greater than any other reason that pushes him to hide his homosexuality.
But his secret could come to light if he confessed to the detectives investigating a criminal case that, precisely at the time of the events, he found himself on the street, dozens of kilometers from the scene of the crime, with his patient Sugiyama Kozo (Horibe Keisuke), the only suspect. At this crossroads, he decides to lie to the police and give false testimony.
Confirming the alibi would serve to exonerate Sugiyama, but it would also mean having to answer difficult questions, both to the police and to his family, since at the time of the meeting between suspect and witness, the latter was out for a walk with his lover after having had sex, while lying to his wife and children, who trusted that Teiichiro was working at the clinic at that time.
The drama emerges when guilt leads Ishino Teiichiro to reveal to Umezawa the situation he is in, but he resists confessing a truth, which would automatically save the unfortunate man who is being unjustly accused of a crime he did not commit. The fear of coming out to society and their family weighs more.
To complicate everything, Sachiko enrolls in a pottery class, and meets Umezawa, the course's teacher.
Some time later, fulfilling an invitation from Sachiko, Umezawa visits her lover's house and discovers the apparent happy life of the doctor's family, so Umezawa decides to break up with him, unless Teiichiro comes out of the closet.
When Umezawa tries to break up with him after seeing his desire to have Teiichiro fully to himself frustrated, he is killed by the doctor.
With the weight of guilt, the main character finally confesses the whole truth to his wife, claiming that he had to kill Umezawa because he loved him.
Sachiko, who was already suspicious of Teiichiro's strange behavior, is surprised to learn of her husband's homosexuality. Feeling deceived and fearing that the truth will become known to everyone, especially her children, she also makes decisions that end in another tragedy.
By hiding his homosexuality, Teiichiro is able to lie: his first lie is to the police, which leads to an imperfect but innocent man being on the verge of being convicted for a crime he did not commit.
In an attempt to preserve his home life and his relationship with his lover, Teiichiro lies once again, this time to his family.
The third lie (or the first?) occurs when Teiichiro lies to himself, by refusing to acknowledge to others that he is the person he is. This lie is the trigger for the entire conflict.
But Sachiko is willing to lie and make her husband lie in order to protect the dignity of her family: seeing the state of mind of her husband, who is about to reveal everything because he cannot bear the weight of guilt and regret, initially tries both to get him to maintain the lie that could free Sugiyama from jail, and to not reveal himself to be Umezawa's murderer, because then he would have to recognize the type of relationship that both had.
Thus, fearing that Teiichi will confess, she decides to preserve the lie by murdering her husband and denying justice to the murdered lover and Sugiyama.
Behind a notable workmanship and solid interpretations, 'Kuroi Gashu Shogen - Black Art Collection - Testimony' has an atmosphere and temperament that captivates the viewer until the end.
Told linearly, the story (with an attractive script, but sometimes too mechanical) is a kind of ordered accumulation of situations that threaten to overflow on themselves as the narrative progresses: Umezawa's demands that Teiichiro be "brave" and accept yourself; the police investigation that can bring him out of the closet; the conflict of the doctor, who prefers to hide his homosexuality rather than save the life of an innocent man, murder for love...
Despite its virtues, and perhaps because of the cumulative vocation of the narrative, 'Kuroi Gashu Shogen - Black Art Collection - Testimony' presents some excesses that tend to relativize dramatic situations until they become melodramatic, or lighten the richness of the conflicts: Sachiko ( a Nishida Naomi very immersed in her role), who will not tremble when mixing sideburns and alcohol that will cause the death of her husband, giving it the appearance of a suicide; Umezawa looking for a new lover when Teiichiro has barely left his bed; the doctor's wife remembering how in the past she suffered sexual harassment by Sugiyama, which reinforces her conviction that he is the criminal; Saki Sugiyama (Takatsuki Sara), the daughter of the accused, locating and pursuing Ishino Sadanori (Yoshimura Kaito), Teiichiro's son, to ask him to influence her father "to confess the truth"; the fear (in my opinion) of not wanting to disappoint the creators of the saga of adaptations based on short stories written by Matsumoto Seicho, which began with the film 'Knock Down', in 1960, and continued with 'Matsumoto Seicho Series: Kuro no Kumikyoku' , in 1962; 'Matsumoto Seicho Series: Kuro no Kumikyoku', in 1965; 'Matsumoto Seicho no Shogen', in 1984; 'Matsumoto Seicho Suspense: Kuroi Gashu - Shogen', in 1992, and 'Matsumoto Seicho no Shogen', in 2004.
