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Now, this is only the fifth documentary from Japan that I have watched, so I might be hilariously wrong here -- maybe they were the exceptions, and this is the norm -- but something felt off.
The other documentaries all had a certain sensitivity to them for the mastery of the craft, for the people living it. And for those about specific people, "The God of Ramen" and "Sumodo", I was moved by them because the directors managed to get very close to them -- so close that we saw the men filmed not only in their high points, but also at their lowest, at moments when they were exceptionally vulnerable.
All of the other documentaries, whether they were about a specific person or a group of people, never shied away from the hard facts of life, and from the pain life can bring -- on the contrary, this is when they leaned in even harder, got even closer, focused even more on them -- because only then the good things can really shine.
And even though "Come Back Anytime" follows Ueda-san for a whole year, I never felt that closeness to him, nor that sensitivity for his craft. It felt much more curated, maybe even staged at times. It felt superficial.
It might also feel more distant because in "The God of Ramen" and "Sumodo" the director was there with us all the time -- both of them commented on what we got to see in the films, and even brought in some of their own thoughts and feelings; and I could see how they themselves had grown closer to their subjects during filming. Here, however, the director is only heard posing questions two or three times, probably because he couldn't edit himself out. This director didn't take us on a journey nor did he offer his own perspective, even though the film itself *is* his perspective, so there's no reason to pretend it's objective.
Another thing that bothered me was the Western / European piano music -- it felt wrongly placed in some scenes, when silence would have been preferable; and during some of the talking head interviews, the music was almost louder than the words of the customers.
Maybe the reason why this documentary feels so different and "off" is a very simple one: The director, John Daschbach, is US-American, even though the producer is Japanese.
And still, even with all of this, there are times when the Japanese perspective shines through. When Ueda is humble about his success -- but still takes pride in his craft. When the customers speak with such love about the simpleness of a good ramen soup. When Ueda and his friends handle food and ingredients so gently as if they are their own grandchildren.
So, overall, watching "Come Back Anytime" wasn't a complete waste of time, and I wasn't bored or confused -- but in the end, I have to ask myself, what was the point in showing us this man's life?
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The first part is funny, fast-paced, and manages to integrate the message into an engaging plot. Unfortunately, half of the second part is a more elaborate repeat of the first part's last 15 minutes, so it felt a bit repetitive. However, the cast is more than enough to make up for it; even when they do nothing but sit around a table to plan their scam -- told in classic heist-movie fashion -- all five of the cast give their characters life and more depth than is provided by the script alone, so much so than I genuinely began to root for them and was most anxious for their plot to succeed. (A result I am not sure the writers intended.)
For me, I found the writing a bit *too* heavy-handed in their message and the ending a bit too simple; to the point that I asked myself who the intended audience might be -- the plot and the direct informative monologues about how scammers work felt appropriate for 10 to 13 year olds. On the other hand, this age-group is possibly not the target for ATM scams or fortune telling scams, which would be adults.
Given that the drama is part of a programme called "Drama for All", I suspect that they tried to make something that appeals to people of all age groups and all education levels, so it makes sense to do it that way.
And, well. It worked! I was entertained and got a refresher course in the subject.
Was it good?
It was a bit heavy-handed in the message, but overall both extremely entertaining, not in the least because of the cast, *and* it was educational.
Did I like it?
I did. Loved the interactions between the gang members. (And I still want to hear Gle's story.)
Who would I recommend it to?
To fans of the actors, and to people who want to spend two hours being entertainingly informed about scams.
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They had a great idea and strong imagery, but too many episodes for it
I seek out dramas with an unusual premise, and a penguin turned human is as unusual as it gets.I loved the first half of the drama, how the unsual premise at first seemed to be nothing but a simple high school drama, complete with school bullying, an odd group of friends and a ghost -- but then turned out to have strong imagery of cages vs. freedom, of staying in the seemingly safe present vs. going out into the wild and unknown future. I loved the metaphor of school and teenage years as prison, which liberally used striped pyjamas with numbers, high walls, guards in uniforms and so on, where school is a prison / a cage that provides a safe space but at the same time, stifles growth -- versus the wild, and maybe dangerous woods, symbolising the unknown, in which you can get lost, but also be found again.
