STORY: This story isn't about BL, really. It's about broken families of two boys who became friends but moved away and met again later in life and rediscover their feelings towards each other. This story is so great but you probably will not like the ending. It made me sad for quite a while. While it is not a tragic in the sense of someone dying, but a realistic choice that one of the guys had to make, to put his family before himself. That's life.
ACTING/CAST: The boys were young and the older versions still young, but I felt they did a good job. They are cute together.
MUSIC: Since one is a musician, this show had some real good songs. The love song Mew sings was translated (yay!) and the lyrics melt the heart.
REWATCH VALUE: I could not watch this a second time without having a friend with me.
OVERALL: This movie has many warm and fuzzy spots as well as some soul-crushing sad spots, but I believe it was worth the ride. Don't pass this one up because of the ending. You would be missing out on a good story.
TL;DR: A great story about love, loss, family, love rediscovered, and love sacrificed. Worth the trip. Bring tissue for the tears.
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This review may contain spoilers
find the Director's cut
If you can find it, the Director's Cut really makes the story make a lot more sense. It adds only 20-30 minutes but frankly I'm not sure why those scenes were cut while the long boring parts of the father in the hospital remained. It clocks in at 3 hours though so it is quite long.This is one of my all-time favorite films. While it's not perfect it still makes me cry in all of the same places, especially the ending. For me Ying was the most important character and the hero of the film. But I am a sucker for unrequited love stories and characters who give up their loves because it's best for everyone.
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It is a layered family drama, at the center of which is the love story of two young teenagers. The movie was controversial in Thailand because the two teenagers happen to be both boys ;) It is a sweet story, an almost fairy tale, but the ending is well, I won't spoiled it but it is still controversial to this date.
The movie is beautiful. The final scene always brings me to tears, not because it makes me sad, but because it makes me so happy for the characters and because it makes me realize how important love is in our lives.
I will end this review by saying, go watch if you haven't. You won't regret it, I promise.
BTW Viewers of this movie usually end up split into two categories after watching it: those who think it has a happy ending and those who think it does not. I am of the latter, as I think the ending is not perfect but it is happy for all involved.
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nostalgia, for me
just rewatched this movie. director's cut again, of course. it's as good to me as it was 5/6 years ago. if not even better. there are little details i noticed this time that i missed the last time. like the director's guest appearance or the beatles & elvis presley posters or the little prince photo album cover, etc.. my overall focus on the movie got somewhat redistributed. mew remains my very much favorite. tang remains a mystery. ying & tong got a beautiful friendship, that's something i almost forgot about. also, x & mew's friendship.what's more, i understand tong a bit differently this time; the timeline of changes in his thoughts and feelings & growth. which is why my interpretation of the ending shifted a bit. idk if i should be sad about that or what. but it's more difficult this time to accept it haha.
as for mew, i think i understand him better now, though not differently. like, the posters on his room wall & the resuscitation event.. or the ending scene. these really tell more about his character.
one thing is, after this time, i really wanna watch it in hq, to enjoy the cinematography. i only now realize the visual of this movie is actually really good!
btw, after love of siam, pchy said he'd prefer working behind the scenes more rather than being in the spotlight. and now he's the executive producer of the drama "the yearbook". it's got a bit of los vibe i'd say. and although idk how much he was involved in the making process of the drama, i like to think this kinda shows how los left a long running impact on him. and i'm happy for him.
(it's pchy's birthday in 2 days. advanced happy birthday and all the good wishes.)
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This review may contain spoilers
Long review, just like the movie
I avoided this movie for SO LONG, to be honest, one of the reasons was – the movie is almost 3 hours long. I found it on youtube, uploaded ages ago, so the fact that it will be available at any time was one of the reasons I was not in a hurry. I watched Thai BL movies and series – so many of them, so the expectation from something made in 2007...they were very low. And some more new, and fresher were straight-up rubbish, let us be honest. So I avoided it a bit.BUT... Once I started, I had that „Dew the movie“ vibe, even though they have absolutely nothing in common... I was shortly hooked and almost 3 hours passed like 45 minutes, and not a minute more. The weirdest thing is that I caught myself praying for a happy ending like a teenage girl that I am (definitely) NOT. And the ending was... well I tried to find the right words, and BITTERSWEET was something that fitted it perfectly.
What I loved:
• Acting, boys were great
• Music was fun. It is not my cup of tea, but it nicely followed the youth, the emotions, and the overall storyline
What I didn’t like:
• Some deep issues were merely touched so I would skip some details from the story if I do not have enough time to tell them with the depth that these details require
• Ending. I love the complexity of a tragedy or unfulfilled love. The whole concept of the one that got away, secret crushes, and all the forbidden loves type of stories are my jam. I like a bit of sadness at the end. But this time was different, either I was becoming super soft and emotional, or … the ending sucked.
I understand the symbolism of the Christmas ornaments etc…I just do not understand if this ending was intentionally made to be easier for the straight and homophobic audience, or what…
I love you, I told my mom I prefer boys, you love me back, I kissed you first…but I cannot be your boyfriend. Well, it might be a teen thing, again, it has been a while since I was in their skin experiencing my first gay crush…I might felt differently back then. I do not know!
CONCLUSION: I liked the movie, I am thinking about it. I think if the movies and the series that came after 2007 analyzed this story close enough there would not be bad series today. I felt like Love of Siam has a stronger story, stronger emotion, and the stronger impact than the tones of BLs that came after. Thankfully, that is changing now.