In the performances, Tanihara Shosuke gives us a versatile and contained performance. At no point does it show us a person who is struggling with their sexual identity. We will never see him as a being caught between the desire to be honest with himself and the fear of the repercussions of coming out.
Contrary to Teiichiro, Asaka Kodai's character fulfills his role as the person who knew how to face his fears and explore his sexuality through his relationship with the doctor. For her part, Nishida Naomi gives nuances to her role as a deceived woman capable of anything to preserve the honor and reputation of the family.
This turns out to be the review I never wanted to write. In MDL I publish others in which I celebrate characters in their process of coming out of the closet. In this, I condemn how the characters prefer to lie, take the blame, and even commit horrific crimes, before recognizing themselves as homosexual, or, on the contrary, before accepting others being revealed that a family member or person who has been part of their life be gay.
But the above does not stop you from admiring and recommending the work.
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Acceptance of sexuality
I must have some strange fascination with shipwrecks. In my adolescence I read every novel I could get my hands on that took place on desert islands, in inhospitable landscapes, after the arrival of a survivor of a maritime or air accident.I remember reading works where fiction and reality go hand in hand, such as "Story of a Shipwrecked", by Gabriel García Márquez. I enjoyed "Two Years' Holiday" and "The Mysterious Island" by French novelist Jules Verne; "The Shipwrecked of the Auckland", by François Édouard Raynal, "The Shipwrecked of the Grand Armada", by Fernando Martínez Laínez, "Drifting", by Steve Callahan, "The Shipwrecked of the Liguria", by the Italian author Emilio Salgari , "The Castaways" by Charlotte Rogan, "Robinson Crusoe" by Daniel Defoe, "Life of Pi" by Yann Martel, "Isla de Lobos", by José Vicente Pascual, "The castaways of the Batavia", by Simon Leys, "The castaways", by Jean Améry, "Drifting", by Joris-Karl Huysmans.
These works, and others, have in common the fact that the survivors, as soon as they manage to reach land, were immediately forced to survive in an uninhabited and hostile place.
That is why I cannot understand David (John David Schon), the protagonist of 'The Shore BL Series' (marketed as 'The First Island BL Romance'), who, being in the same situation, instead of exploring the terrain and Making sure how to survive, he constantly cries out for help, sitting on the shore under a scorching Philippine sun, in a no less exhausting episode.
But of all the works about shipwrecks, Jody Garcia's series reminds me most of "Just A Bit Wrecked," a gay novel by Alessandra Hazar, because they both share their intriguing concept of two strangers stranded on an uninhabited island that come to love each other.
But while the book by the author of "Forbidden", "Just a Bit Captivated" and "Just a Bit Wrong", among others, describes a narrative arc in which the protagonists begin as declared enemies or adversaries, only to discover gradually a deeper connection that transcends the initial animosity, in 'The Shore BL Series' the friendly approach is surprising.
The series also manages to captivate the viewer with its beautiful photography, delicious cinematography and two talented leading actors.
Produced by Star Image Artist Management, which also produced the series 'Amore BL Series', the story brings us to David, a Psychology student, who runs away from home after discovering two heartbreaking realities that alter his life: he has stumbled upon the truth of his adoption, and his girlfriend and Vince (Kyle Verches), his childhood best friend, have been unfaithful to him.
During their getaway, in the car, the viewer learns, thanks to the voice-over of the main character in constant interior monologues, about the friendship that David and Vince have built for years.
In this way, David arrives at a beach resort and takes refuge in drink. Completely drunk, he ignores warnings of a dangerous approaching storm, rents a boat and, alone, rows out to the ocean in search of tranquility.
But instead of peace, unfortunately, the storm washes David to the shores of an island that appears to be uninhabited. And in this way our narrative hero begins a journey that will change his life forever.
Alone in this inhospitable place and with broken mental health, David cannot adapt to the new situation, so he goes through several stages: confusion, anger, denial, dejection, fear, tolerance, identity, self-acceptance...