The metaphor gets spelled out in a medically induced dream and subsequent dialogues between Junior and Sun -- what will the future bring? What will we do when we grow up? Will we be brave enough to step out of our cages or will we go back to what we know? I think the animal-turned-human is also part of this imagery; as a human, we have much more freedom, we don't rely on instincts alone, we can be who we want and be with whom we want, even if it's a black panther.
Overall, this first part was a very good metaphorical coming-of-age comedy.
I loved Junior's character in these first episodes; he didn't know much about the world, but he did know what he wanted and went to get it, he was able to stand up for himself, even when he was betrayed by someone he had trusted his whole life. And he did all that while being an adorable penguin.
All of this was supported by good choices of sets and wardrobes; and the main actors portrayed their characters and their quirks and thoughts well (especially considering that they are newbies!). More than a few times, Junior really acted like a penguin in human skin, which was lovely to see.
In my opinion, the drama should have ended somewhere in episode 8, when Junior makes his decision whether he wants to go back to his cage or to live in an uncertain future but together with Sun.
Because after that, the writing falls apart. Sun and Junior change to a stereotypical top/bottom couple (with a whining bottom, and a sexually experienced(?) top), the side couple's development stalls completely, even to the very end, the narrative starts to feel redundant and made of ill-fitting pieces, leaving some plot-holes. Especially the last episode, with its weird time skips, and all too sweet ending that somehow tries to give even the minor characters a happy ending, is a huge let-down.
My theory is that the writer had a fantastic idea for a plot -- and then discovered that it wasn't enough to fill the standard 12 episode format, so they had to add more filler, and this is what we got.
Was it good?
There were a few highs, and some great imagery, as well as some good acted scenes. Unfortunately, the last three and a half episodes were weak.
Did I like it?
I loved the first two thirds, so much so that I thought the drama might become a new favourite; and didn't dislike the last third. It was just less than it could have been, so I don't think I'll ever rewatch it.
Would I recommend it?
I don't know. Maybe to someone who likes their BLs on the cute side and doesn't mind some fantastical elements and doesn't expect great writing.
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Go in completely blind, let the narrative lead you, it's brilliant!
It's not possible to write a review for this film. Whatever I could say about the acting, about the camerawork, about the directing, about the script -- it would all be a spoiler.Instead, I'll share some of my notes I made during watching:
* Oh, "one cut" means "one take"!
* Just enjoying the ridiculousness of the C movie horror zombie film :)
* Wow. This zombie film was taken in one single take.
* Things are not what they seem
* The Japanese dedication to art is always impressive
* Ending credits: Two for the price of one!
* How did they *do* it? HOW?
If you can, please go into the film without prior knowledge and just follow along. If you love zombie movies, especially of B or C movie quality, you'll have a great time, I promise.
Was it good?
Yes, [redacted]!
Did I like it?
I loved every minute of it! As a C horror movie, as a comedy and as a [redacted].
Who would I recommend it to?
To everybody who enjoys a good spoof of C movies about zombies, who loves their layers, and who can watch the same movie several times.
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PWTP -- Porn With Travel Promotion
"Kiseki Chapter 2" consists of three elements: Travel promotion, Drinking, and Soft Porn.There's no plot, except for a bare bones "four young men meet and spend a few days together" to loosely tie the three elements together.
Theres nothing wrong with either travel promotions or soft porn, and I don't even mind both of them in one drama.
The problem is that the quality is somewhere in the basement:
Both the travelling (especially the food) scenes and the sex scenes feel as if the makers wanted to imitate Japanese food centred films and Pink Films. They failed spectaculary at both.
My theory is that the director showed up only for the sex scenes, because they were the only scenes that seem to have a script -- and even so they can't reach the (dubious) quality of Pink Films when it comes to creatively hide genitals, show more sexual acts than tab A goes into slot B, and position body parts correctly for realism.
And everything else? I think the team gave the actors a vague "This is what should happen in the scene", left the camera equipment with the intern, and went to get some delicious Japanese food.
In the end, I jumped forwards through the outings and the drinking (which I usually don't do), watched the sex scenes and really didn't mind when it was over.
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This review may contain spoilers
Summer vibes with a lot of waffling about
I am extremely conflicted about Minato's Laundromat. On the one hand, I loved it. On the other, I disliked it.Let me explain.