Overall, I can say that I would be proud that in 2007, in my country I had an opportunity to watch something that resembles Love of Siam. But that was not the case!
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This movie is the first BL production that I watched. This is the sole reason why I watch BL movies and series until now. This set the bar so high for me in BL movies and series.
Anyone can relate to this movie. Almost everyone has come to a point in their life where they fell in love with someone they cannot get. You have felt and related to Mew or Tong sometime in your life.
I recommended this movie to all my friends, even straight friends that don't like BL in general, and they LOVE IT. Their is not a single person that I recommended this movie that came back to me with a bad review.
Yes the ending was bad and all of us want a happy ending but, the ending makes the movie more relatable! It's reality. Not everyone will have a happy ending. In other point of view, the ending gives hope. Mew didn't thanked Tong because of the gift! He thanked him because Tong gave him hope of someday the winds can change directions.
So, do I recommend this movie for all to watch? STRONGLY YES! Well it is obvious on my review. Hehe. You should watch this movie atleast once. I'm sure you'll not regret it!
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Coming of age at its best!!
So having heard a lot about this film being the Kickstarter of the BL craze that gripped Thailand and other countries and being a big BL fan myself I decided to give this a try and honestly I was glad I did coz I loved it...but we warned, this is not your typical BL story. Though the focus is on the romantic plot that develops between 2 boys who have known each other since a long time, the movie also delves into the subject of loss and family love. It realistically depicts the conclusion of the love between 2 people from the same gender which most of the times doesn't end happily in the face of societal and parental pressure but becomes a beautiful memory that is cherished for a lifetime. Mario's Character says in the movie "I can't be your boyfriend but that doesn't mean that I don't love you" which says a lot about the inner struggle faced by those who fall in love with someone from the same gender. The ending is bittersweet but beautiful and touching!!Everyone from the cast does a brilliant job including Mario Maurer in his debut role but for me the scene stealer was Pchy as Mew. He gave such a nuanced performance as a boy who has a deep crush on his childhood friend who is also his inspiration to write love songs. His heartbreak is visible on his face when he is forbidden to have any contact with Tong and he does the heavy lifting of most of the emotional scenes of the movie effortlessly. Special mention to Ying, a character which should be an example for BL writers on how to write non toxic female characters.
The OST and the background score really added to the depth of the movie, specially the song sung by Mew for Tong, which perfectly captures the essence of first love!!
I will recommend this one to anyone looking for a coming of age movie with a very realistic and bittersweet story!!
N.B :- For a film made 14 years ago, it has a surprisingly good kiss between the main leads which is way better than the kisses we see in a lot of BLs in the current times
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This review may contain spoilers
My first love
My first ever review in MDL for my 'first love'.It's been a long time since the first time I wacthed this movie, maybe almost 10 years ago? When I only can access the 360p ver. But, oh my... It's really left deep impression for me and the ending made me cry like a heartbroken girl.
For me the ending is the best ending they can offer. It's realistic at that time and if I'm not wrong it's one of the earliest gay movie from Thai.
The story is simple. Friends. Family. Love. But it's make you feel giddy, nostalgic, frustrated and wanna cry under the shower. One of my fav scene is the one with Tong and his mother when they decorating the Christmas tree. "What if I choose one and you don't like it again?" and the one when Mew sing a song and steal a glance with Tong. That's smiles aarggghh
So if you not watch it yet, you need to watch it now and you'll never regret it.
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Other fans may consider Love of Siam film the Father of BL because of its romantic inclinations between the two protagonists. However, a true BL fan knows that Boy's Love has the essence that transcends acceptance irregardless of one's gender preference. Furthermore, the thailand based movie views homosexuality as a walk through the gallows and a burden that one can suppress and neglect. Arguably one of the worst movie with gay characters; poorly-made family flick that lacks focus, coherence, and mundane camera angles and directing that makes the most excited viewers snooze halfway through the show.
3/10
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Film zajímavý, třináct let starý a rozhodně v něm není gay linka ta hlavní a snížil bych míru gay obsahu. Zpočátku se příběh trošku vleče, tím lze vysvětlit i stopáž v délce 2,5 hodiny. Postupně se ale osudy jednotlivých postav nabalují až vše nakonec vyvrcholí, a to nejen v závěru. Nejvíce se mi líbili oba hlavní představitelé (ti starší) Tong a Mew, ale i Tongovi rodiče, především matka, která měla možná hlavnější roli (a dobře ji zahrála), jako oba kluci. Nakonec, Tongovi rodiče si střihli znovu podobné role o 13 let později, tentokráte rodiče Deana v seriálu Until We Meet Again. Celková spojenost a mírné překvapení, neboť od tohoto filmu jsem tolik nečekal.
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Beautiful gowns
While maintaining its beauty and poignancy throughout its 150-minute run, I'd be a liar if I said that the lengthiness of this coming-of-age film wasn't felt after the 2nd hour. There's also an issue with the movie biting off more than it can chew. There are a few storylines with no storyline feeling like it takes precedence over the other.The romance between the two male leads feels like it should be the main focus of the plot but for me, it felt like a subplot to the storyline with Tong's family. And without spoiling much, I'll just say that that entire storyline felt implausible and out of place in this move.
And then there's the ending... and don't get me wrong; I'm not complaining about the ending because it wasn't the ideal happy ending. I'm complaining because it ended on a bittersweet note just for the sake of doing so. It set itself up perfectly for the happy, ideal ending and then, for no reason, it took a left turn. It was a transparent attempt at being "realistic" but failed due to its very own plot and character development.
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