Here the series plays with the same acceptance process that any homosexual person usually experiences to accept themselves as such and live homosexuality completely naturally without perceiving it as inferior to heterosexuality.
In this sense, the presence of Simon (Miguel Ching) helps, a young man who, like him, has been stranded on the island and from the first moments shows that he is attracted to his adventure companion.
As David and Simon perfect their survival instincts, a love arises between the two born of mutual need and desperation, as both will have to fend for themselves to survive.
The relationship between them becomes increasingly intense, marked by tension and a mutual desire. But initially, David, who has believed all his life to be heterosexual, will fight against the feelings that are born in his chest and will try to stay away from Simon's amorous longings. The series stands out for its high sexual tension and a palpable sexual tension between the two protagonists.
Both David and Simon have a strong presence on stage that captures the audience with their emotions. Both are debut actors and play their roles well, despite a script that leads them to be repetitive in Byzantine discussions about the acceptance of homosexuality.
And if at some point David perceived the island as a prison from which he could never escape, in truth the islet becomes a liberating space in which he can discover and accept his true sexuality.
David is the character with the most personal development. Seeing him accept both his presence on the island and his homosexuality, the fact that he comes to know his true self, makes me want to hug him and tell him that I support him, that he doesn't have to pretend to be the person he isn't.
For his part, Simon is an attractive and intriguing character. While David appears to be in an emotional crisis and does not know how to deal with the circumstances, Simon maintains a calm demeanor, as if he had control of the situation. He will calm and protect David at all times. He will teach how to fish, how to light a fire, how to seek protection from the sun, the cold at night, animals, rain...
While this is happening on the island, fortunately for David, Vince contacts the resort director and, upon learning of his disappearance, goes to the scene to begin a search and rescue operation for the shipwrecked man.
Noticing the desperation to find David alive, I wondered why he would break his best friend's heart by having an affair with his girlfriend, when the two are so close to each other.
I liked the series about how it manages to separate the story into two distressing but important parts, how it pushed the protagonists to fight for survival, how it exploited them to make them realize the true value of life, how it led them to know their true sexual identity and how one can have everything and the second have nothing.
I loved how the couple developed their feelings and emotions without feeling rushed, but also showing the desire and sexual tension they have for each other and how after physically exploring each other, love and passion take shape into something strong, lasting and healthy.
But what I liked most is the personal development of the three main characters, because if David is called to overcome the reasons that brought him to the island and open his heart to Simon, Simon, with his loving and kind nature, must become the balm that heals David's wounds, while it is up to Vince to accept his friend's true sexual orientation and, in the process, seek redemption for his mistakes, and save the two's old friendship.
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Break the chains of the ordinary to choose those who love
Chinese actors Aiden Wu and Zhong Yang Sun play Lu Shi Ran and Qi Yi, respectively, in the romantic drama 'Uncle Unknown', the adaptation of the web novel "After Flirting, My Uncle Kept Pursuing Me" (乱撩后小叔对我穷追不舍) by Wan Xi Zi (皖西子).The Chinese series, which tells a love story that is socially unacceptable for two reasons, revolves around two ex-boyfriends, Lu Shiran, a rich young man who was adopted by the Lu family in his childhood, and Qi Yi. While they were lovers, Qi Yi was in a coma and involuntarily stopped contacting Lu Shiran. Noticing the detachment, he breaks up with him, thinking that he no longer loved him.
In this way, once his health recovered, Qi Yi was unable to contact Lu Shiran after, not knowing how to locate him, he was blocked as a contact on the phone and social networks.
After the reunion, they begin dating again and both relive their romance, but they will soon discover that they were related, but without blood ties. The series also tells the story of a second couple, made up of the two best friends of the protagonists.
For a short drama, with an average duration of just 8 minutes each episode, low budget, a poorly developed script and mediocre performances, I loved the story, the attractiveness of the four main characters, the solidarity and ingenuity of the group of friends .
I like how the four young homosexual lovers feel free and happy to shout their love through Chinese nightclubs, streets and beaches, where between games and laughter they will kiss and love.
Despite having many characters for such a short time of plot development, the story explains well the reasons why they are all connected to each other.
Now, let's get to the heart of the matter: 'Uncle Unknown' seeks, and manages, to break two taboos, specifically the taboo when there is a relationship of kinship (although in truth there is no relationship of consanguinity in the story but of affinity), and the so-called "rainbow pride."
