A tribute to a pioneering figure in Taiwan's LGBTQ+ community

When they go to visit Mickey, their terminally ill former English teacher, two men and a woman remember their youth, when they began their friendship during their high school years.
After saying goodbye to the sick man, they return to the old intensive school to remember their years of study and their rebellious youth. Suddenly, quickly, colorfully and festively, the story goes back in time, to 1994.
At this point in the footage we have been identifying the main characters of the Taiwanese youth romantic drama 'After School', from 2023, by director and screenwriter Blue Lan, about coming of age.
Cheng Heng, the main narrator, is a teenager and only child who aspires to be a filmmaker, although his father insists that he study mathematics to become a teacher. Enrolled in Success Cram School, he takes remedial lessons to help improve his grades. However, instead of paying attention to his studies, he spends most of the day interrupting lessons and playing pranks, such as calling the school secretary, using his voice to make sexual advances, or setting fire to the school and provoking a fire with the consequent evacuation of students, teachers and administrators.
Cheng Hsiang is Cheng Heng's friend and also a troublemaker. He is the typical cute boy in the class, and many of his classmates dream of being his boyfriend, with the exception of the class beauty, Chen Sih, whom Cheng Heng has a crush on.
In addition to games and studies, the two boys share a bed in Cheng Heng's house, since his parents have taken him in, knowing of his poverty. They practically do everything together, from sharing a toothbrush to joking about their dirty, semen-stained underwear.
Ho Shang, an obedient and rule-abiding student, is the third in the company, known as the three musketeers of success, although not always of his own free will. Son of Wang, the director of the intensive school, is dragged by the two best friends in their misdeeds. We will soon learn the reason: when the exasperated principal wants to expel Cheng Heng and Cheng Hsiang, his wife will remind him how Ho Shang, in elementary school, was bullied by the older students, and the duo always protected him.
As we anticipated, Cheng Heng believes that studying at school will allow her to be close to Chen Sih, a girl with a strong character who defends herself. However, Cheng Heng is too nervous to ask her out.
With a main arc in the usual teen romantic comedy style, we follow the friends in their teenage pranks, falling in love and family relationships, used mainly for laughs, in an approach that takes up most of the film's 124-minute running time. .
Based on true events, when Mickey, a new substitute teacher with progressive ideas about teaching and society in general, takes over the classroom, the two young people discover a mentor who finally offers them proper guidance about their lives, by talking to them about romantic relationships and sexuality and teaching them to understand homosexuals and themselves.
Mickey openly addresses issues of sexuality education in the classroom and beyond, and encourages his students to think freely. Upon learning that he also dreams of being a filmmaker, Cheng Heng will admire the professor even more and will have him as a role model, interested in adopting his rich philosophy of life.
An embarrassing home accident causes Cheng Heng to suffer a burn in his groin. This will be the reason why students begin to speculate that Cheng Heng and Cheng Hsiang may have a romantic relationship.
However, this same event will also serve as a pretext for Mickey, aware of the rumors, to offer advice and guidance to a student who is currently going through a period of doubts and insecurities regarding his sexuality.
Meanwhile, Chen Sih begins dating the trio, Ho Shang fights with his parents over his two friends, Cheng Hsiang experiences a homosensual awakening, and Cheng Heng becomes more open to sexuality under Mickey's positive influence.
Michael's appearance permeates an atmosphere of freedom and fun. In truth, his dream is other than working as a teacher. The "awakening" he will generate in the students, in completely different directions, that eventually occurs due to his influence, takes the narrative down a completely new path. The story unfolds in a surprising way, this being one of the best aspects of the entire film, which should definitely be attributed to the way Blue Lan handles the twists.
At this point, the comedy transforms into drama, which reaches greater intensity as the story progresses, to the point that the last part, which also returns to the opening scene, borders on the melodramatic. Although this last aspect does not always work well, the truth is that 'After School' never abandons its intention to entertain.
At this point, multiple LGBTQ+ characters and stories are introduced into the story. The film puts homosexuality in the spotlight. However, despite exploring many relevant topics with the goal of educating and raising awareness among viewers, the stories barely scratch the surface instead of highlighting complex experiences. On the other hand, for the moment they perpetuate superficial stereotypes.
There is an excessive abuse of melodramatic scenes, especially when Cheng Heng's parents catch their son watching a gay porn video (which causes the incident noted above) and then catch him in a pose that suggests he is kissing his friend, for example. which his parents overreact while crying, lashing out at the two boys, condemning their son and expelling Cheng Hsiang from the house where they took him in.
The director, Blue Lan, seems well-intentioned. He dedicates his autobiographical film to Mickey Chen, his real-life mentor, an esteemed figure and pioneer in Taiwan's LGBTQ+ community. 'After School' pays tribute to someone who was instrumental in producing documentaries focused on queer and gender issues, actively participating in street protests advocating for equal rights for gays and lesbians.
Kipo Lin's editing results in a fast and fairly adequate narrative, although the extensive flashbacks to scenes already presented could have been avoided.
Comments on LGBT rights in the country of the time are quite frequent, without ignoring the simplicity of the messages and not describing gay issues with sufficient nuances. Even so, they address problems such as the pressure that adolescents felt in the 90s of the last century from their parents (they still suffer today) to succeed on the "correct" path, that is, the heterosexual one, the heteronormative, interpreted as studying in a good school, being able to enroll in the best university, getting an excellent job after graduating and getting married and having a magnificent family, especially with many children.
In that conservative and heteronormative society, concepts like homosexuality definitely have no place. Much less homosexual marriage, recognized only in the country 25 years after the events narrated in the film.
This approach adds depth to the story and reinforces the film's positive intentions, although the overall attitude here remains "light" to the point of becoming idyllic at times. In general, Blue Lan does not significantly lose its sense of measure.
The performances fit perfectly with the narrative style of the story. While the character played by Zhan Huai Yun exhibits impressive chemistry with Chiu Yi Tai's Cheng Hsiang, who is equally good, also in the way he handles his coming of age, even though the former's role is reduced to that of best friend.
Charlize Lamb as Chen Sih provides the necessary female element in the story as a bone of contention who eventually shapes the lives of the young people as well, in another quite attractive presence in the film.
Blue Lan himself plays Cheng Heng quite convincingly, both in the humorous and dramatic moments.
While Hou Yan Xi as Mickey is excellent in the role of the progressive teacher/mentor, Chien He Wu as Ho Shang promises a meatier journey, stealing the show at times, particularly after his transformation, when he finally spreads his wings. and he dares to fly without caring about his father's prejudices, but there is not enough development of his character and his conflicts.
On the other hand, the convincing bromance between Cheng Heng and Cheng Hsiang delves into romantic territory when they share a moment of intimacy, but the result does not meet the audience's expectations, failing to delve into feelings or portray the romantic nuances of the relationship. Despite addressing LGBT+ themes, the film avoids telling a homosexual love story. The cinematography follows brilliant paths, in an approach that coherently adapts to the narrative.
'After School' lacks a good script. Its poor writing reiterates all the predictable tropes. Sentimental messages fail to strike the viewer's nerve. We have seen this film about rebellious young people and mentors who guide their students on other occasions with better results.
The film highlights the importance of finding a mentor in life, a guide and educator that young people can look up to.
Mickey's arrival in the classrooms also eventually moves in the same direction of providing moments of reflection, but also of fun, adding to the narrative of the film, but the "awakening" of the young people, in completely different directions, which eventually occurs With the teacher's help, he takes the narrative down a completely new path. Frankly, the way the story unfolds is as surprising as it gets, in one of the best aspects of the entire movie, which should definitely be attributed to the way Blue Lan handles the twists.
Despite being cliched and cheesy at times, 'After School' is still a very entertaining film that manages to present its commentary eloquently, although its greatest feature comes from the fact that it will repeatedly leave the viewer with a smile on their face.