There were several things I loved:
* the summer atmosphere at the seaside town
* the sets, especially the cosy laundromat
* the teacher, with his hilariously bad memory, who nevertheless was very good at leading his students towards adulthood,
* the solid acting
I think what the production team was going for was a cute and fluffy summer story. The thing is, the story *also* shows clearly that both Shin and Minato are sexually attracted to each other, and get heart-rate-raisingly close to each other in some scenes (always ended by Minato, who pushes Shin away with a curse and a laugh) -- this part of their mutual attraction is switched on and off, just as the script demands. I would have liked to see Minato struggle more consistently with his desire; but what we got is a man who seems to be quite content with the way things are for the most time.
And a similar personality switch exists for Shin. He is both shown as the young, thoughtful and earnest boy, who has clear goals in life (studying medicine) and who takes care of his younger siblings -- and then, like flipping a light switch, he suddenly is a pushy "seme" who doesn't want to take no for an answer.
It's more these points that made watching the drama frustrating than Minato's endless waffling about.
Regarding that, it was also low-key irritating. We are told two reasons for his rejection of Shin's advances: 1) Shin is a minor. 2) Minato still has unresolved feelings for his old teacher.
The thing is, in the last two epsides, none of them are really relevant anymore. So, why is he still hesitant? (It feels as if he is just because the writer said so.)
So, although most of the series was lovely and nice to watch, as soon as I started thinking about character arcs and motivations, things fell apart. I know that this drama is based on a manga, which sometimes get one or two volumes too many, so that a once tight story loses its clear focus; and I suppose that might have happened here.
Was it good? -- It was entertaining and technically well done. character-wise, it wasn't as tight as it should have been.
Did I like it? -- Yes. No! I don't know.
Who would I recommend it to? -- Fans of fluffy, slow-paced Japanese BL dramas.
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[Don't pay much attention to the ratings for this review, as always. Documentaries would need different categories. When will MDL finally allow me to post a review without ratings?]
It's a very slow paced documentary, which I don't mind as such -- but for the most part, I didn't really understand what was happening on screen. They introduced too many brewers and masters too fast, and jumped from one to the other -- some never to be seen again, some would be important later, but I didn't know who would. The narrative also jumped between times -- history and present, summer and winter. They showed one aspect, and then, without explaining it thoroughly, showed another.
I ended up having more questions than answers at the end:
* Why exactly do all the brewers have to stay at the brewery for the whole six months of winter? I get that it's a difficult process, that needs to be monitored closely at crucial times, but when the mash is fermenting, it should be sufficient to check once or twice a day, right? (The answer seems to be tradition.)
* Where do the workers sleep during that time, how are their living conditions?
* Are they paid during the summer?
* The documentary claimed several times that the brewing of Sake in Noto is closely connected to the local culture. We only got to see a few glimpses of one festival. What exactly is the connection, what do the locals who are not working as brewers think about it?
* The documentary claims that the four "Kings of Sake" developed the modern brewing process. How exactly does it differ from older processes?
Overall, it was a frustrating (and boring) experience. For a moment, I wondered if it was me, if it was because I have no knowledge about Sake at all (other than that it's a alcoholic rice drink) -- but no. I also didn't know anything about Sumo but thoroughly enjoyed the documentary "Sumodo".
One other thing: The volume level is very low, I had to turn up the volume on my end several times. I don't know enough Japanese to understand anything, but I still like to hear the people on screen.
Was it good? -- I don't think so. There were a few scenes that were really good, and I loved how they ended the documentary (that one sentence had impact), but the narrative was more confusing than informative.
Did I like it? -- I would like to see another, better documentary about the same topic.
Would I recommend it? -- Not really.
I will give a watch suggestion for the first time after writing more than 130 reviews: Watch from the beginning to 2:16 for the atmosphere, then 23:40-26:25 (for the origin stories of Sake), 27:00-31:30 (for the modern brewing process), and 1:15:00 to the end (for the brewing process of refined sake by a master). After that, you could go back and watch the rest for the brewers and the masters.