After learning of the relationship between the two young people, Lu Shiran's adoptive mother, based on a superficial moral compass, will oppose the romance for both one and the other type of relationship that society disapproves of or considers inappropriate.
However, both young people choose to defend their love, to let the world know that they do not work by its rules, and they manage to break the chains of ordinary to choose those they love.
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Love on the menu or menu without love?
Han Ji Yoo likes to eat and drink. Unlike his friend and roommate Park Ji Ha (Jeong Ho Gyun), Ji Yoo drinks to forget his sorrows. Recently, his boyfriend broke up with him and working on the marketing team of a soju production company, called Pai Syn Tang Liquors, even helps to get free samples of the distilled drink native to Korea and preferred by the youth of that country made at base of rice, potato, wheat, barley, sweet potato or dangmil, among other ingredients.One day, the extroverted young man must fulfill an assignment from his work team to find an up-and-coming chef to partner with to help promote the company.
In this way, Ji Yoo returns to the restaurant owned by the handsome and talented chef Park Ki Hoon and from which he was expelled for asking to be served soju. His mission is to convince him to be the chef of an advertising campaign.
But how do you get a chef who meets the proposed requirements when he hates alcohol and refuses not only to sell alcoholic beverages in his restaurant, but also expels customers who try to smuggle liquor into the restaurant? How could such an introverted person, with stage fright, who refuses to give interviews and does not even have social networks because he does not like dealing with others, appear on television programs and become an idol?
Han Ji Yoo's pleas to Park Ki Hoon to consider the company's proposal will be fruitless, which could even be very useful to promote his own establishment in the face of negative publicity from dissatisfied customers who cannot have drinks in his restaurant.
Han Ji Yoo refuses to take no for an answer, so she takes a part-time job at the restaurant in an attempt to get to know Park Ki Hoon better and find a way to finally get him to agree to work with her agency who runs the risk of being fired if he cannot convince the chef.
As the men begin to get to know each other, they develop feelings for each other. Hence, from the first moments in the relationship of the two protagonists, a powerful question arises: could love be on the menu?
On these budgets is built 'All the Liquors', the South Korean Movie directed by Kim Jin Yeol ('Individual Circumstances'), which fails to satisfy me for, among other reasons, despite showing Ji Yoo as an understanding and willing person to support Ki Hoo in overcoming his anxieties and internal conflicts, his character fails to achieve true character growth.
Likewise, the trauma due to which Ki Hoon rejects the consumption of alcoholic beverages takes too long to be explained, while the story does not fully explore the changes that have occurred in the character to suddenly not only allow the consumption of alcohol in his restaurant, but also to consume it himself.
I don't find it appropriate to start the plot with the breakup of Ji Yoo and her boyfriend. It is a scene that provides no tension or any usefulness to the development of the plot. Apart from being one more reason for the character to need to consume alcoholic beverages, this character never appears again, nor does he have any weight in the story. It only serves so that from the beginning we have the information that Ji Yoo is gay, which is laughable to say the least because as viewers we already know that the intention is to narrate a homosexual romance and that Ji Yoo is one of the members of the leading couple.
But the main problem lies in the fact that the promise of a romance does not burn and the story fails to show the passion between the two boys and reach the climax.
Despite a coherent, easy-to-follow story and cozy love scenes that tantalize the audience, the narrative is slow to develop and loses momentum rather than gaining it. The initial romantic sparks are extinguished in the ending with the waves of the sea where the protagonists go, while we left want to witness an attractive romantic relationship in which deep feelings are expressed and the audience is able to convince themselves that they are seeing two people in love.
The lack of chemistry and convincing romantic development between the protagonists manages to disappoint me.
Both Ji Yoo, played by Kim Joon Hyung, and Ki Hoon, the character assumed by Won Do Hyun, fail to act convincingly in accordance with the feelings and emotions we expect from them. They give us only a very superficial relationship, while the slight potential at the beginning disappears as does the tender love story that tepidly forges.
Like dishes prepared without seasoning, the story lacks flavor and fails to excite the public.
Is the weak romance due to the fact that South Korean idols receive rejection from the homophobic, patriarchal and heteronormative South Korean society and, especially, from their fans if they star in BL dramatized films, as has happened on other occasions?
