The creators probably searched all over Thailand for a long time before they found such a perfect representative of the main character Way, that perhaps they couldn't even find a greater innocence and purity. Many times I felt not like I was in college, but in eighth grade, but that's also why young Asians just look so "young" (or maybe mentally?).
The series is written completely decently, as if it should have been shown a hundred years ago, but that is actually its strength. Nice music.
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A few episodes before I really got into the story, fed up with the previous series 2 Moons, Sotus and Boundary Crossing, I have to say that this one was a hair weaker and this time I was more bothered by the disintegrating stories of the other classmates that distracted from the main line of the story.
However, the "beautiful" that these series are able to evoke so well, even if naively from the point of view of a European viewer, I felt a hundred times. It's just Thailand too, with blurry shots of a glass of beer or a person smoking (and I thought that here in the European Union we have the strictest regulations) and on the other hand Phun is calmly driving around Bangkok at 17 years old without he had a driver's license...
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The more colorful stories of the individual couples develop mainly in the later episodes, but the fate of the couple Ae (Tanapon Sukhunpantanasan) and Pete (Suppapong Udomkaewkanjana) accompanies the viewer throughout the series, which are the civilian names of the young actors, from which we can only break the tongue, and I mention them because these the two main characters are not listed in the Cast in Details section. Above all, the character of Ae is written very beautifully and even more beautifully and tenderly played by the seventeen-year-old, likeable and athletic Tanapon, as he gradually realizes everything about himself and conquers the fragile Prince Pete step by step.
I see a beautiful Thai woman for the first time, because otherwise Thai students are usually depicted as toothy, bespectacled or lilliputian schoolgirls, so I'm not even surprised that the overall tone of such series is such that the viewer thinks that 90% of Thais are into boys. Even the character of rich Tino, another footballer Can and some others are well written.
In my opinion, probably the best Thai series from a school setting in 2019 so far, and I definitely recommend it to romantic souls who understand and don't mind tougher Asian conversational acting...
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Of course, the film raises questions and we have to answer them ourselves. The actors are "effortless" and I evaluate overall from the perspective of an East Asian viewer, because of course this movie has its own Pinoy perspective and dimension. Of the director's three films, I rate this one in third place.
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This reality was evident in Maxim's family, where the brothers and father were played by typically well-chosen actors and the Manila policeman Victor followed closely behind them. The fact that gays sometimes twist more and put flowers in their hair is typical for East and South Asia and the whole of Oceania (excluding Australia and New Zealand), in some countries gays unfortunately have no other option but to play "at woman" (as a tolerated third gender) rather than being despised.
So if I take away the Pinoy mannerisms, the technical shortcomings (sometimes the camera and the tinny, rather strong music component - for that I deducted two points for the music and processing), then for me satisfaction and I agree with the absolute superiority of all reviewers on all world servers, who rate the film very positively. Actually, if the processing was perfect in the "American" way, it wouldn't be the right Pinoy movie for me. Here on GT, in my opinion, the director's best film, closely followed by Boy (I) and then Esprit De Corps.
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He is completely different than most.
It is Thai, where the Thai branch of Buddhism predominates.
It is necessary to look at him from this point of view and not to evaluate only through the eyes of a Central European viewer. Why is the scene like that, why are the actors playing it like that, why is the film pensive, poignant almost from the beginning.
The content of the film is very well described on ČSFD, be sure to read it before watching the film.
When the viewer is able to put all this together, he cannot make a bad assessment. It is a film about images, about feelings, about LIFE. It is a film whose message will remain forever in my soul...
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A completely unique subject, script, dramaturgy and what can be seen and felt most about this film is that it is significantly different from the cinematography of the yellow race and turns towards the perception of the viewer of the white race (style, plot, processing) and I cannot even evaluate more critically what remained Asian, Korean in the film, on the contrary, I honor it with all respect and humility.
A brilliant idea and perfectly executed by all means of film, the fact that the viewer actually feels a little bit during the process, what is reality and what is just a "role". And even though the film has a high rating on IMDb and ČSFD, I take it as the overall "artistic impression" comprehensively and exceptionally, and I don't look at the individual evaluation criteria.
I recommend it to all sensitive souls...
