Reviews

Tender, moving and poetic story about a father and son trying to reconcile their separated lives

Xiao Rui (Ray), a tall, thin and handsome teenager, returns home, after having grown up with his grandfather, to live with his father (a character played by Wei-Ming Wang, an actor known for his role in 'Han chan xiao ying' (2014), 'Da yue zai dong ji' (2019) and the 1991 film 'A Summer Day'), a businessman from whom he is physically and emotionally distanced. The local art school has opened its doors for him, and the time has come to return to his father's home.
The character of Ray is played by Junrui Wang, an actor known for his role in 'Wo ruhua si yu de erzi' (2005).
During the years of estrangement, Ray spent much of his childhood and adolescence rebelling against his father's hard-line, middle-class lifestyle.
At school, Ray becomes romantically involved in a relationship with an unnamed boyfriend, played by Guifeng Wang. The two boys are followed by an equally unnamed mutual friend, played by actor Ziqiang Li.
But when his father discovers the young lovers naked in bed, after the initial surprise, he must begin to understand his own feelings towards homosexuality.
'My Fair Son' makes a slow, uneventful study of a tense relationship between father and son, in which the two must tentatively begin to reconcile their many differences, including Ray's revelation that he is gay, something his father it is difficult for him to accept.
Lacking strong emotions and even music until the end, the film, written and directed by the innovative Chinese filmmaker, film scholar, screenwriter, novelist, activist and gay academic Cui Zi En, known internationally for his films 'Zhi tongzhi' (2009 ), 'Jiu yue' (2001), 'Feeding Boys, Ayaya' (2003), 'Chou jue deng chang' ('Enter the Clowns'), from 2001, 'Nannan nünü - Nan Nan Nü Nü' ('Men and Women'), 1999, 'Queer China, Comrade China' (2008), among others, gives us a tender, moving and poetic story about a father and a son trying to reconcile their separate lives.
The family ties between father and son will continue to be tested when Ray falls in love with the apparently heterosexual Xiao Bo (played by Bo Yu, a Chinese actor known for 'Zhui qiu xing fu de ri zi' (2014), 'Shao nian ge xing' (2022) and 'Xingxing xiangxi xi' (2004), one of his father's best employees But Bo is committed and, by getting involved in a homosexual relationship, he not only risks his position in the company. the company, but also the persecution in his personal life.
When Bo confesses that he is in love with Ray, the father fires him and lies to his son, telling him that he resigned of his own free will. Ray doesn't accept his father's argument. The film ends with the main character wandering around a terrace with floating transparent images of his childhood photographs.
But despite having broken the thread that united him to the person he loved, Ray has not stopped believing in love.
And at this point it is worth thinking positively and saying with Miguel Hernandez that "only those who love fly." Although later he asks himself: "Love... But who loves? Fly... But who flies?". As in "His flight", the title of the poem by the Orihuela shepherd from which the cited verses come, the protagonist of the film has wings in love.
But Cui Zi En's film also reminds me of that flutter that has reached many, such as the Spanish poet Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer, who in his famous "Rhyme". And in that atmosphere where "the sky dissolves in rays of gold / [and] the earth trembles with joy", the Sevillian asks: "Is it love that passes?" Surely, taking our pedestrian condition to the top to give us the volatile, airy, unstable and changeable life of lovers.
I like the brilliant filming of this art film that shows gay life in China, the everyday wonder, the poetry and the complicated existence of life itself.
He achieves this through many deliberate slow scenes, for example, instead of the actors moving at a regular pace, their movements to move are slow, parsimonious. In this way, the director seeks to slow down the actions so that the viewer can feel the tenderness and intimate thoughts of the characters, especially those of Ray, giving us the opportunity to understand and feel what is in the microcosm of their lives and feelings actions.
With beautiful naked torsos of the handsome and sensual young men, 'My Fair Son' is a lyrical, reflective, silent, melancholic, beautiful, poetic and calm film.
What is striking are the scenes of nudity combined with images of the sky, the horizon, the infinite... referring, with a lot of symbolism, to love, thoughts and feelings, too complex and paradoxical to be expressed in words (or the lack of articulation of the characters involved, the love).
Although the film does not inspire me with joy and action, it does manage to make me reflect on beauty, poetry, and the value of life in all its tenderness and sadness.
The sensuality of the film is worth highlighting. The feel of the cinematography drives it a little more than the plot.
Likewise, I enjoyed the long shots, which let you feel the characters' behaviors. The viewer must be attentive, because at times it seems that what we are seeing has little to do with the action on screen. In my case, this puts me in the sensory, dreamlike mindset that Ray seemed to have.
Another element to take into account is how, on several occasions, the camera focuses interest on more traditional elements of the plot. In my opinion, the director wants the viewer to perceive how the secondary characters see things as they are expected to be and not as they are through Ray's eyes.
For example, when scenes involving father and son appear, there are long shots focused on what we expected to see, but then the images stop, allowing the scenes to develop more than we could expect, in total silence, ensuring that the viewer obtains the necessary information to understand what is happening, but really feeling the atmosphere of the actions at the moment, whether internal to the characters and external to the scene.
With all these elements, Cui Zi En creates a film that feels like a more complete, true understanding of what happens between a young dreamer with his head constantly gravitating around his world, his father with things clear, and the rest of the people who surround the lives of these two characters as they care, connect and interact with them.