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Gay sex and artistic orgy

Writing a literary text in which young gay people participate in an orgy is difficult for Augustus Vera, or just Age, as he likes to call himself (played by Jason Maghacot), a young aspiring writer. He knows it very well, as he, almost twenty years old, can only satisfy himself by unloading his semen on the typewriter.
How can you talk about the physicality of the bodies and the intensity of desire in the looks of the guests at these group sexual activities, when you have never experienced one of them? How to cover with skin and nerves the skeleton of characters who are ardent in granting and receiving pleasure in those erotic parties, while they frolic in those places located in basements and closed rooms, a faithful reflection of their occultism, before the hypocritical Puritan society that, while condemning homosexuals with stigma and discrimination, prefers to look the other way and allocate their money to the creation and consumption of literary works that represent heterosexuality, as the only form of family conceivable and accepted by conservative and heteronormative societies. ?
How could he not know it well, when he can only give himself pleasure in the solitude of his room, with the typewriter as his only witness.
You have done your research, you know the subject well, but you lack the experience. That is why the literary character that seeks to involve in an orgy subculture does not flow. It fails to give the desired closure to the story. And there are only a few days left to present the story in a writing workshop. Editorially speaking, it is hard pressed for closure.
To his rescue comes Andrew (Roco Sanchez - 'Lyric and Beat Cinema Cut'), a young man who also pressures Age to overcome his doubts about finishing the story. In this way, his literary character is based on Andrew, this persuasive, bold and adventurous boy.
With his help and the people from the literary workshop, Age finishes his story by stepping out of his comfort zone and potentially participating in what he doubts the most about.
Finalist of the CineMapúa 2020: Online FilmFest, of the University of Mapúa, and the 18th Annual Student Short Film Festival, 'Cumming Of Age', is a short film written, directed and edited by Jayson E. Santos, who also acted in the film ' Under the Sun'. The cinematography is by Harold Lance Pialda.
Using metalanguage, the Filipino filmmaker addresses a subculture that engages people in information and awareness about safe sex and sexual practices that occur in his country.
Attracted to raising awareness about different social issues through his work, Jayson E. Santos has stated "that every individual is worthy of consummate knowledge of consciousness that will nourish him through different artistic mediums," such as his own films. .
That is why he does not hesitate to present a massive gay orgy in his film, which is artistically integrated into the plot.
Gay sex has been in the world of film and television for a long time. It is becoming more and more common and although it seems that it always has to have the extra point of morbidity compared to heterosexual sex, we continue to see it with mischievous eyes. The fact is that if a gay sex scene is already morbid in itself, imagine an orgy.
With a daring and brave ending of explicit sex that occupies around two of the 18 minutes of footage, without wanting to resort to ellipsis, in the manner of other film proposals, such as 'Irreversible', by the Frenchman Gaspar Noé (Irréversible, 2002), with the rape scene, or 'The Taste of Watermelon, by the Taiwanese Tsai Ming-liang (Tian bian yi duo yun, 2005), with the also abhorrent sexual force at the end of the film, Jayson E. Santos shows situations and moments that exude authenticity and a poetic atmosphere of pure intimacy.
Unlike 'Theo and Hugo, Paris 5:59', by French co-directors Olivier Ducastel and Jacques Martineau, the Filipino filmmaker suddenly introduces the viewer into a visual orgy where passionate young men of great beauty give each other warmth and love. . The photography also stands out in an outstanding way, highlighting the enveloping atmosphere, recreated in dark tones, in which a group of people enjoy their bodies.
In this way, what begins on a purely literary level leads to an encounter portrayed in a daring pornoerotic style, thus giving a twist to the topic of gay promiscuity without falling into the outrageous, corny or banal.
The key scene we are talking about is the one that takes place between Age and some strangers with whom they have an unforgettable party. We love the moment in which the young man recreates an internal monologue very consistent with the experience he is living.
Accompanying this central search for the construction of a character in a literary work, there is no shortage of references to professional and humanitarian concerns, such as protection and safe sex.
A couple of scenes, in a practically empty room, in a swimming pool and a room where writers and aspiring writers meet, while they dissect their respective works in a critical and intellectual exercise, give a tremendous touch of humanity to the story of a writer who wants to finish his story to present it in the literary workshop.
I recommend the short film to those people interested in reflecting on sexuality, literary creation and the construction of literary characters, through a film with one of the best orgies in Philippine erotic cinema.

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'Ben X Jim Forever': Two soulmates condemned to suffering and oblivion

Regal Entertainment Inc.'s 2021 Filipino boy love (BL) romantic drama 'Ben , two people who, after going from friends to lovers, become strangers with memories, after a sad family secret is revealed that they were both unaware of and that causes the breakup of their love relationship.
Set in a period marked by the pandemic caused by Covid-19, the series, retitled 'BXJ Forever', is told in this second season from Jim's perspective. From there, it is shown how mutual the attraction between the two really was, which would explain some of the flaws in Jim's character development in the first season.
Viewers learn more about Jim's relationship with his father and how this has broken him. We appreciate both young people equally and can analyze their thought processes and feelings.
Jim cannot conceive that his childhood friend and later lover is no longer a part of his life. After throwing everything away because of Ben's decision, Jim now works as a barista.
The series revolves around Jim's continued search for Ben after he disappears after the unfortunate ending of the first season. With the help of friends, Jim tries to find him, while recounting all the good times they had through letters that will be revealed that he sent to Ben, over the years, until June 5, 2015, his last letter.
The series stars EJ Jallorina as Francia, Ron Angeles as Olan, Kat Galang as Flo, Sarah Edwards as Yana, Vance Larena as Val, Royce Cabrera as Roy, Miko Gallardo as Bogs, Darwin Yu as Dante, Jomari Angeles as Burn and Johannes Rissler as Leo.
Over the course of the show's two seasons so far, the star-crossed lovers struggle to regain their relationship amid family drama, third parties, and the challenges that come with being queer in today's world.
Ben and Jim have everything to live a beautiful love story: they are young, single, handsome and deeply attracted to each other. It won't take them long to realize that they are made for each other. But a family secret catches up with them and has fractured them as a couple. In your case, the breakup is not caused by heartbreak, disappointment, or the extinguishing of the fire of passion. Both are still in love, but Ben has put a distance between the two out of shame that Jim will know a dark past that involves the parents of the two boys.
We witness the subtle construction of their new lives, and we observe their movements after the breakup of the love relationship. Can they forget what they were as a couple? Will they be able to recover their love?
With an insightful cinematographic staging with insistent and expressive camera movements and intelligent use of scenery and locations, Easy Ferrer, its director and screenwriter, tells in the continuation of the series that Ben is more open about his identity and how Jim Learn about political correctness when it comes to LGBT+ terms and issues. This theme is explored further and more pointedly in this second season, with the passage of the SOGIE bill being an underlying discussion throughout the eight episodes.
The drama brings a more bittersweet and grounded reality of love and the consequences of fighting for love. Through transgender characters (correctly played by transgender actors EJ Jallorina and Rica Castaño), the series contributes to the debate on the spectrum of sexuality and gender.
Through more diverse subplots and the addition of new characters, 'BXJ Forever' addresses themes such as internalized queerphobia, sexual exploration, discrimination in the workplace, cancel culture, the need for sexual positivity, general positivity, gender reassignment and self-validation, maturity issues, and social media toxicity.
The series contributes to making the struggle of LGBT+ people visible through in-depth political debates, with identifiable stories.
The story tends to get overly complicated. The narrative loses cohesion with the incorporation of new characters and conflicts that contribute little to the main story. Tends to rely on narrative and character clichés.
At times, it seems that it is no longer Ben and Jim's relationship as the main plot that is being narrated.
Some stories and events are also messy or inorganic, such as the fact that Ben suddenly resolves to return to the world he abandoned, six months ago, once he decides to unilaterally break up with Jim.
The context of the story taking place in the midst of a pandemic then becomes an afterthought, and elements indicative of the health crisis, such as mask-wearing and physical distancing, are inconsistently portrayed.
Three years after finishing the second season, I highly doubt the story will be resumed to give our protagonists a happy ending.

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Denounces the harsh reality that Filipino LGBT people live

Despite the numerous North American military bases that curtail national sovereignty and being considered a strategic ally of the United States in the region and a tourist paradise, the Filipino population suffers from hunger and misery.
The cinema of that Asian country has produced films such as 'Soon of Macho Dancer', ('Anak Ng Macho Dancer'), from 2021, by multi-award-winning filmmaker Joel C. Lamangan, as well as 'Macho Dancer', 1988; 'Midnight Dancers' (1994), 'Burlesk king' (1999), 'Twilight Dancers' (2006), all directed by the late Mel Chionglo, and others, interested in exploring the world of dancers who pose in light clothing and even naked, for the homosexual clientele of the Filipino establishments.
The reality is that films like these expose how rentboys confront the sordid realities of poverty in the Philippines. Most of the characters in these films have in common that they are from the provinces and are overwhelmed, defeated by the sad political and socioeconomic reality of the Philippines, which is why they will be forced to travel, generally to Manila, the capital, to exercise their Prostitution as a way of escape from misery.
'AL and ER: Boys in Love' nods to these films and these "sex professionals", but does not present its narrative heroes acting and prostituting themselves in venues and clubs, existing today, as the sex workers of those do. movies, but in their own homes, selling their bodies and their orgasms via social networks, perhaps even through an erotic dance like those.
And the solution cannot be any other for desperate people who have no other way to get through everyday life. It is impossible to evaluate 2020, when 'AL and ER: Boys in Love' was filmed and released, from the perspective of the rights of LGBT+ people without recognizing that Covid-19 created an obstacle and brought a hectic, cruel year, especially for the members of this human collective. The pandemic exposed inequality gaps, leaving some more vulnerable than others when it comes to infections, prognosis and economic impact.
In countries like the Philippines where LGBT people face social stigma, moral opprobrium and legal discrimination, they have fewer economic opportunities and are more likely to be poor, even more so when some members of the community were left out of recovery measures government economics. At the same time that they were fighting against the consequences of Covid-19, LGBT people also had to face the increase in the avalanche of homophobia and transphobia that they generally suffer every day, exercised by governments, politicians and in many cases the public. in general.
Prejudices against the LGBT community were evident in responses to Covid-19 in all regions of the world. While in South Korea, social media users scapegoated LGBT people after some media outlets linked an outbreak to gay bars, and in Hungary, populist leader Viktor Orbán used health emergency powers to pass laws. Discriminatory measures against transgender people, in the Philippines, local officials humiliated LGBT people while enforcing a curfew and a gender-sensitive quarantine.
Thus arose the idea of ​​filming an LGBT-themed short film in the context of the current socio-political situation in the Philippines, which aims to creatively represent the harsh realities faced by Filipino gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgender people today.
Of friendship, yaoi and romance genre, 'AL and ER: Boys in Love' follows a provincial homosexual couple residing in Manila, made up of Al (Jomari Angeles) and Er (Jerom Canlas), who have lost their respective jobs and their savings and do not know how to survive in the midst of daily shortages and difficulties, to which is added the risk of dying due to contagion with the new coronavirus.
This is how Ar came up with the idea of ​​using technology and social networks to film sexual videos in which the two young people appear in different erotic poses, in order to later place them on the Internet with the purpose of selling the images to potential buyers. . However, Er opposes using this route to overcome economic difficulties for fear of being recognized, and proposes returning to the province, where they come from.
I have given too many spoilers. Not one more. You'll have to watch the short's nearly 11-minute run to find out how it concludes.
In this sense, only add the well-used silence in the concluding and defining moment between the two actors, and even with the closing of the incidental music, as an epilogue to the previous situation created at the moment of tense silence. Right there, when the moment of silence arrives, a much greater tension occurs than if silence did not exist.
Written and directed by Ryan Machado, AR + ER, as it is also known, is Kayumanggi Kolektib's first BL film, in an anthology of other short films to follow.
While Canlas and Angeles achieve excellent acting performances and a necessary control of the body and voice when they interpret emotions, such as insecurity, fear, shame and even anger, disgust and sadness, Issa Encarnacion takes the cake as director of photography.
In the midst of the pause due to the pandemic that led to the cancellation of premieres and filming and the confinement of actors and film production experts to preserve their lives, the Philippines managed to film several audiovisuals, but generally of the romance genre, many of them BL . However, Ar + Er sets the bar higher and denounces the harsh reality experienced by the inhabitants of that country, especially members of the LGBT community.

