MAI

Only 5 minutes into the film and I was already blown away by the absolutely stunning cinematography! Beautiful color grading and original (but not pretentious) camera angles and transitions.
When it came to the plot itself, however, I think that more screen time would have really benefited the story. While I did like the more political/environmental themes, I would have loved to see the director explore in more depth how the protests relate to the characters' backstories. As an audience we are left wondering why it is that Xiang is so emotionally attached to this development project to the extent that he is willing to sacrifice both the relationship with his lover as well as that with his family. The symbolism of the fish was also a bit overused and, besides the talk with Vic's aunt, it would have been nice to see more of the characters' non-sexual relationship (what binds them together on a emotional level and how does their relationship evolve?). But, overall, this is pretty good story about two guys from entirely different worlds trying navigate their relationship in spite of their ideological differences.

Not bad! It has all the quintessential elements of a classic whodunnit (without actually being one). It is a bit slow at times and it doesn't have the most original plot reveal but, nonetheless, a pretty fun watch overall.

Not the best acting ever (nor the worst) but the dialogue is both hilarious and endearing. The screenwriter created a story that gives gives us insight into the lives of two working individuals, addressing with honestly and wit the pressures of queer romantic relationships in a conservative (but chancing) society. In only 13 minutes the men bring up a wide range of topics: domestic life, physical attraction, generational change, notions of masculinity-- nothing is left out. All in all, a short film that is as ambitious as it is cute!

A very dialogue-heavy short film. With these kind of movies the quality really depends on the actors' ability to give life to their characters because there is little plot and and setting to make the film interesting otherwise (or can distract the audience from bad delivery, haha). I think both did a good job, although Kim Geon Won seems to be most comfortable/natural in his role by being more dynamic in his delivery. These two actors have probably given the strongest performance out of all Strongberry movies I've watched.

This exactly! It felt like I got punched in the face when that directly followed the "I am nobody" dialogue of the scene before. Sung Kyu (which is not even his true name) truly is nobody, his existence is wholly determined by the relationship he has with the other family members. For him, being acknowledged by the family members must also come with an erasure of Self. He merely exists as a mirror and extension of those around him. The storyline raises a larger, philosophical question about whether we have an identity/sense of self that precedes the identity others give to us. Masterful screenplay and dialogue!


Edit: Also, dang, it seems like most of these actors are quite new to the screen! They gave a great performance; I would have never thought they had this little experience!

I ended up dropping this one. The characters were unlikable, the humor was silly and misplaced, and the camera work wasn't really my style either. Can't believe this was broadcasted last year since it is filmed in a style that was popular in the 2011-2015 era, when directors loved using wide angles lenses, snappy editing, and moving shots. (I personally like it better when camera work is a bit more subdued. No need to go all artsy when shooting crime shows when there is ample opportunity for tension to emerge naturally from the plot).

LMAO the last thing I expected was for this dude to be freaking DEAD.

In all seriousness, this was a wonderful watch! The choice to address the topic of sex with the female gaze (through the lens of high school students) was a welcome diversion from an otherwise often male-centred sex education discourse. I was actually impressed by how the episodes went quite in depth by focusing not only on the clinical side of sex and sexuality but also on how it is entangled with things like emotions, societal expectations, and prejudices when it comes to gender/age. It addressed a wide range of topics (e.g. the exploration of asexuality and other sexual orientations, outing, the pressure of older generations, and we get a unique look also into female sexuality and pleasure by addressing female masturbation) and I enjoyed how it managed to highlight how (sexual) relationships look different for each individual. Specifically from an educational standpoint I appreciated the overarching encouragement for watchers to do their own homework and educate themselves on the topic.

I love how this drama is literally about sex and still we got the most G-rated kiss ever lol.

This didn't really deserve the 'black comedy' label. I went into this thinking I'd watch something much more dark and edgy-- black humor is known for juxtaposing morbidity with humor after all-- but what I got instead was an average comedy with some action/melodramatic elements. The acting was good, the plot okay, but the ending could have used a more original (or even funny) twist considering its genre. A missed opportunity to integrate a bit of social commentary on class and poverty in South Korea, if you ask me. All in all, a pretty decent watch but you'll need to alter your expectations and approach this as an action-comedy.

I love how the people in the comment section are giving the characters more personality and depth than the series itself lol. I read whole backstories and internal monologues that the screenwriters themselves did not bother to create. Don't get me wrong, all these are great interpretations, but the fact that we, as viewers, have to do so much mental gymnastics to make sense of a flawed plot also just demonstrates lack of good screenwriting.

Suggestions for watching: take a shot each time this show uses an overused trope or cliché; I can guarantee you'll end up piss drunk (which is needed if you ever want to try finishing this).

Well, they clearly needed some sort of conflict to keep the story going by this point. Episode 8 made no sense at all, both Aek and Aue acted out of character without a valid explanation. I am guessing this all has to to with Aek's desire to keep peace and please everyone around him but, darn it, we as viewers don't know that if you don't show us!

So after reading some reviews I am now somewhat able to make sense of the symbolism. As I understood from other interpretations, much of Minami's journey and plot represents his sexual awakening as well as his coming to terms with both his homosexuality and his romantic interest in Ozaki. The absurdities and surrealist elements can be seen as expressions of his inner turmoil, confusion, and anxiety. This is probably a wonderful watch if you are more familiar with mythology/philosophy and know more about the cultural context of Japanese indie cinema.

Not sure whether I am lacking knowledge on the director's overall filmography, Japanese urban legends and mythology, or whether this is just a typical example of the surrealist/postmodern genre, but most the symbolism went straight over my head.

Only managed to find Sono's film. Pretty interesting but not his best work (it would be shocking if it was).

What I find most ironic is that they failed to cast foreigners who could actually speak Japanese for the roles of Shuichi's friends (unlike the Korean original). So instead they were like "well some very eccentric looking gays are a great alternative!" and then they proceeded by basically giving us two walking stereotypes lol.

The Korean version was already lacking but, unfortunately, this Japanese remake didn't fare much better. The Korean version at least had a philosophical undertone (the struggle between good/evil) whereas the Japanese version was just based on some personal vendetta. The only thing that I preferred about the Japanese remake was the sheer ridiculousness of much of the acting (which I think was actually completely unintentional-- but somehow that makes it even funnier) I laughed my ass of during most of the action scenes.

Not bad. A pretty predictable plot with few twists but it makes up for its unoriginality with some poignant dialogue. Quite nice to hear both clone and terminally ill human discuss existential questions about humanity, and life and death. But, besides that, don't expect too much. While the acting is great, it is still a mystery to me how this rather famous cast got persuaded to work with such a mediocre script.

It exists but it's an art house film, which are primarily shown during film festivals (unlike mainstream movies). Usually you'll have to pay a small fee to be present at these screenings (but maybe we'll have more luck this year since many film festivals now also stream their films online). But, unless this blows up and becomes popular amongst the more general public, it may take years for this to become available to a wider audience (if at all).

Ah, I see! Thank you so much! I tried to look up the Instagram live you mentioned (and I think I've found it) but he doesn't seem that sarcastic to me. More so defensive in making sure that people know that it is really his character (not he himself) who is gay, which in itself is a bit ironic of course, but also understandable because being openly LGBTQ+ in the Korean entertainment industry won't do much for your career prospects. But, yeah, I understand the controversy because he is yet another straight actor profiting off the BL industry without also addressing structural marginalization of the LGBTQ+ community. Anyway, thanks again for giving context!