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Has the potential to be made into a drama/show

After watching the movie, it felt like I wanted more. Some scenes can be expanded, so much more posibilities to the story can be made. Something about Ubukata and Banjaku (though her name wasn't mentioned much) needs to be developed. I was suspicious about Banjaku knowing about Ubukata's fiance and her habit of installing a tracking app on her boyfriend, there needs to be a character development on her part. Ubukata also needs character development in some ways such as being more human by the end, I'd like to see more about the story in general as there's so much stories to be told from each characters

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Well worth seeking out

in 1998, mining waste contaminated with lead spilled into the Klity River in Kanchanaburi, western Thailand.

This documentary is about the consequences for the people of a rural village 15 years on from the contamination. They are Karen, an ethnic minority, and depend on the river for food, water and their livelihoods. The river is their only source of water. We see their lives, their children, their land. It's shown in a gentle, beautifully filmed slice of life manner which makes it quietly powerful.

There have been clean-up efforts but news reports indicate that the river is still contaminated.

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A light-hearted romance and touching sibling bond

The romance started a little too fast, especially with the love at first sight concept, but I guess that is expected given that the entire plot needed to be filled in 01 hour and 49 minutes. I was a little surprised when I found out that they were playing the roles of 26-year-olds because the overall concept of the drama felt like a teenage love story, but all in all the movie was a cute and romantic movie to watch.

I have to say that the acting of the three main leads was phenomenal. Hong Kyung did an amazing job playing the role of Yong Jun. The way he expressed every emotion through his expressions and his body language as the shy guy falling for a girl, at first sight, was exceptional. He effortlessly managed to bring the character of Yong Jun to life and managed to stay consistent to his personality throughout the movie.

Roh Yoon Seo as Yeo Reum was a commendable choice. With little to no words throughout the movie, she managed to convey every single one of her emotions with just her expressions. She and Kim Min Ju, had great chemistry as sisters in the movie and I loved every single scene of them together. Their scenes made me so emotional and I couldn't help but bawl my eyes out, watching the love, care and support they have for each other. Watching Yeo Reum, live just for her sister's dream, and Ga Eul working hard to achieve her dream so that her sister would be proud, was so heartwarming to watch.

As an elder sister myself, watching how Yeo Reum lived her life to support her sister and parents was very relatable. When her mom asked her to start living her life for herself, I couldn't stop my tears from falling out because those were words that many of us elder siblings needed to hear.

I did hope to see a little bit more development on Yong Jun's and Yeo Rum's careers and life but unfortunately, there wasn't really much focus given to that. I guess it was kind of expected since the movie's main focus was on the romance of the main leads, but it would have given a good closure if they had touched on that aspect.