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I prefer to listen to "A Song for Wowie" by Nuna Esguerra.

"A Song for Wowie" by Nuna Esguerra is heard. The cheerful music takes us to an atmosphere of joy and hope. It is the moment when Vince (Patrick Laano), the young ABM student, meets Paolo (Neo García), the HUMSS student, on an elevated bridge that connects their respective faculties, at the University of Manila, the Philippine capital.
Thus begins 'Hanggang Dulo', the 2019 Filipino short film, directed by Trina Indunan, winner of the Best Film Award at the MILk Film Fest 2019, created as a student thesis defense aimed at breaking down stigmas and prejudices surrounding HIV/AIDS, as well as to confront indifference, and meet all those who strive to make it visible.
In its 10 minutes of footage, we follow these two strangers who will soon be best friends and soon friends will also be lovers. Everything seems to be going well between the two, when, suddenly, Paolo discovers that Vince has hidden his HIV from him.
It is then that somber, sad, hopeless music envelops the viewer, and the chords of "Oppressed" by Yan Abelardo are heard.
I thought for a moment that deception and betrayal would be the essential components of the short, but we soon learn that Vince has acquired the disease through perinatal transmission of HIV, that is, by the transfer of HIV from an HIV-positive mother to her child during the pregnancy, childbirth or breastfeeding.
With the purpose of raising awareness, as well as support for people living with the virus, 'Hanggang Dulo' offers us themes related to romance, openness and understanding.
In addition to starring in it, Patrick Laano intervenes as co-director and editor of an audiovisual that has an original script written by Rica Razal and Ross Ramos, whose dramatic basis is made up of the hopelessness, fear and feeling of helplessness that the two young people experience in the face of illness and the fate of their lives.
Instead of walking away for fear of also contracting the disease, of questioning him, of appearing hurt or offended for having been ignorant of what is happening to Vince, Paolo becomes the patient's support. In this way, this film about AIDS is one of the many that have already been made on the subject that could almost be considered something similar to a subgenre.
Vince embodies an apathetic approach to the disease: he does not raise his fists against death and for the will to live, but rather he limits himself to continuing with what he has left or believes he has left of life as if the ominous shadow of his mortality were not It will accompany you everywhere. And she ends up abandoning Paolo to avoid suffering and pain? So as not to be a burden to him? Vince, tired, chooses to give up.
And this is the point where the short film fails. AIDS is not as deadly today as it was decades ago. From the report of the blood test results, we know that Vince goes to the laboratory on June 14, 2017. By then, HIV is no longer considered a fatal disease because survival in patients with HIV is longer by years. It is only fatal if it is not diagnosed and treated in time. This is not the case of the character.
If the person has HIV, they do not have to develop AIDS. Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome only occurs when the defenses cannot cope with opportunistic infections and other associated diseases because the defenses are weakened after years of HIV infection.
Despite Vince having developed an opportunistic infection, such as pneumonia diagnosed by his doctor, and having low levels of his defenses, the truth is that there are very good drugs against HIV, so much so that today it is not fatal, but rather a disease. chronicle. In addition to these, he has the prescription with the antibiotics in his hands.
Nothing makes me doubt that the young man does not follow his treatment correctly and take care of his body, so he can live a long and full life with HIV like anyone else.
The ending is open. As the final credits roll, the viewer watches as Vince approaches Paolo and, laughing, hugs him from behind. He is not surprised, and lets him do it. Has he been able to overcome the pneumonia? Is Paolo still waiting for you? Is it just Paolo's imagination? Did Paolo comply with what the doctor ordered, did he have blood tests done and has he also contracted the disease? Have they both died of AIDS and meet again in death to continue their romance?
It all happens on the same elevated bridge where they met, on the way to university, that day of joy and hope, while "A Song for Wowie" by Nuna Esguerra was listening.
There, instead of the wallet, they both stole each other's hearts. This is the final image I would like to take with me.

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It fulfills its objective of serving as a link to the long-awaited sequel

The group of friends from Golf High School ("Fluke" Teerapat Lohanan) and Bank ("Fluke" Sripinta Pongsatorn) have gathered (hence the title) in a house to spend a day of vacation dissipating the summer heat in a pool. They have left high school behind and are now pursuing university studies. Despite having each embarked on their own path, they maintain friendship and contact with each other.
While they are having fun between games and jokes, Golf appears, who acts as host and has invited his friends, as on other occasions, to share time like this with him. The attentive public expects that at any moment Bank will join the group and resume the love relationship he had with Golf. But this does not happen.
This is how the viewer understands that contrary to what was narrated in the film 'My Bromance', Golf did not die of a brain disease as Bank was led to believe. Golf, along with his friends and parents, have lied to him about him being dead. While Golf tells Tar (Worakamon Nokkaew) that he still misses Bank, Tar and Parn (Varatchaya Comemamoon) respond that they also feel bad for cooperating in the lie.
'My Bromance: Reunion' (Thai: พี่ชาย, RTGS: Phi Chai), also called 'My Bromance Special Episode: Reunion', the Thai BL and LGBT-themed short film directed by Nitchapoom Chaianun, is not intended to follow the romance between these two boys.
A question that the public asks: why the short film? The story of Golf and Bank had its end with the death of the former while the latter would remember him not only for having been his youthful love, but also for saving his life by donating his kidney. But the impact of the film, both inside and outside Thai borders, led the filmmakers to take up the story in a later sequel, but to do so they needed to explain that Golf had not died.
Regardless of whether or not you like what is shown on the screen or how unethical you can see behind a lie for whatever reasons, the truth is that the short, released on May 18, 2015, fully fulfills its function of continuing the events narrated in the film 'My Bromance', by the same director and released a year earlier, as well as serving as a link to its long-awaited sequel 'My Bromance 2: 5 years later', from 2020.
In this way, the creators could resume the story interrupted with the "death" of Golf, to introduce the viewer to the subsequent continuation of the romance: after the traffic accident they suffered, Golf has not died, as they made Bank believe. . Golf continues with his studies, although he still suffers from the aftermath of the tragedy.
Instead of confronting his parents, his immaturity led him to lie to the person he loves, because he considered that the farce is a good idea to make Bank forget him and thus be able to turn the page on that romantic relationship so frowned upon by his parents. both boys.
However, Golf has not been able to forget Bank, and he will ask his friends to continue giving him a gift from them every year, on Bank's birthday.
The sad, distressed looks of everyone show that, deep down, they do not agree with the situation and they hope to be able to reveal the truth to Bank at some point and that the two boys, if they wish, can continue with their romance. .
And so it will happen, but it will be reviewed at another time.