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Let yourself be surprised how it all turns out, but don't expect any romance. On the contrary. Violence, blood (the father of the last victim, a schoolgirl, enters the game), conflicts, destruction, depression, humiliation.
I was a bit more bothered by the stilted and affected theater acting this time, which is why a point down in the acting section. The processing was less believable, because where the situation absolutely required it, after "pulling down his pants" a miniature cricket appeared in a thicket of hair, while in two seconds he was already "loading" a drunk woman somewhere in the canal ...
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In my opinion, the film is not quite a typical representative of the production of Pinoy gay films and it is mainly dominated by Topher Barreto (Cris). Not even the famous "nudity" here except for one scene near the end. A picture with a stronger story did not leave me completely cold, but the big shortcoming for me is the bad copy of the film and the unavailability of English subtitles ...
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The film is not only from the gay area, Melissa Mendez is constantly shaking her tits, at first you will have to wait a long time for some plot, and mainly what bothered me about this processing was that everything was "just like" (the boy washes himself with a cup of water, including his hair, and doesn't actually wash it, the fight of the guys is just an embarrassing farce and I could go on).
Despite the fact that the story of the film is still good and I was a little interested, the other components of the evaluation are quite weak for me and I rather do not recommend the film ..
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The gay component here is indeed prominent, but in my opinion it is only a means to the film's story, however, played no less well by both protagonists Mark and Noel (John Lloyd Cruz - he collected several film awards for this role).
Delší a nadprůměrný filipínský film se sedmi vítězstvími a 29 nominacemi na film. festivalech, který se tentokráte neodehrává v chatrčích a slumech, ale mezi Manilou a New Yorkem, má výraznější příběh, ve kterém dominuje výborná Vilma Santos jako Shirley, i když si myslím, že z role někdy malinko "ujížděla". Stále je to ale film filipínský, slušelo by malinko prostříhání, zpočátku je i hodně uřvaný, ztřeštěný až hysterický.
Gay složka je tady sice výrazná, ale dle mě je jen prostředkem k příběhu filmu, ovšem zahraná neméně dobře oběma protagonisty Markem i Noelem (John Lloyd Cruz - posbíral několik filmových cen za tuto roli).
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Although these films are enough for one "brdo" (usually the content in various variants is the sale of the bodies of the main characters to men and women in order to improve themselves), but Pipo in particular unintentionally negatively impressed me that even in the 21st century people can live in such lairs on puddles of dirty water full of garbage. I give the film a slightly above-average grade from the point of view of a Pinoy viewer.
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First of all, I was very interested in the story, a story based on the real events of Walter Dempter/Walterina Markova, and of course I watched from the perspective of an Asian viewer, because on other continents the story would probably be filmed differently.
Yes, the world of homosexuals for the entire timeline it depicts is portrayed in a feminine way, but it probably couldn't have been otherwise, a non-feminine gay would probably not have survived in those days of Japanese wartime rule. And it's shot less drastically than the reality probably was, probably with not only the Filipino viewer in mind.
The role of the "old" Walterina is played by Dolphy Quizon (unfortunately deceased today), and the interesting thing is that the roles of the younger and youthful Walterina are played by his sons Eric (we know him from the film Pusong Mamon mentioned here) and Jeffrey (he played the most and very well.. .). It is also interesting that the "old" Walterina enters some of the war scenes physically, as if in memories, as if she wanted to change the unfavorable fate.
Maybe someone will say, this type of nonsense, Asian bullshit, why is someone writing about it so long here, but the depth of the picture, at least for me and my interest in it, was satisfied today.
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Simply put, Joel Lamangan is, in my opinion, one of the best Filipino directors of LGBT films, and it was confirmed here as well.
Of course not top notch from a European point of view, but it was goofy fun, with nice people, punctuated by songs.
Although it could happen that this movie is complete bullshit, stupid, "something" breathed on me, as if I swallowed the stone too, I rose above everything and enjoyed it too. Such a partial parody of American B and C films.
Simply put, Joel Lamangan is, in my opinion, one of the best Filipino directors of LGBT films, and it was confirmed here as well.
Of course not top notch from a European point of view, but it was goofy fun, with nice people, punctuated by songs.
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