I would give this drama a good rating because it was a really homey and cute romance drama. The cast did a really great job with their roles as well. The love between the sisters was really moving and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a light-hearted drama to watch.

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Love you to let you go.

The movie captures the delicate shift from the purity of puppy love to the harsh realities of adult turmoil. As Juancho and Zy, portrayed by Joshua Garcia and Julia Barretto, navigate their evolving lives, they face some challenges to retain their relationship. The early stages of love, filled with magic and intensity, often give way to the pressures of adult responsibilities; shifting dreams, evolving aspirations, and the distances that grow between people sometimes make it hard to get back to its previous shape. These challenges strained their most profound connection; once-vibrant feelings faded over time.

The character Juancho is childish, extremely intense, and passionate about everything he does—to that extent where he forgets about everything else, even himself. On the other hand, Zy is calm, collected, and rational with her feelings. She had goals to achieve but didn't have the supportive hand to fight with her. They both loved each other, but their hearts were not ready to settle.

>What I liked:

~This film holds many flaws, but that's where it holds its beauty. There's something about Filipino movies that makes me feel emotions like no other. They're painfully raw and vibrant with all kinds of emotions enough to make me feel alive.

~The characters were comforting in their own way. Juancho's charming retriever energy was infectious; it's emotionally impossible to not love a character like this. For Zy, I could see what she meant about "man up" ,and the frustration of defying your own feelings felt a bit selfish, but it's what she chose for herself.

~If you think, why should I watch realistic things when I know reality is shitty? I believe that watching those dreamy k-dramas can cloud our brains with false hopes and unrealistic expectations, but watching these types of things makes you realise, even if reality is overwhelming, it holds its meaning in every lesson we get from those shitty situations.

~I wonder what they actually felt about working together as exs when they were once together.
It's like perfect ex story doesn't exist, they said hold my Bicolano chilli🌶️!

>Room for improvement:

~ Even though both of the characters were flawed, that doesn't justify cheating. No one deserves to be cheated on. They handled that situation better. But I'm happy with how they wrap up the ending.

Overall, a warm, overwhelming weekend watch. Nothing over the top, nothing underwhelming, just the right amount of realistic portrayal of people and their uncontrollable situations.

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So realistic

I'm watching this movie for the third time and still amazed me... this is one of the most realistic LGBTQ+ story, acting I've ever seen.....💙💙💙
This is more than worth watching..........

The actors also conveying their emotions, suppression, just wow... I feel like I can feel what are they feeling.
This kind of love, suppression, this happened in most of the gay people... Even now not all family or friends accept this thing openly which is why this movie is realistic and relate to most of the failed love.
sorry english isn't my first language and this is my first time writing review here ~
ENJOY ~

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10/10

Honestly, I didn't have big expectations going into it - having only seen the trailer. I will say I was pleasantly suprised with this film. It was an excellent mix of seriousness, realism, and comedy. I especially loved the main couple - no disasterous drama between them, just pure love and silliness. They were adorable and it was so refreshing to see a realistic, albeit goofy, couple without toxicity or differentiated power dynamics. One of my top comedy films. The acceptance of North Koreans and the reunification sentiment was so sweet and a nice, appreciated touch. 10/10 film, would definitely reccomend.

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What an enjoyable 2 hrs in the cinema! China's much wittier feminist film than Barbie

I believe my headline says it all. I was surrounded in the cinema by many Chinese women and we were all laughing out loud together because this is by far the best Chinese feminist film I have seen. Lots of feminist films stop at the awakening stage but this film deals with the post-awakening phase of feminism; what happens after you become this capable independent woman who's also a mother and who is a divorcee and you don't miss being married, what does this woman's life look like? It deals with themes of various styles of parenting, past trauma weighing on psychological and emotional wellbeing and behaviour, and the current dilemmas of current stage feminism and gender relations and its discourse on its effects on both men and women.

The trailer doesn't make much sense so this is the synopsis without spoilers: This is a 3 female leads "slice-of-life" film who are each a half generation apart and the tangled web of relationships between each other and the various men in their lives including ex-husbands, new lovers and friends.