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An obsession that haunts human beings: seeing people who hate each other love each other

Golf (Teerapat Lohanan) is an 18-year-old young man who lives in a wealthy house but with a dysfunctional family, whose parents have barely taken care of him. Her mother has died and she now lives with her aunt and her father Vut, who is constantly on business trips and whom she blames for her mother's death.
After being orphaned, he has changed his behavior from being an athletic and active young man to behaving aggressively and temperamentally. His friends describe him as a playboy and foul-mouthed. From his father he has only obtained little love and inattention, but a lot of money that does not fulfill his life. Circumstances have caused Golf to feel resentful towards his ancestor and this animosity has an impact on his personal and student life.
The Thai film 'My Bromance' ("พี่ชาย My Bromance", Phi Chai My Bromance) revolves around this axis, filmed in 2013 and released on February 20, 2014, which tells the moving story of two teenage stepbrothers who go from hating each other. to love each other passionately against all odds.
Set in Chiang Mai, this romantic youth drama with a BL and LGBT theme, has its turning point when Bank (Sripinta Pongsatorn), a gentle, kind and sweet-tempered young man, ends up moving to Golf's house, since the father of He and Thara (Chiangmai), his mother, have just gotten married.
Bank, a teenager four months younger than Golf, hopes to be accepted into his new family. However, his new stepbrother will make his life impossible, as he does not accept his father's new marriage or the fact that he now has a younger brother.
Directed by Nitchapoom Chaianun, the film follows the toxic and sentimental relationship that arises between these two young high school students who, due to their parents' marriage, begin to live under the same roof as "brothers." Despite initially teasing Bank, he and Golf can't help but get closer. Before accepting each other as stepbrothers, they must learn the art of living together, overcoming environmental obstacles and falling in love little by little. Will the feelings of love between siblings grow beyond that?
However, despite the abyss that separates them because they are socially considered "brothers" and their enormous differences in characters and personalities, both will begin to feel an irresistible attraction that will soon become pure fire and unbridled passion. Neither the continuous rivalry between the two nor the opposition of those around them will be able to prevent them from ending up lost and secretly in love, which will put their forbidden love to the test.
The synopsis of the film already tells us several keys to success, as previously demonstrated in other filmographies and generations 'Grease', 'My Fault' or 'Three Meters Above Heaven'. A teenage romance with hints of forbidden love on all sides, first because the family members resist the idea of ​​the boys being homosexual and, secondly, the refusal to accept that both violate their status as "brothers."
Marked on the component "hate and love, between which there is but one step", the film narrates an obsession that haunts human beings: seeing people who hate each other love each other.
The chemistry between Golf and Bank is super special, it transcends the screen, and is totally enjoyable and emotionally impactful. It is a very passionate story of young love, which is the most intense, and above all loaded with a lot of action, in addition to being very visually beautiful.
If there is something that really stands out in 'My Bromance' it is the team formed by Teerapat Lohanan and Sripinta Pongsatorn, who give us great performances of their characters and share enormous chemistry on the big screen.
The first, within his leading role, performs a masterful characterization of Golf, taking into account that it is a complex interpretation on a psychological level. Perhaps at first he seems to us only a young man marked by the circumstances that have led him to disrupt his own life and he shows us an obsessive and somewhat egocentric and even selfish personality by not accepting his father's new relationship, which is why he comes to hate his stepbrother, but how with the passing of the minutes a change occurs in him that floods us with inspiration and hope.
Refusing to issue a single spoiler, it remains to say that the film has continuity in 'My Bromance: Reunion' (2015), 'My Bromance' (Channel 9/Line TV, 2016) and 'My Bromance 2: 5 Years Later' ( Line TV, 2020). About these related titles… we will be talking soon.

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Delicacy and subtlety to, from black humor, address taboo topics: transsexuality, violence and death

Just hearing the premise makes one curious. Action films abound, but there can't be too many like 'Man of High Heels,' a moody, moving and violent Korean cop-gangster film written and directed by Jang Jin.
Released in 2014, this South Korean noir film stars Cha Seung Won, who plays a homicide detective who hides a big secret.
Nicknamed Cyborg due to the metal plates on his arms and legs and his ability to make an arrest using only his formidable martial arts skills, even criminals are amazed by his toughness and physical prowess: gangster gang leader Heo -Bol (Song Young-Chang), was singing praises to Yoon Ji-Wook moments before the man appeared to beat him and his henchmen.
Skilled in hand-to-hand combat, Yoon Ji Wook is a tough homicide detective known for his ability to catch violent criminals using his own harsh methods. Revered as a legend among police officers, he is simultaneously feared among the mafia for his brutality in cracking down on crime.
However, beneath that macho and unscrupulous hard man appearance lies a secret that no one can know since the society in which he lives would not view him favorably: apparently the epitome of masculinity, Yoon Ji Wook feels that She is a woman in a man's body.
As much as she tries to suppress this inner desire, she can't fight what she really is: Yoon identifies as transgender.
The film is an intricate film noir story, and woven into the mask of the crime plot is the story of Yoon's decision to live his true life.
Upon finally reaching the point where he resolves to be a woman and decides to take the step of undergoing a sex reassignment operation and thus be able to see his teenage dream come true, he requests discharge from the police force.
This is when the turning point in the film occurs. Before having the opportunity to enter the operating room, unexpected situations begin to happen that interfere with their plans. His numerous enemies think his career change is also a perfect opportunity to take revenge. When some of his close friends are murdered and Jang-mi (Esom), a girl whose brother Yoon loved at school, is kidnapped, he realizes that he can't stand by and follow his dream any longer. How much will revenge cost him?
The members of a gang who had to go through bad times due to the actions of our narrative hero will come for him. Recognizing that it would be difficult for them to take revenge directly, they decide to endanger not only their dream but the people they love.
It is striking that in the history of cinema there has never been a film that deals with the issue of transgenderism in the way that 'Man of High Heels' does. Jang argued that he was inspired to write the script by friends who had encountered prejudice due to their sexual identities, and one of them had been forced to leave the police institution for being gay.
Furthermore, its subversion of classic action movie tropes typifies the irreverent approach of its director, who has built his reputation satirizing Korean society and mischievously modifying cinematic traditions.
With great delicacy and subtlety, the director addresses a topic that is widely carried and brought up by many people who are still full of prejudices who are not careful when it comes to pointing the finger at everything they do not know or do not understand.
'Man of High Heels' manages, with great elegance and good taste, to reflect transsexuality on the screen, and not only in an illustrative way but with a message to all those who dare to judge people who suffer this desire in their flesh.
On the one hand, the protagonist nails his role like very few other actors could have done. Cha Seung Won exudes masculinity from every pore. That is why it surprises many to see him dressed as a woman.
Reading comments from MDL users, one can notice the large number of people who are surprised to learn the premise of the film, and there are those who attack it because "I don't like it" and "I don't understand" or they simply attack it because they consider the way in which transsexuality is approached is crude.
The film is not only about seeing one of Korea's most mature actors transvestite, but also that 'Man of High Heels' debunks the idea, especially in the West, that South Korean cinema goes to the saga of what is produced in the rest of the world. Due to its story, its originality, its staging and, above all, its ability to surprise the viewer, Jang's film speaks for itself about the quality of the cinema of that Asian nation.
This is a film that will keep the most demanding viewer of the action genre in suspense, but seeks other audiences by incorporating the LGBT+ component. This is a violent film with a brutal staging loaded with scenes that will remain fixed in our retinas as a warm memory for life.
This film not only succeeds in the genre but stands out. The opening fight scene is a classic, beautifully choreographed with wit and crazy fun.
'Man of High Heels' begins with a bang that sets the stage for what is to come and introduces the protagonist whose presence is equally explosive and heartbreaking.
The film challenges our perception and reveals discrimination, love and acceptance, as well as tears in our hearts.
If someone believes that everything has been said, add that it is a different film in its history but that manages to combine all the ingredients and resources of an authentic Korean gangster film, with action scenes from the first to the last scene.
This is one of Cha's best performances, one that you can't help but get emotionally invested in.
But there's even more: this is a drama that will make your heart pound and make you feel restless in your seat and you will even want to help the tough homicide detective eliminate the gangsters without suffering a scratch, save his loved ones and until it makes it easier for you to get to the operating room on time.
This is a layered, multidimensional film about a real person, with a real career and reputation, real friends and colleagues.
This is a film that invites the transgender community to be smarter about accepting serious attempts to tell a nuanced transgender story.
'Man of High Heels' manages to dismantle all the concepts regarding what masculinity is supposed to be from the first sequence, without separating the humor from the action – sometimes crazy, but always precise.
A film full of messages and symbolism in every shot under masterful direction, a noir film emerges in all its expressions, an exquisite and suggestive black humor to address taboo topics such as transsexuality, violence and death itself, in a humorous way.