Won Do Hyun is a debut actor in this role, and after this role he has never officially been in front of the cameras again. For his part, Kim Joon Hyung does have a longer career in the acting scene of the Asian nation, even being the protagonist of the films 'Streamer' (2023) and 'The Education' (2020), and appearing in several series as an actor guest or secondary character after 'All the Liquors'.
But aren't other actors who have convincingly starred in boys' love stories and are produced annually in South Korea at equal risk of being despised by fans? Or do Won Do Hyun and Kim Joon Hyung have no prejudices when playing homosexual characters but they will have qualms about being tender and loving on screen? Will the obstacle to the development of a passionate romance fall on the script by newcomer Kim Hoy Joon?
Or will these mistakes have served Kim Jin Yeol well? It may very well be like that, because in 'Individual Circumstances', a love series between boys released in 2024, the year after 'All the Liquors', its protagonists, Ha Yeon Woo, played by Han Jeong Wan, and Seong Woo Jae, a character who comes to life through actor JunQ, builds an emotional bond with more passion and love and both clearly show that they are in love with each other.
The truth is that the absence of seduction, the lack of romance, which also lacks ardent kisses, passionate glances, sublime gestures, convinces me that both characters are just close friends or were sitting in an intermediate space between close friends and more than friends. The lukewarm connection between the protagonists contributes to the lack of seduction in the romance.
Many find the secondary couple more attractive, composed of Choi Wan (Bae Shi Jun), Ki Hoon's assistant at the restaurant, and Kim Yu A (Han Da Sol), the deputy boss of the company where Ji Yoo works. How to value a BL product when the heterosexual couple has greater potential? Aren't these arguments for the work being condemned to oblivion?
With so many BL content productions, many of them South Korean-made, the technical and artistic teams should have taken their work more seriously to convince the demanding public.
This is not a completely disappointing production. One can still laugh and dream of sitting at Ji Yoo and Ki Hoon's table, tasting delicious dishes and drinking bottle after bottle of soju, but their story, without spirit, fails to move me.
Despite showing handsome actors and actresses, 'All the Liquors' is an artistically weak exponent of BL, whose main success lies in the fact that, luckily, it is only about an hour and a half long.
So now I can answer: love is not on the menu. The menu lacks love.
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"Padayon": "Continue the fight"
In Bisaya, the second most spoken language in the Philippines after Tagalog, “Padayon” means “keep going, continue, move forward, do not give up, do not stop…”. It is common to hear the inhabitants of the Visayan Islands pronounce phrases in this language such as: "despite the difficulties, despite the difficult path, Padayon!". In Tagalog there is a term with a similar meaning: "patuloy".Another way to express this determination is “dasig lang,” which is a much deeper Bisaya version of the phrase. "Laban lang" is the Tagalog version, which is also frequently used in the Visayas. All of these expressions essentially translate as "keep fighting".
Whichever phrase you choose, it sums up the spirit that moves 'Padayon', a miniseries written and directed in 2021 by Tyrone Lim Pasaylo, a Filipino accountant turned filmmaker, writer and director Founder of DILAT Productions, who has in this romantic drama of LGBT+ genre, his only film work to date.
Among the successes of 'Padayon', a low-budget Pinoy production is the profitability of the natural space, not as a mere casual vector of setting, or much less as a postcard background commissioned by the Philippine Ministry of Tourism. It is something that I do not point out in vain, since it is also done quite a bit; although in other types of work of lower quality and achievements, or self-respect.
This is not the case: Tyrone Lim Pasaylo's team (mainly himself as scriptwriter and director, in addition to the director of photography and Maria Andres as co-writer) has taken due note of the lessons of Filipino series in particular and Asian series in general, by turning the environment into a dramatic subject and a significant contributor to the ominous atmosphere of the material.
This story places its story in a beautiful rural area, whose exuberance, warm temperatures, impressive fields of plowing and harvesting crops, majestic rivers, and the photography of John Carlo Nova, brilliantly interrelates the plot through close frames, of excellent composition. Ocher or brown colors predominate to highlight the atmosphere of poverty and humility in rural Filipino communities. The exterior images are bright and clear, although with a predominance of the same colors.
Kai Andres (defended with great acting character by actor Ian Rosapapan, one of the best in the play), is a young man who aspires to graduate from university, but circumstances force him to delay his wishes to help his mother Karrisa Andres ( Marga Erasmo), in the cleaning, gardening and maintenance of a luxurious hacienda in the Philippine countryside.