I so thoroughly enjoyed it that I'm watching it for a second time this coming week. The question I have is - Did I enjoy it so much because it was in language and culture I understand and will some of those jokes that seem so culturally specific translate into jokes for others who do not speak the language nor have some understanding of the culture? If you notice, there's always somewhat of a discrepancy between the douban scores (china-based) and mydramalist (diaspora) scores with few exceptions.

In short, go watch this film! For any reason you can think of - for cultural study, for laughs, for fun, for language learning, for the witty dialogue, to support female writer-directors.

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We will wait for you, no matter how long the world takes

WATCH THE DELETED SCENES TOO

-https://youtu.be/1E-qugSxZLA?si=gmkXzQLGepjTap5T

If you like sweet and cute romantic love-stories, you must definitely give it a try.. It has a few emotional scenes too, but the main thing is that it has a lovely happy ending.. It is a story about two classmates who met in high school and fell in love, however, some circumstances drifted them apart, but nevertheless they loved each other truly and at the end they reunite. One important thing to note is that if you choose to watch it on youtube, you need to watch the ending separately as some videos don't have the actual one.

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Masks, metaphors and speaking through the words of another

"Sonnet 18" is a short film that, typical of its genre, hints at underlying themes, characterisations and even the plot itself, rather than telling us everything.
With this genre, I find that either you either relate to the characters or you don't -- since there's not much time to tell the story, the viewer must make their connection quickly and easily, or they will feel like I did with this one -- able to appreciate the beauty of the storytelling but not really liking it.


Was it good?
Absolutely. It's an artistic short film that tells its story with a specific aesthetic, and it's very consistent with that.
Did I like it?
Somewhat. I can appreciate the story they wanted to tell and the artistic way they told it. But I wasn't emotionally invested enough (that's me, not the film's fault).
Would I recommend it?
I wouldn't *not* recommend it, since it's so short; and it is well-done. People who like their plots spelled out for them might not find it engaging.


I liked that almost everything was filled with meaning: Where the characters are and what they are doing there (and in what state of mind), how they speak or don't speak, and at what times each one wears a (metaphorical or real) mask. The romantic classics (Debussy, Chopin, Brahms) are used sparingly, and with clear intention -- mostly we hear no background music, and the starkness of the silence underlines the characters' emotional state.

As for the use of Sonnet 18 -- we hear it three times. The first time we hear it is when the actor recites it on stage. To be honest, I did not like that one at first -- it felt almost farcical, with the overly theatrical hand gestures and intonation. The second recitation, however, made it clear that this was very deliberate -- and the third recitation confirmed it. If you watch the film, I urge you to pay some attention to how the sonnet is spoken each time.

Dialogue was used very sparingly -- and I wished they had used even less. The long stretches of silence felt more powerful to me than any of the dialogue (except for the recitations of the sonnet); and I think some of the dialogue could have been shortened even more.
Let the sonnet and the way both characters recite it and the silence in between, do the talking. Just as no single word in a sonnet is meaningless, so the dialogue in this short film could have been.


Overall, this is a well-crafted short film, obviously made with dedication and love.

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Another Live Action Version That Doesn't Live Up To Expectations

I've read the light novels and seen the anime and they are both quite entertaining. This live action iteration, however, isn't. I have so many beefs with this that I can't begin to explain how disappointed I am. First off, the movie doesn't dwell too much on explaining how this world works, the many prominent clans, and their powers. It just gives you a brief narration about it in the beginning and then that's it. The characters seem to exhibit tattoos whenever they use their powers, which I found distracting and unnecessary. For a fantasy story such as this one, I found these specific choices severely disappointing. If you're not too familiar with this world and story, there might be some things that you'll find confusing and inadequate. Not to mention that it packs so much stuff in just barely 2 hours, making the pacing of the film far too fast for the uninitiated.