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The struggle of LBGTQ+ people and the representation of stereotypes in Thai cinema (II)

'The Iron Ladies 2' ('Satree Lek 2') is the sequel to the surprising success of a gay volleyball team, having problems with their success and fame, and the way they reunite after breaking up, due to creative differences. .
Youngyooth Thongkonthun repeats as director, but in the script Sayombhu Mukdeeprom joins Jira Maligool, to take up the story while the members of the volleyball team made up of homosexuals, kathoey (transsexual people) and a cisgender, meet to participate in another tournament.
when the royal team competed and won the national championship in Thailand. The two main characters, Mon and Jung, play two gay transgender women, who are constantly overlooked by volleyball coaches because of their appearance.
However, when Bee takes the reins of a local team after changing coaches, the call is issued to try out for a new team. When Mon and Jung are selected, most of the former players quit, leaving the coach in a difficult situation.
Mon and Jung are then forced to enlist the help of other gay and transgender friends they used to play volleyball with in college. These new players include Wit, who has not told his fiancée that he is gay, Pia, a transgender dancer, and Nong, a gay army recruit. When the competition begins, all but one of the players on the team are gay or transgender.
Due to their appearance on the pitch, many of the match officials intend to exclude the team, soon dubbed "The Iron Ladies", from the tournament. However, seeing the popularity of the team among the crowd will soon change their minds.
In the film's closing credits, the real "The Iron Ladies" are shown as they were at the time of the film's making.
The cast includes Sujira Arunpipat, Kokkorn Benjathikoon, Anucha Chatkaew, Surapun Chawpaknam, Shiriohana Hongsopon, Hathairat Jaroenchaichana, Giorgio Maiocchi, Peter Maiocchi, Chaicharn Nimpulsawasdi, Jesdaporn Pholdee, Phomsit Sitthijamroenkhun, Sutthipong Sitthijamroenkhun, Sahaphap Tor , Aphichart Vongkavee.

Note: The review of the original film of 'The Iron Ladies' 2000 can be found, in MDL, on the page dedicated to this film on said platform.

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The struggle of LBGTQ+ people and the representation of stereotypes in Thai cinema (I)

'The Iron Ladies' ('Satree lek' - 2000) is a comedy-drama film written by Visuttchai Boonyakarnjawa and Jira Maligool.
Based on the true story of a Thai men's volleyball team competing in the 1996 national championship with a squad made up primarily of gays and kathoey (transgender people), the award-winning film explores the struggles that are still present in the Thai LGBTQ+ community through through comedy, despite Thailand's international image as a country open to gay and transgender people.
In the greatest of storytelling traditions, Youngyooth Thongkonthun's debut feature is a true fairy tale with a happy ending, and marked a milestone in LGBTQ+ representation in the media, resonating recognition from international film festivals like the Festival Toronto Film International and several others.
Set in 1996, two gay amateur volleyball players, Chai (Jesdaporn Pholdee) and Mon (Sahaphap Tor) seek to participate in a championship despite being discriminated against.
Mon, who becomes the leader of the team, was a very talented player who constantly failed to be selected for various teams because he was gay. Chai, Mon's best friend, also experienced the same treatment but was always optimistic about things.
Their chance comes when Coach Bee is selected to form a winning team and she announces that the team will be open for everyone to try out. But when he selects Chai and Mon to be part of the team, some of the homophobic players quit in protest.
Bee then asks Mon to find some of his friends to join the team. They select Nong, a gay army sergeant; Pia, the transsexual star of a cabaret show; and Wit, whose parents don't know that their only son is gay.
Written by Strand Releasing. 'The Iron Ladies stars Jesdaporn Pholdee, Sahaphap Tor, Ekachai Buranapanit, Giorgio Maiocchi, Chaicharn Nimpulsawasdi, Kokkorn Benjathikoon and Anucha Chatkaew.
Cinematography was handled by Jira Maligool and editing by Sunij Asavinikul.
Most of them are gay and kathoey, except for one cishet (cisgender and straight) man who struggles to be accepted into the team. All of them must find their inner strengths and come together to face these challenges and participate in the national championship.
Through humor, Thongkonthun touches on sensitive topics that would otherwise have been difficult to cover at the end of the last century and the beginning of this one. It was then the era of depicting homosexuals and transgenders in the media under the old-fashioned cliché of the comic friend or villain, which even today persists on Thai television, but The Iron Ladies reveals the depth of these generally superficial characters.
Based on stereotypical representations of homosexuals (very flamboyant, feminine, happy, fearless), the film uses clichés that were common in the 2000s and are still prevalent today, and takes the stereotypes, gives them depth and appropriates them.
The film stands out for reflecting the struggle of LBGTQ+ people: while the team faces various challenges, each member of the team represents, through their own story, a societal problem that the community faces.
The cast does not fail to make their characters relatable and real within their banal and limited representation, as they mimic the tropes surrounding the representation of LGBTQ+ people in the early 2000s.
Through silly or quick comments, the film's dialogue skillfully addresses the struggles and hurtful comments prevalent in society towards LGBTQ+ people. Through absurd but witty scenes, the characters reflect and talk about love interests, being loved as a transgender person, buying items at a market, making friends, participating in sports, and being discriminated against. All this wrapped in a background of comedy and extravagant shots with vibrant electro music.
'The Iron Ladies' manages to generate controversy and reflection among (inter)national audiences about the representation and behavior towards the LGBTQ+ community.
However, the film is a predictable and over-the-top cliché in every way. Is it worth our attention? Absolutely yes, as it is a piece of history and contextualizing it will give you another view of the stereotypical image of Thailand. However, be aware of the large amount of hyper-shouting.

Note: The review of the sequel to 'The Iron Ladies' 2003 can be found, in MDL, on the page dedicated to this film on said platform.

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Great human story, powerful performances and thought-provoking messages.

A large lake in a provincial city. A derailed train car at the bottom of a tunnel where two children, Mugino Minato (Kurokawa Souya) and Hoshikawa Yori (Hiiragi Hinata), play while mentioning the existence of a monster whose brain has been changed into that of a pig. An 11-year-old elementary school student who cannot get over the recent death of his father. A single mother who runs a laundry and loves her son more than anything. A close mother-son relationship. A teacher, Mr. Hori Michitoshi (Nagayama Eita), worried about his students. Childhood innocence at its best. A scandal involving low-life women in which the professor seems to be entangled. Small and large fires here and there. A school principal erratic in her actions and decisions after (causing?) the death of her grandson in a car accident. Professor's colleagues who appear to be hiding something. The teacher's girlfriend who has begun to doubt him...
Although it seemed like a typical fight between children, the residents and the media are dragged into a drama that unfolds when the main parties involved make contradictory statements.
These are the main elements with which the famous filmmaker Koreeda Hirokazu weaves in '怪物' ('Kaibutsu'/Monster'), a virtuoso and labyrinthine drama with the soul of a puzzle, a brilliant film with a great human story, powerful performances and messages that They invite reflection.
When Minato begins to behave strangely, Saori (Ando Sakura), his parent, senses that something is wrong. Discovering that the person responsible for all this is a teacher, he bursts into the school demanding to know what is happening. But as the story unfolds through the eyes of the mother, the teacher and the boy, the truth slowly comes to light.
With the same fluidity, forcefulness and narrative naturalness that characterizes the filmmaker's work, the film is worthy of being enjoyed by the auteur cinema audience, but it could even appeal to a broader audience due to its genre features, its complicated structural dynamics and the shocking message that the story contains.
The film allows us to immediately connect with personal dilemmas, existential conflicts, thematic areas and secondary characters that dance coherently around the protagonists and the main story.
The sound design, the original music (which I will return to at another time), the editing and photography by Ryûto Kondô, round out the script's discourse, making use of very interesting shots and high-flying staging solutions.
The viewer must be attentive, because the film, precise as an atomic clock and, therefore, prodigious in its virtuosity and perfection, has a misleading timeline and the selective revelation of information prevents the audience from knowing where events are heading. , because she hides her true intentions until the end.
With a defined structure, well thought out from its writing, 'Monster' promptly opens the conflicts and develops them throughout the entire plot. If something was adjusted along the way, it was that the two young protagonists did not lose much in the face of such an ensemble film.
The director tries at all times to ensure that his stories, his conflicts, do not diminish their prominence before a cast made up of established actors and actresses. That was perhaps the biggest rectification of the original script, which is not so much, if we take into account that there is too much love, too much knowledge and passion on the part of the screenwriter about the story he wanted to tell from the beginning. And the audiovisual interpretation of said story at the hands of Koreeda Hirokazu is coherent enough not to get lost in complacency or self-censorship.
Ingeniously designed, subtle and flexible, the filmmaker proposes a stimulating game to the viewer: if the truth seems clear at first, we will discover it little by little, through the points of view of the mother, the teacher and Minato, in that order. , that nothing is ever what it seems.
Skillful as always in awakening the public's empathy, Koreeda, back in his native Japan, invites us to a film that lives up to the plot intensity proposed in the script by the talented Yuji Sakamoto ('Soredemo, Ikite Yuku '('Still, Life Goes On').
In this fascinating journey from darkness to light, as it is done through the cracks left in the different points of view, we find narrative traps distributed in a well-balanced way everywhere, throughout the film story, so that In the end, the viewer becomes aware of what has happened before their eyes.
From the mother's perspective, we enter an atmosphere of suspense, fear, doubt and despair that keeps the viewer in suspense, while the filmmaker tells us Saori's concern about the anomalous behavior of her son, a fifth grade student in a local primary school, with evasive responses and no addressing of their concerns.
At the same time, he hears neighborhood gossip from his clients that points to his son's teacher being involved in a sexual scandal.
Alarmed, she searches for the causes of this strange behavior of her son that has plunged her into confusion, distrust and frustration. Masterfully, Koreeda involves us in Minato's strange antics, but at the same time leads us to feel terrified by Saori's helplessness. No matter how much he investigates and demands a convincing explanation from the school directors and teachers of what is happening, the less he understands Minato's problems.
In this interesting way of touching reality, Koreeda addresses, with depth and lucidity, school bullying, to which more and more layers of complexity are added and to which an easy solution is avoided.
The film, rich in hidden feelings, hidden frustrations and current conflicts, such as abuse in schools and previous trials, is told with great detail and care, and the late Ryuichi Sakamoto's gentle score adds an overall air of reflection and empathy, helping with the nuances rather than reloading the inks.
With a well-cared for story, full of hidden twists that are revealed with time and patience, it changes from the teacher's point of view. Mr. Hori has another version of reality. Perhaps because he is worried about his students, perhaps because he is present in every act of Minato and the rest of the students, he sees the protagonist's situation with other eyes and other nuances that are very different from how Saori perceives it.
Although this narrative arc is, in my opinion, less attractive because it tends, at times, to dramatize and moments in which naturalness is lost, its approach adds complexity to the narrative with a story that continues to be intricately crafted and therefore the use of profound comments on the teacher's ethics, the dynamics of power and the influence of the media in the formation of opinion matrices that can manipulate public opinion. Using clever metaphors to convey ideas keeps the audience's interest afloat.
Although in this new narrative strategy permeated with ambiguity, Koreeda has left intentional gaps in the first two revelations, in the third all the pieces fall into place, with a very moving emotional force, which allows, finally, to narrate the truth behind the Minato's behavior, but this only comes to light from the eyes of children, in that natural innocence and friendly complicity, which as a spirit moves the skeleton of the story: once it is detached from all its layers, it shows its true nature. nature and, in the end, it is nothing more than a beautiful story of friendship and teenage love.
It is then that we realize the poetic puzzle about childhood and its secrets, recreated with an exquisite sensitivity that has allowed Koreeda to show how difficult it is to understand the world of adolescents from the perspective of adults. As perspectives converge and conflicts close, a story of disturbing tenderness begins to emerge, about the way friendship, love, shame and rejection often live within ourselves. The way in which the viewer is led towards a deeper understanding of the characters, once again demonstrates the staunch humanism of the director.
Without being a romantic drama, the strongly suggested childhood infatuation attracts the attention of members of the LGBTQ+ community, who have seen the film as a gay drama by showing a danshoku or love between men.
And they do not sin in assuming it this way, because 'Monster' reflects on the pressure of fitting into the world, especially in the family; the doubts and insecurities inherent to self-discovery and acceptance; the anguish of rejecting sexual identity, the mental tension of hiding a secret, typical of homosexuals, especially in societies where there is still discrimination against the people who make up this human group, such as Japan, as it does not have laws that recognize marriage. homosexual. Many homosexuals will see themselves reflected in the struggles, internal and external, that the two young men go through.
This is a suggestive drama of undeniable lucidity, which combines refined ability in the use of cinematographic language with narrative solidity and intelligence when developing emotions. Its director does not skimp on feelings to give us a profound drama focused on self-acceptance, captured lyrically, to astutely examine childhood and its secrets.
The film provides a new combination of social themes and childhood that, although it is not at the level of the filmmaker's masterpieces, such as 'Nobody Knows' or 'Still Walking', does not falter like 'The Truth' or 'Broker'.
Honest, profound and hopeful, 'Monster' is one of the filmmaker's most ambitious works. Its biggest problem is that, in its desire to document the suffering of its characters, it ends up trapping the viewer in a crossfire of shocks that can make the less experienced lose the narrative thread.