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Comedy lakorn with modern ideas and a lot of convenient writing
Before I say anything else, let me admit that I am just starting to dip my toes into mainstream Thai television. This means that, as a Western European viewer, I can't really say how this series compares to mainstream Thai lakorns. Everything in this review is just based on my own feelings and what little I know about Thai society.Anyway, my tl;dr:
Was it good? -- It had quite a bit of convenient writing and a few dated jokes, but the good outweighed the bad for me.
Did I like it? -- Yes, it was what I needed at the time, something funny, engaging but not too hard on the brain. Also, the two romantic subplots were not the main focus of the drama, but were still well integrated into the main plot.
Would I recommend it? - I don't know. I'd have to know more about other mainstream productions.
What I am quite sure of, however, is that to review this lakorn is to understand that it was broadcast on weekdays at 7pm -- which means that its target audience are normal families at the end of a busy work and school day. They will want to watch something that isn't too much outside the expected norms, something that provides a bit of escapism, something that is relaxing, relatable and funny.
Another thing to be expected, given the genre, is the low budget and the resulting narrow range of sets and inconsistencies. Actually, the people in charge did a good job of keeping track of all the colourful costumes worn by Leena and Khaomai -- unfortunately I noticed this mostly because of Gee's ("Bank") ever-changing hair length. (Really, from episode 14 or so, I started to notice the order in which they shot the series, just by how long his hair was.)
As for the mix of progressive and outdated aspects, I think the writers tried to write a modern lakorn that would still appeal to the mainstream audience, so in the end, we got a lakorn that had both cliched plot points, some outdated "jokes" and a few messages of democratic principles, equality and humanity.
The main character, who is กะเทย "gàthoey" -- the concept seems to be quite different from the neat western boxes of "gay" / "trans", so for the purposes of this review I'll just describe him as "effeminate gay man" and use the Thai word from now on -- is himself a mixture of stereotypical and progressive. Just alone the fact that he *is* the main character, and not a side character to be made fun of, I find progressive in itself. But then they went a step further, and cast James Rusameekae, whose body is large and whose skin is dark -- so he is not even stereotypically gathoey in terms of looks; just in terms of how he dresses, moves and speaks.
In the course of the drama, the script addresses homophobia and colorism very respectfully -- but it's a minor aspect of the show. Instead, Lee / Salee / Leena is shown as a person who loves his village very much, who is willing to fight for justice and who has his own flaws, none of which have anything to do with his being gathoey or his skin colour.
However, there are three scenes where the writers slide back into the old habit of making homophobic "jokes" -- two of them between Leena and his father, which makes it all the more distasteful.
Similarly, the two main young women in the drama, Khaomai and Pakkad, are both modern young women, one with a thriving business, the other with a clear purpose in her life, both are shown as equals to their respective romantic partners -- and, at the same time, Pakkad is written as someone who is not very smart and, in the first half of the drama, as someone who pursues a man based on superficial attraction, and Khaomai gets her own "hysterically demands a course of action that goes against all common sense" plot line, even though she is usually a very level-headed young woman.
One of them is the one to propose when the time comes (instead of the male love interest) -- and then, in the end, both are left to stay in the village while all three of the men go out into the world to learn.
There is a lot of convenient writing, and the plot develops "because the writers said so" -- some of the problems could easily have been avoided if Lee and his assistants had just sat down for an hour or two and made a plan, instead of running around like headless chickens. The villains are easily recognisable villains, we have the expected roles of "old man with a rough exterior and a heart of gold", "mother who will do anything for her son", "plucky child", several easily forgotten "villagers" and so on. The subplots are easily predictable, and where there aren't, it's more often than not either because of a sudden plot twist to make things more difficult for the characters or a deus-ex-machina solution. Overall, these things are more or less what I expect from a comedy series that is filmed to be shown in the early evening on a weekday.
On the other hand, the writers not only included the most interesting character of Salee, but they also mentioned democratic rights, a discussion of what is right and wrong, ordinary people fighting against corrupt officials; they raised the question of what kind of development might be good for rural areas. Considering that Thailand is still a very fragile democracy, with a score of 34/100 (a rank of 107 out of 180 countries) in the Corruption Perceptions Index 2024 (https://www.transparency.org/en/countries/thailand), I think the Thai audience might appreciate this differently from a Western viewer.