Second, the casting, as a whole, is pretty solid. Imada Mio as Saimori Miyo is a good fit. The rest of the cast did what they could with what they were given. Although I wish they had given some of these characters more fleshing out. Koji was reduced to practically just the neighbor who helps Miyo. His love and devotion towards her non-existent. Yuuki did what he could with what little screentime he was given. However, I think the casting for Kudo Kiyoka is off. First of all, he is NOT what I had imagined for Kudo based on the manga and anime's descriptions. He is supposed to be a beautiful man, almost too pretty to be a man, and Ren is not that. Sure, he's attractive, but not the kind of drop dead gorgeous as the anime and manga suggest.

I found Watanabe Keisuke who plays Arata more appealing and engaging. But that's just me. Meguro Ren is simply not my type. I'm sure he is a fine young actor and has displayed some fairly good acting skills in his other works, but in this movie, I find him very much lacking. Kudo may be stoic at times but he shows very obvious facial expressions even in the anime. Ren sticks to portraying the typical tsundere character and rarely shows emotions, even the way he speaks makes him look so uptight and constipated. And I found it weird that he's the only one who wears a silver wig when everyone else has their natural dark hair. They could've gone with his natural hair color, he would've looked better and less jarring in a long dark wig. They could've chosen Okada Masaki instead and his age gap with Mio would've been better considering Kudo is almost ten years older than Miyo. Plus, he's a more seasoned actor who could've better pulled off the nuances in the emotions that Kudo displays imho.

Third, the movie is marketed as a romance and yet I don't see a clear romantic chemistry between the leads. I may be biased as I've never been fond of Ren's casting for Kudo and there's the fact that I am not into romantic stories so maybe the cynic in me just can't see it. Last, the production value of the movie is superb, from the set designs to the costumes. It boasts eye-catching cinematography and dramatic camera angles. The production is definitely the best part of this movie. The costumes, sets, cinematography, and camera work are excellent. But the writing and plot, not so much. Whoever decided to change the subplot about the grotesqueries and the last battle was most likely thinking about the budget constraints. They probably spent too much on the costumes and sets that they ran out of money for the special effects. Instead, they wrote about insects found in the burial grounds infecting humans and turning them into zombies. WTF?! But I suppose they didn't have enough budget to recreate the grotesqueries so they just opted for humans possessed by grotesqueries??? Whatever. I think it cheapens the story.

And another change that I found incredulous was turning Miyo into some kind of Mary Sue who could do anything and save everyone. She doesn't have that kind of power. She might have the potential for it but definitely not powerful enough to pull off that kind of feat with her present abilities. Her powers lie in dreams, she can enter the dreamworld, influence other people's minds and even see glimpses of the past, present, and future. But the powers she exhibits in this movie are too ridiculous to even comprehend. Then there's Arata's powers that aren't fully explained in the movie either. The anime does it well by having him duel Kiyoka and defeating him by creating illusions. In the movie, it's just one expository scene after another. Show don't tell. But I guess the writers don't care for showing things but would rather tell. It saves time and budget, after all. I am so disappointed with how they handled the “gifts” and the grotesqueries. They didn't even get the love story right as I barely see any kind of “romantic” moments with the leads. I can see why this was a hit in Japan, the production alone is appealing and it features two of their promising young stars. But it's vastly inferior to its anime and manga counterparts. I'd probably watch the sequel too just to see if it has improved, but I'm not hopeful.

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A Lovely Remake

You Are The Apple of My Eye is a Japanese remake of a Taiwanese movie and it is a wonderful coming of age/slice of life type of story of high school life, close-knit group of friends, and first loves. Yamada Yuki plays Kosuke, the martial arts enthusiast who finds studying and going to school mundane and useless, until he meets and falls in love with model student Mana, played by Saito Asuka. Their relationship is complex as they are the exact opposites of each other and so their romance has always been rocky from the start. This line hit me hard, though. “Thank you for falling in love with me.” How many times have I heard that in my lifetime?! Too many! Hahahahaha.... Our teen years really are the best days of our lives but the growing pains, heartaches, and lost chances also suck big time! I love Kosuke's interaction with his friends the most. The four of them are probably the best characters in the whole film. I'm glad I decided to watch this despite my initial misgivings. I might watch the Taiwanese version next.