It's a pleasure to rediscover Ian Rosapapan, whom we already admired in his brief but intense role as Kyle in the drama 'Why Love Why Season 2'.
The boy has a simple, but happy life. He helps his mother in the mansion, who works as the housekeeper of the old manor house, while helping to support his humble home, where his sister Kira (Harlene Mayor) also lives. He has a group of good friends, among which Drixler "Drix" Penamonte (Yoyen Bautista) stands out.
But everything changes when Andre Rodriguez (John Padilla, in his debut and only role in his acting career so far) suddenly arrives at the ranch, the young heir to the rural property branded as a playboy and with an impressive feeling that leaves with the The mouth pours water on more than one of the characters and spectators, who has been punished by his abusive father by sending him to the remote region.
This will be the start of a series that, despite always traveling on known plot ground, resists conventionality. The script bridges or relaxes, as appropriate, the complex process of discovery and self-acceptance, since both boys will fall in love despite starting their relationship on the wrong foot, since, unlike Kai, the newcomer is an arrogant and vain boy.
To do this, the series is based on a pillar like the character of Kai, whose load of kindness, camaraderie and good heart enriches the piece. Ian Rosapapan brings the charm, naivety and mischief that the role demands.
For his part, Andre's character learns from Kai honesty, humility, trusting others, asking for forgiveness, being grateful and loving.
Although there is curiosity about "the two boys who are suddenly friends and go to the river alone and spend time together", there is no sign of homophobia. After all, all the young people around Kai and Andre are queer characters and in one way or another they express their homosexuality or transsexuality.
The series also addresses, among other topics, family relationships and the family's acceptance of their son's homosexuality.
Also highlight the soundtrack, in which we will hear John Padilla performing the musical themes "Viaje" and "Himig NG Elehiya", composed by Lester V Flores, and also others, such as "Tanong sa Langit", by Paulo Zingapan, "Mahalaga ", performed by Rojene Ortega, and "Hinto", by Angelique Ferro.
'Padayon' is not very romantic, but it offers a pleasant and affectionate time, and the love story, which can give the sensation of being unbalanced, also works.
Among its main successes is that, without mincing words, the series points an accusing finger at some of the problems faced by the Filipino peasantry, such as difficult access to education, rural poverty that dates back to the country's colonial policies, the persecution of Filipino farmers who advocate for the fair implementation of the land reform program by the government, threats against their fundamental rights to land, life, housing, livelihoods and basic freedoms, the continued and systematic criminalization of rural peasant movements through the presentation of false charges by landowners, influential claimants and companies and their agents, among other problems that result in greater poverty and marginalization of peasant communities through physical displacement and economic towards a future of uncertainty.
On the other hand, it explores the complex problems of the transgender community, identity, gender discrimination, among others, such as personal improvement, desire to fight and work as ways to get ahead.
It hurts deeply that many subplots are left unexplained and unresolved: for example, the motivations for the murder of Kai's father are not explained. Are you dying for your commitment and participation in the social struggle for improvements in the working and living conditions of the Filipino peasantry? Are you a political and agrarian activist? None of this is clear. He could have been murdered for any other reason beyond political and social reasons.
Other subplots that remain open are that of Elaine Eugenio (Milen Alonde), Andre's ex-girlfriend, who arrives at the ranch to, in addition to trying to win back her boyfriend, serve as a spy for the co-star's father. And that of Drix, Kai's jealous and desperate friend for the future.
The six episodes are binged in one go. Its little more than 20 minutes pass quickly, due to the rhythm and the distribution of plateaus and dramatic climaxes. Now, what he successfully builds throughout those chapters, 'Padayon' destroys it in the epilogue.
In the sixth and last episode, a series that – by virtue of its nerve and craft – seemed to obtain a better conclusion, is not consistent with itself. For two reasons: the first: it is a shame that its low budget and the short time available for putting it on the screen has not allowed us to delve into the complex themes exposed in its premise, in fact, little addressed in Pinoy and BL dramas in general.