This strange mix of progressive character traits and tropey writing confused me a bit -- but the writers managed to make me care for the main cast, who all had their loveable traits and their flaws, so much that I can overlook these not-so-good things.
Overall, I liked it for what it was. Could it have been better? Yes. But it could have been so much worse. For me, it was exactly what I needed, which was a bit of escapism.
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Project Dreams: How to Build Mazinger Z's Hangar
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This project will save the company -- no, Japan -- NO! THE WORLD!
Japanese companies have made running shoes out of tabi, dictionaries out of collected words with minimal budgets and huge amounts of earnest shouting, so why not make a hangar for a flying robot out of nothing?I cried with laughter throughout the film, a perfect mix of
a) those popular business stories, where earnest shouting and lots of "ganbarimasu!" combined with Japanese ingenuity save the Japanese economy (or, at least, the company),
b) fan culture, the kind where fans earnestly discuss how things would work in real life (like physicists trying to work out space travel in SF, or biologists drawing up an evolutionary tree for Pokémon),
and
c) the passion of engineers. (Muck is a serious issue!)
Did I like it? -- Absolutely!
Was it good? -- Without doubt!
Would I recommend it? -- YES! Especially to those who are either in the kind of fan communities which I described above or who have seen one or more of Japanese business dramas/films.
When I watched the film, I wasn't aware that Mazinger Z is an existing anime series (it's from the 1970s) -- and I wasn't sure if Maeda was a real company. But it is!
And what makes it even better is that this film was based on a real group of Mazinger Z fans, who worked at Maeda and made detailed plans for the construction of sci-fi anime bases.
(https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2020-01-31/live-action-maeda-kensetsu-fantasy-eigyobu-film-features-cameos-by-mazinger-z-creator-go-nagai-yamato-desslar/.155963)
I really loved the characters, who are all so likeable, and how each of the the core group members gradually discovers their own niche of passion for the project. There was never a dull moment for me; the overall development of events was gripping (Japanese films can really make you care about the most niche of interests!) and the comedy pacing was spot on -- although if you are not a fan of passionately shouted speeches and the Japanese style of comedy, this may not be the right film for you.
I also liked how towards the end, the line between fantasy and reality became increasingly blurred for all of the characters, both main and supporting, until even we, the audience had a hard time telling them apart.
One minor point I did not like as much -- they could have left out the romance. There is only one female character in the team -- why does she have to get a crush? There was no reason at all for it, and I would have found it much better if she had developed a crush on the niche interset, not on the person who has the niche interest. But since it's minimal, and I could easily disregard it (I don't think her crush is even aware of it, and she denies it), I don't mind too much.
Overall, it's a great film! Do watch it!
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I have to admit that I started watching Mystery to Iunakare because I had heard good things about the drama and because I thought it would be a detective drama.
And it IS, in a way, but not a classic example of a whodunit, where you can solve the cases along with the detective character.
I had to adjust my expectations -- because this is more of a psychology lesson, with a focus on parent-child relationships, and with a bit of philosophy thrown in -- characters, their story and their motivations to do the things they do are at the center, not the cases.
Once I did that, I mostly had a good time.
I loved, as I often do, the excellent acting, the use of space and light -- it often reminded me of a stage play, in the way the characters were positioned in relation to each other, or the way the camera used wide shots.
The drama was strongest when it used silence to convey the mood of a scene or to build suspense -- I also liked the two original songs (and I am very grateful for the translation of the lyrics on VIKI, because they do help to understand the drama's themes). But why, oh why?, did they have to use classical music for the background music? The Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy, the Aquarium piece from The Carnival of Animals, Vivaldi's Four Seasons -- I am sorry, but their original meaning was never "mysterious" or "suspenseful" -- and to hear them used in that way was jarring.
I was also unconvinced by the order of the story elements. We get an interesting dynamic between the main character and another character -- which is completely dropped in favour of a weird romance (?) arc between him and a strange young woman -- and then picked up again in the final episodes. I do understand why they did it that way, but the thing is, it broke my connection to important characters, not once but twice.
(I am also not a fan of romance arcs in mystery dramas, so that did not help.)
Regarding the main character -- I am not sure I like him. He is interesting, yes, and quite mysterious. A 20-year-old philosophising at older people always strikes me as precocious -- but if not the young, who else can make such sweeping declarations about life?