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Another Live Action Iteration I Shouldn't Have Watched

I finally managed to finish Fullmetal Alchemist: The Revenge of Scar after trying several times. Unfortunately, my initial assumptions were right, this is a dumpster fire of a movie that should never have been created. It is an insult to Arakawa Hiromu's manga and a slap in the face to FMA fans everywhere. The first one was already a tragic anomaly much like the disturbing chimera that was Nina Tucker and her dog, but this is not even a successfully created homunculus, it's nothing more than a distorted version of the author's original version.

Most of the cast members are capable actors in their own right, but they do not fit their respective roles, not even in the slightest. Yamada Ryosuke is so ill-fitting for the role of Edward Elric that I rolled my eyes every time he tried to do Ed's “angry chibi” mode. Just because he's short like Ed doesn't make him suitable for the part. Mackenyu as Scar is tolerable but still ridiculous. Mackenyu sporting a “brown” face was too much for me to bear. He just did what he could with what he was given, though. Fujioka Dean may be handsome but he is NOT Roy Mustang, faaaaaaaarrr from it! He practically does nothing except look cool and that is not the character I know from the manga and anime. Honda Tsubasa is painful to watch as Winry Rockbell. Whoever thought this girl can act must be high on drugs. I've seen her in quite a few projects already and she has the acting skills of a potato. Watanabe Keisuke as Ling was alright, probably the best casting decision they made for this movie because Ling is supposed to have Asian features and one of the few characters in the story who should be played by an Asian. The rest of the cast are even more 2D than their 2D counterparts, the anime characters have more depth imho.

The action scenes are laughable, so many cuts in the scenes that you hardly see the movements at all. Don't even get me started on the special effects. *groan* I promised myself to try and enjoy these live action movies but I simply can't. The plot is all over the place. Characters appear out of nowhere and they have their own agenda but their subplots don't add up and come together at the end. I'm convinced the writers smoked weed when they wrote this shit and it was the bad kind of weed, too.

Sorry, but this is a prime example of what NOT to do when making a live action version of a popular anime. I'm not one of those people who thinks anime should never be made into live action as I've enjoyed some live action iterations in the past. But this is not it. It's not because of the goofiness of the anime, it's the horrible writing, execution, casting, and acting. And most of all, it should remain largely faithful to the source material despite some of the changes that need to be made for this medium. However, most of these live actions are just money grabs and are done by people who have no love for the original material. These movies should be burned and forgotten, or better yet, exiled beyond the Gate to be tormented for eternity.

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Exceptional queer movie with realistic approach

Hi, I am late to the party, but I should write a review, because this is one of the exceptionell queer movies of 2024.
If you do expect a BL you will be disappointed, it's a queer movie and the romance of a BL is not the focus of this movie.

It's a story of gay man who struggles with the society he lives in and a girl who also had go through some hardships. They both meet at university and the grow closer together, overcome hardships together and accept each other for what they are. Both discover who they are and what they want.

Cinematography, direction, acting are also exceptionell.

This is one of the best queer movies ever made which does not focus on the gay aspect per se. It's part of the story but the main part is the development of a deep friendship between a gay man and a straight woman. Regardless if you are straight, bi, gay or inbetween or nothing of that, regardless which gender identity you have, it's a powerful story and a wonderful movie and you should watch it!

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Horrific to watch and tragic that it happened

Well, where to start really?
This movie was harrowing, following the journey of a newly appointed teacher who discovers child sexual and physical abuse occurring at his new post.l and the subsequent fight for justice.
The acting was excellent, but some of the scenes felt far too much to be occurring between an actor and a child… unless there was some nifty editing, some of those scenes shouldn’t have been played by child actors.
Realistically, given the true story, the depth, and all the twists and turns it took, it should have been a series. However the subject matter is so dark and disturbing, with no let up, and not even a glimmer of a happy ending, as such series may have been too much to bear watching. So I can see why a film was probably better, but so much was missed or shown slivers of the battle that it took to even get the crimes to trial.
Overall, I would never even consider watching this again, but the story needed to be told.

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