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A story of great visual and auditory beauty, with great emotional depth

Won-Gyu (Won Tae-Hee), a German airline pilot, returns to South Korea after a two-year absence, but only intends to stay a single night. Victim of a homophobic attack some time ago that forces him to live abroad, a decision also motivated by his search for a place where his homosexual condition is more permissive and tolerant, he faces the judgment that the homophobic and conservative South Korean society has on homosexuality. .
The protagonist tries to outwit his nightmare by living in constant transit. His home is anonymous and ever-changing hotel rooms, his connections with others temporary and rootless, of little significance to his life.
In one of those typical, completely evasive encounters, he meets Tae-Joon (Lee Yi-Kyung – (학교 2013/ Hakkyo 2013/ School 2013), a young gay delivery man on a motorcycle, whom he meets through chat websites. Despite Being a few years younger and having a less rewarding and paying job, Tae-Joon is much more comfortable with himself, including his sexual preferences.
On this basis, Korean director Leesong Hee-il writes and directs 'Baekya' ('지난여름, 갑자기'/'White Night'), a 75-minute film that has as its predecessor the short film 'One Night', with which he develops the trilogy known as 'One Night, Two Days' (백야), which includes the medium-length film 'Suddenly Last Summer' (지난 여름, 갑자기/'Jinanyeoreum, gapjagi'), and 'Namjjokeuro Ganda' ('Going South' /남쪽으로 간다), all from 2012, in which three unconnected stories are told that have gay themes in common.
Leesong Hee-il has an extensive filmography since his film debut in 2004 with the short film '동백꽃' ('Dongbaegkkoch'/ 'Camellia Project'), but is probably best known for his 2006 film '후회하지 않아' ('Huhoehaji Anha '/'No Regret'). In 2009, the director contributes to the overall project 황금시대 (Hwang-geumsidae/Short! Short! Short!), and also makes the feature film 탈주 (Talju/Break Away, 2009), before filming the short that begins the trilogy, in 2012.
As in the rest of the three pieces, 'White Night' tells a story of great visual and auditory beauty, but perhaps most important is the emotional depth. The raw honesty of the film's narrative – centered on the often deeply problematic feelings of its characters, all asking difficult but very real questions – is commendable.
Another characteristic of Leesong Hee-il's cinematography is the use of music that accompanies the images in a memorable way, with songs ranging from Western popular music to Korean ballads, being chosen with great care in the purpose. to instill a sense of peace, insane frenzy, sadness, uprooting, loss, abandonment, nostalgia or even melancholy, in contrast to the inner turmoil experienced by the characters.
With a high degree of concision, achieved within extreme brevity and economy of language, as well as by the semantic ambiguity and the interpretative potentials that the film offers, Leesong Hee-il reflects how Taee-Joon does not seek sex for the sake of it and, although not opposed per se to a one-night stand, he harshly rejects Won-Gyu. The director's goal is to expose how people relentlessly pursue a more meaningful and lasting relationship than a sexual romp, like the one Won-Gyu intends to have in a dark public bathroom frequented only by casual lovers.
However, as the night is still young, and these two almost strange individuals continue to gravitate towards each other, in this journey about the complexity of human relationships, accepting the other, emotional pain more than physical, and criticism To a society that still considers homosexuality a perversion, Tae-Joon learns, little by little, about the painful burden that Won-Gyu carries, while the latter, perhaps for the first time, sees an individual who simply accepts himself as such. as he is while accepting the other as he is.
Knowing that perfectionism can destroy creation, so he polishes his works seeking exquisiteness, Leesong Hee-il shows how Won-Gyu's internal conflict comes to the fore through the external conflict that arises when he meets again with a boy who knows about the past, before deciding to try to erase what happened in foreign lands. This climax comes surprisingly early, not to the benefit of the narrative, considering that the film begins as a short film and, perhaps, could have done even better to remain that way.
Furthermore, some of Tae-Joon's actions, in particular his decision to stay by the side of someone he barely knows and who displays quite erratic and then also violent behavior, are not entirely understandable. Be it sexual attraction, sympathy, pity, or whatever reason pushes Tae-Joon to stay with Won-Gyu, her presence is what offers the latter the opportunity to heal his past wounds and realize that a different reality may be possible.
In other words, thanks to Tae-Joon, Won-Guy comes to understand that there may be hope, which is why it's worth returning to South Korea more than once every few years, for more than a single night... and even remain in the country indefinitely.
There is an incredible beauty in the suffocating, depressing, dark, and even demented atmosphere due to the ghosts of the past that haunt one of the two characters and the intertwining of the lives of these young people. Who will not be trapped with the souls that inhabit the film? Who will remain impassive in the face of characters embodied in beings that we have once known or could be ourselves?
The entire trilogy reveals to us a filmmaker with a sure pulse to capture the audience through the use of the right phrase and image, the clarity of the speech. No wonder he is considered "one of the most interesting contemporary gay Asian directors." And in this effort to create stories, reality opens up in a multicolored fan with overlapping layers and blurred borders.
The essence of the film, which had its European premiere at the 2013 Berlinale, followed by screenings in Vancouver, Hong Kong and Jeonju and at the 27th London Gay and Lesbian Film Festival that same year, also lies in the fact that Tae -Joon could very well be precisely the type of person that Won-Gyu needs in his life, like Kyung-Hoon himself needs Sang-Woo in 'Suddenly Last Summer'.
Open-ended like all parts of Leesong Hee-ill's trilogy, 'White Night' feels less gloomy than 'Suddenly Last Summer' and 'Going South', leaving the viewer with the possibility of a long journey towards happiness. still ahead for both characters.
We are facing a stinging film, which digs into the skin and the bones not only because of what it describes, but because we are certain that beings like the main characters are not so few in a world dominated by homophobia in a conservative society that makes It makes homosexuals feel ashamed, which often leads them to blame themselves for not being able to meet the imposed criteria of normality.