I wish the actor and director had focused more on Totono's imitation of other people's habits -- it was just him imitating tics, like drumming fingernails on surfaces or similar. I think if Totono had mirrored their whole posture or even their facial expressions, maybe a bit more subdued, that would have been much more fascinating and could have added to both Totono's mysterious aura and the drama's underlying theme of "identity". I am convinced that the actor could have pulled it off too!
Another aspect was the shocking and rather sudden explicit depiction of severe child abuse in episode 7. I didn't mind that it was shown per se -- I do mind that we didn't get any warning and that it came very late -- all the other episodes before had been rather conservative with showing violence, or even dead bodies, so it wasn't something I could have expected.
All in all, Mystery To Iunakare (Don't Call it Mystery) excels in pacing, acting, lighting, silence and the OST (not the classical pieces), which all serve to make an excellent philosophical and psychological piece about family, specifically dysfunctional mother-child and sibling dynamics, and how society shapes identities, explored through criminal cases.
So, in conclusion:
Was it good? The acting and the lighting were impressive; the musical choices not so much. The cases presented were interesting -- but why were they shown in this order?
Did I like it? I liked some aspects of it, enough to keep me interested.
Would I recommend it? Yes, especially if you like stories that explore the human psychology.
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What to do when you feel your relationship and your life has reached a breaking point?
This is not a happy story.(tw: depression, child abuse, chronic illness)
This short film, like most short films, leaves a lot of meaning unspoken and questions unanswered.
That means if you can't find a connection to the struggles of at least one of the two main characters, this film might be hard to "get".
The characters have to deal with illness (of the mind and of the body), their own and their partners; with prejudice toward their sexuality and towards their profession.
What to do if, on top of all of this, you feel trapped in your relationship? When you feel that you lose yourself, bit by bit?
Will you go on a long-distance journey or stay with your partner?
The pain of the characters is apparent in every movement of their faces and bodies. The minimal music and the cold late autumn surroundings underline their bleak situation.
One thought about the plot: I was completely thrown by the twist in minute 20, which made a lot of things about the woman much clearer. I had to rewatch the whole film just to understand her better.
I'm not sure I like what her ending scene implies about a possible connection between that twist and her sexuality, but maybe I'm reading too much into it.
(Edit: After thinking about this some more, I arrived at an even sadder coclusion about her life and her decisions. Another point in favour of this film. Made me think, and question what I saw.)
And a thought about the subtitles: Those on GagaOOLala are not good. They are good enough to understand the plot, but the obvious grammar mistakes make me wonder if there are nuances that pass me by just because of the bad translations.
I also wonder about the subtitles for the ill partner. We get them, and know what he says, but the main character doesn't (he says so during the therapy session) -- so, does the Korean version have subs for the partner's sentences? Or do international viewers know more than the main character AND Korean viewers?
Overall, I found the story extremely painful and bleak. And I can understand why some viewers don't like it -- for those who have experienced at least some of the characters' struggles, the film might give a better connection to the themes.
The excellent acting and production alone is worth it, I think. (According to the info on GagaOOLala, this film was awarded the Grand Prize of the 2020 Ansan Dan-won International Cultural Art&Film Festival, so it can't be just mid.)
I'd suggest that you try it, it's just 29 minutes, after all.
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This review may contain spoilers
If a film from Japan is 60 minutes long and has an 18+ rating, then there's a good chance that it is a pink film -- with all that entails about crass sex scenes, random nudity, production quality and sometimes questionable plot. For more info, I recommend RandomUsagi's introduction to their list of gay pink films (https://kisskh.at/list/1xrm2893) and a comment of theirs about the distinction between BL and gay pink films (https://kisskh.at/list/1xrm2893#comment-19083260).
I haven't seen a lot of gay pink films yet, but what I appreciate about some of those I've watched is the way they use soft porn to tell stories about the universal human experience -- love, loss and gentle heartbreak.
This is one of those.
The main character (Takeshi) is torn between familial obligations and wanting to live his own life -- this resonated deeply with me, and maybe other people who are or have been in the same place in life.