These outlined objectives, instead of being analyzed in depth, are presented in a way that is too didactic and explanatory, in the style of sermons, with the characters sitting around a bonfire or at their jobs in the field, expressing dispersed and diverse opinions to send messages social. The series talks about social struggles, but the characters spend the day working and having fun in the countryside and show no real interest in changing the economic and political-social situation of the country.
It would surely have been more far-reaching to have shown the viewer the problems faced by Filipino rural workers, on the one hand, and members of the LGBT+ community, especially homosexuals and transgenders, on the other, and their struggles to "move on". "Padayon!".
And the second cause: he then succumbs to a scammer, unintelligent closure. Logical, it is explained in the commercial intentions, in the clear (and reckless) desire for continuity in a second season. But that's not worth it. Today, three years and seven months after its premiere, we have no continuation or ending to this story.
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"Death" as a synonym for misfortune for LGBT+ people in a society without laws to protect them?
He's not part of the vanguard of Thai BL drama writers and directors, but Boonyawat Thongtong knows how to film and how to tell. He was able to demonstrate it in the specials 'Views of Love: Love from the Sea Level', 'Views of Love: Heart Land' and 'Auto-Focused Love', all from 2016.That's why some mistakes, terrible, bitter, hurt in the framework of the script, the way the story is woven together and in tying up its loose ends, as well as the staging of 'Grey Raibow', a BL drama filmed that same year, about all when he seemed to have conquered the task, which would reach, no doubt, quotas of excellence. In fact, he has not been behind the cameras since then.
Despite the performances, the work in the editing room and the photographic work, already in the final stages, a series that from the first scene runs like honey on a flake, powerfully drawing the attention of the viewer who screams euphorically with passion and delight, The script throws into the ring some ideas that do not have a development and justification, which I will comment on later.
'Grey Rainbow' tell us a classic love romance between two boys, best friends. However, what sets it apart is the fact that it explores themes that other Thai BL dramas ignore or do not address in such depth, such as the process of self-discovery, coming out, the problems faced by the LGBT community in that country due to not having laws that protect them, homophobia, family dynamics and parents' acceptance of their children's sexual orientation, especially if we take into account that it was released in 2016 when these issues were considered much more taboo than they still are today.
The series introduces us to Nuea (Rattanamongkol Nutchapon), an energetic and outgoing university student, and Porsche (Hongladaromp Kasidej), a sensitive and introverted young man, who for two years has secretly developed feelings for his dorm and study partner.
After the first two episodes we have a well-established couple in love. Nuea has also discovered his sexuality after being exposed to Jane, his girlfriend, who has been suspecting for some time that Nuea's feelings for his friend are more than those of a simple friend, and after leaving the period that he himself calls of "confusion", in a beautiful, tender and moving scene of a Thai boxing match, in a ring, culminates with a kiss and Nuea's confession of love to Porsche. By then, the sexual tension between the two had already reached unimaginable levels.
From the third episode onwards, the series gains in nuances: here we see Nuea living and working in the family resort, in the mountains of Chiang Mai, in a picturesque and paradisiacal setting with an elephant sanctuary as a background. Porsche arrives there after leaving his home in Bangkok after arguing with his father about his desire not to practice law.
The elephant sanctuary is the perfect place for Nuer and Porsche to rekindle their romance after graduating from university. The scene of correspondence between the two boys is beautiful through small love notes written on a paper plane that, at night, were sent to both sides of a terrace where they both slept to be as close as possible, given the impossibility to occupy the same bedroom so as not to raise suspicions about their secret relationship.
This will also be the moment when Nuea's parents learn about the relationship between the two young people. Once the initial surprise of rejection of their child's sexual orientation has been assimilated, parents show love for their child and accept him as he is, always keeping his happiness and that of the new member of the family as a priority. His emotions seem genuine, realistic.
Now, there are several points that fail to convince me and I would like to present:
1- Jane's arrival at the elephant sanctuary: it is true that her presence seeks to provide drama and tension by putting a new test to the couple who have just begun to even talk about marriage, when same-sex weddings are still illegal in Thailand even today. The important thing is that the objective of its late incorporation is to fulfill one of the struggles of the members of the LGBT+ community and present in the series: the possibility that two people of the same gender can adopt children. Jane dies, and this makes it possible for Nuea and Porsche to adopt their daughter. But how could they legalize adoption? Today she is a girl, but tomorrow, when she grows up and tries to look for a job, or a position at a university, or tries to get a driver's license or a marriage license, how can she proceed if she does not have legal documents to do so?