Note: The reviews of the remaining pieces of the trilogy, in MDL, can be found on the page dedicated by the virtual platform to each of them.

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Taboo and controversial topics in a piece of goldsmithing that every lover of good cinema should see

The Korean director Leesong Hee-il writes and directs 'Suddenly Last Summer' ('Jinanyeoreum, gapjagi'), from 2012, a 37-minute medium-length film, second part of the trilogy known as '' One Night and Two Days' (백야) that include the feature film 'Baekya' ('White Night') and the short film 'Namjjokeuro Ganda' ('Going South'), three unconnected stories that began as shorts but later expanded, in the case of the first, to a 75-minute film.
His vast work, like a piece of goldsmithing, armed with the finest craftsmanship, shows a filmmaker always attentive to the details, to the subtle articulations of the adventures, with which he won the applause of critics and spectators who, even after more than one decade since its release, they still look for in it the keys to unusual, totally original cinematography, which make Leesong Hee-il one of the most distinguished exponents of Korean auteur cinema in general, and gay-themed cinema in particular. both from his country and, I would dare to say, from all of Asia and much of the world.
Without forcing anything, the director of 'Suddenly Last Summer' plays with reality, stretches it as moldable material, and we end up accepting, without questioning, his invitation to accompany the protagonists on a journey about their sexuality, their relationship and their place. in society. The viewer must be attentive, since the medium-length film begins right in the middle of the story, so the beginning may seem confusing to some.
In that art of telling small things, small memories, small pleasures, small sensations..., which are not so much because, ultimately, together rejoicing, they give meaning to life itself, Leesong Hee-il, considered "one of the most interesting contemporary gay Asian directors", is a skilled filmmaker capable of captivating the most diverse audiences with the power of words and images, involving the audience, in a charming way, in his films, which are all about his favorite subject , gay stories in one form or another.
Leesong Hee-il once again touches on taboo and controversial topics in any modern society, such as homosexuality, the complexity of human relationships, the problematic situation of one lover who is a minor and the other an adult, or the teacher-student role. , and the feelings between people, which on many occasions can be inappropriate, immoral or even prohibited. However, in its subconscious development, it is not something for which individuals can be directly condemned, but those feelings must be acted upon when they are negative.
Another of the values ​​of 'Suddenly Last Summer' and the other two films that make up the trilogy is that its director places the protagonists at some intermediate point in the story, that is, their characters have begun to realize what what they feel, and now they must decide how to act. In the most difficult moment for those involved, when some will triumph while others will falter, it is the ideal moment for Leesong Hee-il to put on the camera lens and begin to tell the story, achieving, through his raw honesty, commendable and unforgettable stories. .
In the medium-length film, its director once again exposes a constant dichotomy in the relationships of his protagonists: one of his characters hides or completely denies his homosexuality, and the other is not afraid to recognize it and even enjoys shouting to the world about his gay status.
In just 37 minutes, the medium-length film raises several controversial points. It is not only the sexuality of the characters that focuses the attention of the audiovisual. Kyung-hoon hides his sexuality from everyone around him, especially the managers and teachers and students at the school where he works. Keeping his homosexuality a secret, his sexual preferences are discovered by Sang-woo, a student of his, when they both meet in a gay bar some time ago.
In a kind of obsession with his teacher, Sang-woo threatens him to reveal everything if he does not agree to his demands, and shows him some photographs captured clandestinely during the meeting held by the two at the gay club.
Fearing that he will lose his job, Kyung-Hoo agrees to spend the day with him. However, the tension between the characters doesn't seem to be related only to Sang-woo's blackmail tactics. While it is evident that Sang-woo is not motivated by a sexual impulse, since he loves his teacher, the entire film suggests that the teacher has feelings for his student.
Sincere about his sexual orientation and love for his teacher, he will claim that he had revealed to his mother that he liked boys, as well as his love for an older man, but Kyung-Hoo's reactions are ambiguous and not transparent.
There is an uncomfortable polarity within the two characters. Due to his youth, Sang-woo is innocent and love and the freedom to be happy lead him to lose himself in a delirious frenzy that drives him to shout, excited, at the fish from the boat, or to act spontaneously and make Kyung-woo listen. Hoon his favorite music after placing the headphones over his ears. He feels transported to another world in which there is no control from society or discriminatory laws and family censorship and disapproval of their children's homosexuality.
The student believes he is invulnerable to what people will say, precisely in a country as conservative as Korea, with strong patriarchal and heteronormative traditions, where homosexuals have difficulty fitting into society and even in the 21st century, sexual diversity continues to be seen as a perversion and considered taboo. But despite his plenitude, Sang-woo is also immature and seemingly unaware of the implications of what he asks of his master.
This one, for his part, is wiser thanks to his age and experience. Kyuung-Hoon is caught between desire and responsibility, between longing and ethics, between good and evil. He is aware that a relationship of this type is not an option, but the hopelessness and unhappiness that surrounds him is evident. His face reveals deep loneliness. Drinking until you get drunk shows that you have found an escape from your sadness in alcohol. He understands that a romance like the one Sang-woo asks for, and he would like to reciprocate, would not have a good result for him. That's why you make the decision to not just deny your feelings to the person you like. She must hurt him again and again with the intention of taking him away from her forever. But the boy persists in his desire to maintain a loving relationship, not just a sexual one, with the teacher. This dilemma that Hyung-Hoon is struggling with causes him great anguish and regret. Sang-woo will not be able to understand why this man who is not afraid to give him furtive glances with a clear sexual connotation in the middle of the class, surrounded by other students, rejects him. He doesn't understand why that person with whom he spent pleasant moments in a gay club and who, like him, doesn't have a boyfriend that prevents him from formalizing a relationship, seems elusive to him.
The essence of 'Suddenly Last Summer' also lies in the fact that Sang-woo could be precisely the kind of person that Kyung-hoon needs in his life, just as Won-gyu himself needs Tae-jun in 'White Night'.
Although the fact that one is a minor and the other an adult, as well as the teacher/student relationship are socially and ethically problematic, the first problem would be irrelevant (at least if the parties involved considered it so) and would have a solution in a short term, taking into account that Sang-woo has less than twelve months left to reach 19 years of age, and with this, the legal age of sexual consent in South Korea. Leesong Hee-il voluntarily introduces this problem to play subtly and skillfully with the viewer by addressing such a complex issue, while pointing out that it can be overcome. No matter how difficult or incomprehensible their reality may be for others, the terrain where the two protagonists move is not perpetual: within a short time the young man would reach the age of adulthood and with this the hope for what each of them currently wants, but they can't specify.
Regarding his roles as a teacher-student, this problem also has an immediate solution, as we know that, through a phone call to a friend, Kyung-Hoon is desperately trying to find a job at another school.
Within the trilogy, 'Suddenly Last Summer' is the most successful film among the three. Its value also lies in the deeply uncomfortable and highly problematic questions it raises about homosexual relationships and society.
But its reach goes much further. Unlike another 'No Regret' (2006), another film by Leesong Hee-il, the focus of the medium-length film, as well as the other segments of 'One Night and Two Days', focuses exclusively on the characters' feelings, using simple narratives and many fewer twists than Leesong Hee-il's first feature film.

Note: The reviews of the remaining pieces of the trilogy, in MDL, can be found on the page dedicated by the virtual platform to each of them.

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The opportunity to correct the mistakes we have made in our lives