Love and loss play a big part in this story: His boyfriend Kazuyoshi, who left Takeshi to pursue his own career while Takeshi remained to care for his elderly and disabled father, returns, but only for a short while. His sister leaves the house to get married. The gift from the ocean, the man without history, Akira, might have been a temporary person in Takeshi's life.
What is not said is at times more important in this film than what the characters tell us. I liked the use of silence and the chosen soundtrack.
I am impressed by how the director managed to give the obligatory sex scenes some meaning -- the first, before the break up, is loving, on the dry part of the beach, warmed by a nearby fire -- the second, the reunion, is harsher, on the wet sand -- the third in the liminal space between land and sea, doused in cold ocean water, bodies smeared with black sand -- and the in last scene at the beach which, in contrast, is not even a sex scene, both men are overwhelmed by their emotions and, in accordance, by the waves crashing over them.
The acting was not bad, I've seen worse in other modern gay pink films, and the plot holes are not that bad, considering the film is only 60 minutes long -- it's not about the plot anyway but either about the sex or the emotions (whichever the viewer prefers).
If you don't mind the way sex scenes are done in pink films, and are willing to look beyond the plot holes, it's a not-bad way to spend an hour.
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The premise is simple: Artist Phap (easy-going, living from day to day, a bit of a slob) meets entrepreneur Poramaze (money-loving, very controlled, a clean-freak, basically your tough shell, soft core type) and personalities clash.
And there's the first of the three major weak points:
For a story that has to be character-driven (there are very few external obstacles to overcome), the script doesn't give the actors much to work with. Maybe it's stronger in the novel, I don't know. But here, motivations for our main characters are very unclear. It's not so bad for the artist, whose character is stereotypically colourful enough we can fill in the blanks ourselves. But for the more complex Poramaze, who is both both a cold and strict type who "loves money" and still obviously likes his friends and his team, this is more of a problem. We never really know what exactly made him the way he is. Why does he feel the need to be always in control? Was it only that his step-brother left him? But then, why did this have so much impact for him? The few minutes of back-story does not explain things sufficiently. And that's a problem in a story where for several episode the main story arc is this character's inner struggle with his own emotions.
This is saved by the drama's best feature: its actors. Both Singto ("Poramaze") and Tae ("Phap") portray characteristics and emotions that are never explicitly stated and break their characters out of the confines of the strereotypes the script gave them. I love their scenes where they lash out against each other -- both actors show their hurt and their heartbreak very well, and my heart broke with theirs. I'm sure that with weaker actors this series would have been flat and boring.
The same goes for Maengmum ("Nae") and Soodyacht ("Tharn") who both don't get a lot to work with. But Nae, who should have been the stereotypical airheaded rich girl, becomes a steadfast and intelligent friend, and Tharn is being shown as a guy with a long-term secret crush from the very second we see him.
Yoon ("Nueng"), on the other hand, is the drama's second main weak point. He does absolutely nothing with his character -- I think Yoon has about 1.5 different facial expressions: "amused", "gently amused" and "gentle". It's most obvious when he directly faces Soodyacht, who is acting circles around him. And that's a problem. Nueng has had a huge influence in Poramaze's life, and he still is the major point of conflict for the relationship between Poramaze and Phap. But he doesn't have a character at all! Why does he act that antagonistic towards Phap, even until the end, and at the same time encourages Poramaze to voice his feelings? What is his motivation here? Is he not aware of how his words hurt Phap and disripts their already fragile relationship? We don't know. Neither the script nor Yoon give us any hint for us to fill in the gaps. I also don't believe that he was ever attracted to Tharn -- no longing glance, not secret smile, nothing -- until the confession, and even then he only shows expression number 3 ("gentle").
There are several aspects in this drama that I love:
The wardrobe choices are excellent -- Nae's outfits are gold (Does she even wear the same thing twice, except for her pyjamas?) and I love how both Poramaze's and Phap's clothing reflect their change and growth.
I'd love to live in Phap's house, it's messy and cozy at the same time (although the gleaming wooden floor is a bit unrealistic, especially in the area where Phap paints) and his little garden is a small oasis -- contrasting nicely with the modern look of Poramaze's office and condo. On that note: I do wonder about the plants in Poramaze's condo -- the first time we see their corner is in episode 9. Were they there the whole time or did he only add them after he started to like Phap and his little garden? Whether it's option 1 or 2, this shows that the people responsible for the set design put a lot of thought into it, but it was not used to its full potential by the director.