2- At one point, Nuea asks Jane: "Is the girl yours and...' daughter?". Why are you asking this question? Do you suspect it could be his? Is she trying to determine if it is from Watt, the young man with whom Jane begins an affair after separating from Nuea, or from another man? What good would it do for him to know if Jane had other relationships besides the one she knew with Watt? Do you want to tell us that he had sexual relations with Jane? It may well be: they are both young, they are in a dating relationship, they share many hours a day together, but nothing indicates that their bond includes sex: they live in separate residences, their meetings are in the middle of the university or public spaces... Anyway, the scope and reasons for this question are not understandable.
3- The series touches on another complex and tricky topic: corruption and how rich businessmen violate the laws. In this sense, Sam, a businessman who has a business near the Nuea properties, tries to obstruct a public river for his benefit, which also flows through the properties of Nuea's parents and where the elephants bathe and are exhibited to tourists. And although Porsche, as legal advisor of the hotel complex, directs the steps seeking justice, which leads him to suffer a homophobic attack, there is no conclusive closure on this issue.
4- Interesting to see how Nuea cross-dressers as a woman, to imitate Jane and thus ensure that the girl does not cry in the absence of her mother. Cross-dressing is a topic rarely covered in Thai BL series, and the actor is also convincing when representing this facet of his character.
5- Nuea's refusal to continue her relationship with Porsche to avoid suffering for his mother. Although he seems to soon forget about the issue, Nuea is not consistent with the struggle of the majority of homosexuals when it comes to facing this problem. Days before, he himself was in this dilemma, because initially his parents, when they found out about his sexuality, did not accept it. What would have happened if Porsche told you the same thing?
6- Porsche's father was reluctant to accept his son's homosexuality. It is true, he remained firm and the mother collaborated by telling her husband that if she maintained her position she would stay with Porsche, implying that she was willing to leave the marital home, but soon we see the father accepting his son, without living that arduous and difficult process of acceptance, especially for a homophobic person who hides behind shame in the face of "what will they say." Of course, he will tell Porsche that it is still too early to take Nuea to Bangkok.
7- I would have liked a happy ending, let's say, a happy and timely closing in the moments when the two boys took their wedding photos, recounting emotional moments that reflect the romance of the protagonists. However, the director and screenwriter choose to kill Nuea. If his death is physical, as everything seems to indicate, I would have liked it to have been much more dramatic, moving and profound, and not through a snap of his fingers on Posrche's part, as if he knew in advance that he was going to die, to freeze the image while Nuea collapsed and died in the middle of her wedding; and another snap of the finger to restart filming while family members and those present throw themselves at the young man's lifeless body.
8- But Nuea's death can be symbolic, and in this way it connects with the supreme objective of the series: to denounce the lack of a law that protects Thai LGBT+ people. In this sense, Nuea's death would represent the death of the members of this human group as they do not have real protection against the harassment and discrimination of a heteronormative, patriarchal and homophobic society.
9- I am not fluent in the Thai language, but while the final credits are rolling, a text may mention that Nuea suffers from a health problem, which caused her death; but for the purposes of the script, this element is not taken into account or incorporated. Therefore, the sequence is not dramatically valid. We will always have in contrast to a young man of about 25 years old, healthy, strong, vigorous, who never had a toothache, who meets his death on the happiest day of his life. I would only explain it to myself, with difficulty, if, I repeat, his death were symbolic: "death" as a synonym for misfortune, misfortune, is the end of LGBT+ people as long as they do not find support in society through laws that protect and grant them the same rights as non-LGBT+ people.
Therefore, the main problem with 'Grey Rainbow' is that we never understand Nuea's death. It is not organic how they tell us. This is due, in large part, to the notable deficiencies in the composition at the writing level.
Despite all these mistakes, the series is recommended.
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The film follows Yuan You and Mu Hong, two students from different high schools, considered the best in Taiwan. Exams are approaching and all students are preparing to beat them.
On the way to class, Yuan You and Mu Hong meet and decide to skip class together, trying to escape all the hassle of the exam, to have a romantic moment of relaxation and escape from the monotony of life.
Under the bridge pier, the imagination of the two teenagers and the confusion about the future intertwine...
A short, but tender and charming film.
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