Without a doubt, 'Soon of Macho Dancer', 2021, (Original title 'Anak Ng Macho Dancer'), can be considered the legitimate heir to the film series started by 'Macho Dancer' (1988), in which rentboys confront to the sordid realities of poverty in the Philippines. In fact, its director, multi-award-winning filmmaker Joel C. Lamangan, stated that his film was the first authentic sequel to Lino Brocka's greatest global success.
This last film was followed by other films with high-voltage homosexual themes such as 'Midnight Dancers' (1994), 'Burlesk King' (1999), 'Twilight Dancers' (2006), all directed by the late Mel Chionglo, interested in continue exploring the world of dancers who pose in scanty clothing for the homosexual clientele of Filipino venues.
Let us not forget that Brocka first attempted to depict the underworld of male prostitution through a largely improvised sequence in 'Maynila: Sa mga Kuko ng Liwanag' (1975), most of which was removed after the author of the original novel opposed the invention.
Considering the defiance and frustration that Brocka expressed just before his unexpected sudden death, 'Soon of Macho Dancer' could very well be the film he would have made had he survived to the present and the current discontents in the Filipino population, not very different from those of his time. No greater award can be given to a Filipino filmmaker who claims to have made a work worthy of the highest aspirations of the director of 'Macho Dancer', and Lamangan's film turns out to be one of those rare cases.
Most of the characters in these films have in common that they are overwhelmed, defeated by the sad political and socioeconomic reality of the Philippines, which is why they will be forced to practice prostitution as a means of escape from misery, in addition to being driven to claim freedom. lost dignity, without ignoring the insularity of the situation of sex workers.
'Macho Dancer' paved the way to investigate the degeneration induced in the Filipino population in general, and the male population in particular, by the presence of US military bases that curtail national sovereignty while exercising a not-so-hidden political and economic power. but they abandoned those concerns once the main character leaves for Manila or another major city in the country.
Lamangan, who played the role of a rebellious queer lady in 'Macho Dancer', 33 years after its controversial premiere, gives 'Soon of Macho Dancer' the same perspective of a hellish underworld. In this film, the director continues the story through Pol's son, the protagonist of that film, also forced to enter the sordid world of prostitution, when the coronavirus begins to reveal itself as a pandemic.
This pessimistic vision of today, which, however, is not as dark, sordid and sensual as the original, revolves around the coming of age of Inno, a 19-year-old boy who, together with Karla (Elora Españo), his girlfriend, sells clothes online offering sensual dances in front of her mobile camera with the aim of motivating the client, she has to help her father Pol (Allan Paule), a retired stripper addicted to drugs. His dancing skill will be shown later in another gloomy and dark setting.
To get out of debt and pay bail for his father, who is frequently imprisoned for public scandals associated with drugs, Tere (Rosanna Roces), Inno's mother, forces him to work in a male strip club. Like any merchandise, he sells it to Mama Jimmy (Jim Pebanco), the owner of the establishment and retired macho dancer: "He dances well and has a good penis." Faced with Inno's resistance, he assures him: "Your penis will be very successful here." In another scene he instructs him: “Use your head. If you are offered the opportunity to choose between being supported by a gay pimp or a woman, be sure to choose the richer one.”
But just when Inno starts working, Tere, who had turned to prostitution to support the family after Pol's car accident, abandons her son and her husband. At the same time, the club's premises close due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Circumstances put pressure on Inno's life, and he finds himself in need of money like never before. The family dynamic has changed drastically, as the father demands cash to pay for the drugs. Faced with this reality, he breaks up with Karla, whom he considers a hindrance, and delves into the exercise of selling his body in order to survive.
In Club Mankind, Inno will meet Bambi (Jaclyn Jose), a former prostitute who organizes private parties to sexually satisfy the rich. Inno, as "fresh meat" placed on the sales platform, is invited by Bambi to join those parties, but at the first opportunity he fails to be chosen by Kyle (Ricky Guimera), the attractive 19-year-old boy in charge of choose the young man with whom you will have sex.
Although initially nauseated by the abject nature of his new sex work (as opposed to the dancing for the audience, male or female, or escorting that he used to do at Mankind), Inno manages to find some professional equanimity in selling his body, motivated by his father's deteriorating health, increasing financial pressures, and buoyed by the camaraderie of his fellow dancers.
"This place is a pit stop for you. But it's a happy stopover for those kids looking for a better life. I know it's what you want. But don't let your heart guide you. Reject anger. Use your head. That's it the only thing that will help you." With the advice of Mama Jimmy who transmits her experiences as a veteran macho dancer, very similar to those of Tere, Inno turns out to be more skillful than expected. He understands that it was not Kyle, who he would have to conquer in his quest for a better life, but Jun Mallari, the wealthy gay businessman hidden in the next room, who masturbates while watching his favorite sex toy on the cameras with the boy on duty.
In this way, the main character of this film that combines drama, thriller, prostitution and homosexuality, seduces Jun, attracted by the life full of comforts that it offers him, becoming his new sexual puppet and abandoning his father, without to know what awaits him in that world that has opened its terrifying doors to him. Feeling like owner and lord of the mansion he shares with Jun, he will soon want to escape from it and get away from hell.
It turns out that the additional challenges that await the narrative hero increase from this point, quickly and terrifyingly, without giving us time to catch our breath. The turning point occurs in a chain of events that begins with Pol's arrival at Jun's house to look for his son, and the plunge that the protagonist suffers into an underworld of drugs, violence, crimes and parties to which his Millionaire lover invites prostitute boys.
From the get-go, Kyle warns Inno to stay away from Jun before it's too late. But Inno, mistakenly believing that he is acting out of jealousy, turns a deaf ear and ends up entering a world even more violent than the one he was escaping from.
Throughout these dramatic changes, Lamangan ensures that we are aware of Inno's plight by maintaining unconditional empathy with the character he seeks to save at all costs.
The film shows a sordid and violent world, in which the main character will see his self-esteem gradually diminish, especially when a client asks a male dancer to do something he doesn't like. It is natural. The loss of dignity and virility due to the money he needs to survive marks his path. "My father was a whore. My mother was a prostitute on the streets. And I, another whore. We are a family of whores!", Inno confesses to Bambi, who has recognized in Pol the macho dancer with whom he interacted in last.
The film aims to open the viewer's eyes to the unbearable facts and circumstances of life. The protagonist himself makes it clear in an interview: "Not all of us are lucky enough to have the opportunities that are presented to us, so we do not have the right to fire or judge someone for their choices (…) I am not saying that these macho dancers They may be saints but they all fight for their lives and the lives of their loved ones. They all have a story that we must understand and respect. When you hear their stories, if people take the time to really listen to them, it will impact you a lot. Others have already arrived to the conclusion that your choice is easy."
"Soon the Macho Dancer" fully fulfills its purpose of making the public reflect and inviting them to controversy.
'Anak ng Macho Dancer' leaves me with some life lessons. Among these, the way in which Inno overcomes the consequences of his actions and choices that lead him to live a true hell stands out. He's not just fighting for his life. What Inno believes is right for the people he loves, he does it head-on. He knew that his choices are not good, and in the face of the consequences of the choice, there is a lesson to be learned. Mistakes and struggles, also triumphs, are an integral part of human life.
The viewer should keep in mind the film's message, summarized in Pol's words to Bamby: "We still have the opportunity to correct the mistakes we have made in our lives."
Even with less than ideal material, Lamangan is able to guarantee stellar performances. The filmmaker resorts to exposing, very accurately, a decidedly negative queer image seen before in his other films, such as Lockdown, in which the higher the position of the gay character rich in money, the more malevolent he turns out to be. However, this disturbing state of affairs should be seen as post-queer, rather than homophobic.
The rich characters possess what the citizens who live in poverty need, which allows the macho dancers to carry out pecuniary transactions with wealthy clients that they could never find outside this world of prostitution and lust.
The greatness of Inno's character lies in his status as a redeeming hero who, by saving himself, saves.

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A double switch to brighten our lives

This 2013 Filipino screwball satirical comedy film, starring Zanjoe Marudo and Cristine Reyes, tells the story of twins Brando and Brandy. Despite the physical similarity, both are very different from each other. While the first is heterosexual and has no ambitions in life, the other is a friendly gay who has a career plan.
Brandon is attracted to Erika, Brandy's best friend, but she breaks up with him after realizing that Brandon has no plans for the future.
The homophobic Brando cannot accept that his brother is gay, so he decides to distance himself from him and make his own life independently. To do this, he will plan to start a car repair business and become a mechanic. Brandy, for her part, sets out on her own path to try to make her dream come true.
Eight years later we see Brandy become a successful interior designer, while Brandon still struggles to make ends meet.
Based on real events, the plot delves into each person's journey along their respective paths. Everything seems to indicate that they will never unite again, until one day, their mother begs them to put aside their differences and reconcile. Moved by her mother's plea, Brandy goes out to find her brother to make peace, but suffers an unfortunate accident that leaves him in a coma.
While Brandy remains in the hospital, Brando learns that just before the accident occurred, his brother was putting the finishing touches on negotiating a multimillion-dollar design deal with a client.
Fearing that Brandy will lose the multimillion-dollar business, Brandy's two close friends convince Brando to pull a double switch and pose as his gay brother. Then he will make the second most important decision of his life: So Brando, the straight, homophobic, tough and sexist, becomes the gay Brandy!
This is where the fun begins with Brando juggling Brando and Brandy.
By usurping his gay brother's identity he will not only allow Brando to solve all of his financial problems. It comes with another surprise: It will also give him the chance to patch things up with Erika (Cristine Reyes), Brandy's good friend, who he's always been in love with!
But it doesn't all end here: pretending to be the gay twin will mean that while he tries to prevent a multimillion-dollar business from failing and, in the process, get the love of a girl, he will look at the person he has always hated with different eyes, and acquire a new appreciation for him. by living your life.
In this world gone crazy, with Brando taking on Brandy's cheerful personality, what real chance is there of life returning to normal for the twins? Will Brandy wake up in time, discover the switch her twin flipped, and save the situation?
With a script by Olivia M. Lamasan, Joel Mercado, Enrico C. Santos, Danno Kristoper Mariquit, Kriz G. Gazmen, Kathy Despa and Ays De Guzman, and direction by Wenn V. Deramas, the film features the now Filipino star Kokoy DeSantos will play the twins as teenagers, while Maliksi Morales will play the young Brando and Brandy, and finally Zanjoe Marudo will play the twins as adults.
Filled with comedic moments, 'Bromance: My Brother's Romance' is Skylight Films' first foray into the comedy genre. Even in serious situations, they look for hilarious and over-the-top reactions, which makes it fun to watch.
Zanjoe Marudo achieves a brilliant and natural performance by playing, interchangeably, Brando and Brandy in three different roles: gay man, straight man and straight man who pretends to be gay.

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