I love the opening credits. Painting-like animation is not something we see often, and it fits with the premise of the story, and I also like the almost chaotic orchestral music.
The background music choices are also well done -- I did not notice them most of the time, which is a good sign for me -- and I loved that there are some emotional heavy scenes that don't use any kind of music at all, which is a rare thing in Thai mass-market productions.
So, all in all, it's apparent for me that the production team put a lot of thought and effort in this. Which makes the third major weakness all the worse.
Phap is commissioned to paint an abstract work "The Love", which progresses along with his feelings and his relationship with Poramaze. It's a central point of the story, and we see him working on it. But then the set design team and those responsible for continuity dropped the ball -- after his second time working on it, we see the painting again several times -- in the form it had after the first but before the second time Phap painted it. And since its so huge, and right in frame more than once, this is a glaring error I could not ignore.
And a last thought, I love Phap's names: ภาพ /phap/ means "picture, image, vision" and his legal first name ศิลปิน /sin-la-pbin/ means literally "artist". Love that. (And not to spoil, but if you watch episode 12, pay attention when they talk about "the artists" emotions, the knowlegde that it's both his job title and his name makes this all the more enjoyable.)
And, another aside regarding names: The GagaOOLala subtitles sometimes transcribe คุณภาพ, which is clearly spoken as /khun Phap/, i.e. "Mr Phap" by the characters, as the word /khunnaphap/ "quality; value; worth" but used as a name "Kunnaphap". I wonder where that comes from, is Phap's name shortened from Kunnaphap? Or is it a genuine error on the subtitler's part?
So, all in all, this drama could have been a failure, if the actors and the team responsible for set design and props hadn't done an excellent job.
As it is, they managed to elevate a sub-par script to a perfectly watchable and even enjoyable drama.
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This review may contain spoilers
"Can I ... Can I carry you on my back?"
"You know ... I'm getting married soon. But it has been so hard for me these days. I should ... I should get married... I have to soon ... but ..."This is not a story about a middle-aged man lusting after a boy. This is a story about a man, who once was young, who denied himself his chance with his first love, who is feeling the societal pressures to get married -- who mourns his loss and tries to say good-bye to what once could have been.
Even though this film is short, it's slow. What we hear is not what Jin Tae says -- do not listen with your ears, listen with your heart and your mind; what you can feel and know about him.
Everything is subtle and muted; the excellent melancholic acting, the autumn colours, the quiet sounds -- the story's in the details.
This film will not be for everyone; it's been hard for me to "get it" too -- but maybe you'll find yourselft a bit more open the next time a middle-aged queer person tells their story.
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His progressive ideas about teaching don't find easy acceptance among parents and teachers, who think strict upbringing, including corporal punishment, and learning by rote is the path to success for their children.
We follow teaching, parenting and learning adventures of Kru "Ma" Wichai and his third graders in this 12 episode drama.
I admit, I can't often withstand the temptation of a good drama about teaching -- and this one delivered. I loved its message about good teaching methods (even if sometimes I thought Wichai could have found a middle ground in teaching, for peace's sake) and how it showed how school and parenting was done in the 1970s in Thailand.
Also, I learned that I know next to nothing about the history of south-east Asia -- I mean I had heard of Pol Pot, and of course, the VietCong but I did not know anything about the greater picture in the area, let alone that life in Thailand's border territory was that dangerous.
So, a great learning experience not only for the characters but also for me.
The acting was great all around -- and especially for the children! These young actors, five of whom had rather large roles, impressed me.
The story, i.e. the characters and the setting had hooked me from the very first minutes -- and it did not let me go until the last second. The conflicts were at times solved too easily or too quickly, that is to be expected though; this series is made to be a feel-good drama, with a positive outlook.
Most of the series is either optimistic or funny, the last episode had me in tears three times (for entirely different reasons each time).
There's maybe a bit of romantic interest (a few minutes in the later episodes), but it's up to the viewer to decide if they get together as a couple or if they remain good colleagues -- I choose the latter ;) The teacher-student relationship and the friendships between the children are definitely at the centre of the drama, as it should be.
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