STORY:
The Good:
This film actually started really strong with a great steamy opening that slightly gave us what was promised in the trailer. The story follows the main character, Nack, who is in his last year of High School and on a journey of sexual self-discovery after an eye-opening event at the start of the film. I actually really enjoyed the first half of the film and I must give praise to the director for his artistic approach. Shots where there was not much communication between characters used a lot of symbolism which gave each scene a bit more depth. It's nothing groundbreaking or thought provoking, but it does add weight to the very simple dialog. For example, Nack's character's religion is christian and so Toy (his love interest) gifts him a religious pendant to wear as a gift. It's these little things and the reasoning behind them that give the story layers. A lot of the films strength is used in the films imagery and the deeper meanings behind the characters actions (ie. a hug, a stare, giving a git). It reminds us how even in real life, the little things can mean so much more when you think about the intention behind them. The interactions between Nack and Toy are also adorable and sincere as you see them get to know each other and go on cute dates.
The Bad:
The second half of this film really falls flat as it feels like a plot that's been done many times before. It makes this film feel like a remake of another Thai BL movie called 'The Love Of Siam', and even though I loved that movie, this just seems like a rehash of that plot to a tee. I also find that this movie spoils itself when trying to be too symbolic with it's dialog and making setups for predictable endings. The weak and predictable conflict of the film comes off as lazy writing to me and really overshadows the beauty and depth of the first half of the film. It also left me confused as to the motivations of Toy's character and whether his character was trying to be friendly or romantic. It's this confusion that creates a conflict of it's own between the two main characters and it just doesn't make much sense. There was also a huge lack of kissing scenes. I was just really confused at how the actors could rub crotches against each other and cuddle half-naked but not even give us a single smooch!
ACTING/CAST:
I actually thought the cast did an amazing Job with the script they were given and at giving these characters a great deal of personality with the minimal dialog they had to work with. Overall they were very convincing. My only complaint was the last scene between Nack and Toy by the pool. It just felt so dry and I wasn't feeling the emotions that the scene was supposed to convey. But I think that's mostly the script and directors fault more than the actors.
MUSIC:
The music was very nice and it fit the tone of the overall movie. I especially enjoyed the ending theme when the credits rolled up.
REWATCH VALUE:
Honestly I don't think this is an easy rewatch for me, unfortunately. The ending really put a damper on the whole movie and just negated all of the great things this film had to offer at the beginning. It was somewhat a disappointment
OVERALL:
This film had a great start with a lackluster ending. The cast did a great job in creating a believable, enthralling atmosphere and environment. The intimate scenes where nice, despite the lack of kissing scenes. I'd say this movie makes a good one time watch to fill the gap between seasons of other dramas. Other than that, I don't think this is a movie I will remember from years to come.
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This review may contain spoilers
Plenty of students but no sweet boy's to be found.
At first, we were made to believe that Nack would get together with Petch. He then turned out to be an asshole. Petch just wanted some fun, meaning he wanted to try it with a guy when he already had a girlfriend. Then when Nack rejected him, he became so bitter and went for Pong instead. Pong was just a bully. I didn't get why he was so obsessed with bothering Nack.Then we finally had some positivity incoming. Toy. He seemed to like Nack and gave a lot of mixed messages. Well, they weren't even mixed. He seemed like he was into Nack first, actually. But alas, he disappointed me. To me, it seemed like he couldn't accept that he liked Nack, or more so that Nack was a guy.
Nack's mother was terrible. Religion should not be something you use to be a hateful person. She was just homophobic. No excuses were necessary. As if your child being gay would be the end of the world, but you know, it was for Nack's happiness that she split them apart. Right?
The ending was just so disappointing. They made it seem like Nack was happy in the end. In reality, he had probably just learned to live with his unhappiness. They kept preaching that "Time heals everything" and such, which isn't always the case.
There were too many shots of young boy's crotches for comfort. It was weird.
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This review may contain spoilers
I'm sick and tired of most Asian LGBT series or movie ending like sh*t. First, there is not such thing as liking someone that identifies with your same sex and not being gay.
Second, most certainly not every gay has a girlfriend/boyfriend, and most definitely not every one in the exact same period of time that they realize they like their best friend, coworker or else.
Third, you can choose to be with the person you love and have a happy ending (I know there are a few dramas that end well but it's the minority).
Fourth, you can break up with the person you are dating before you act on your desires.
Fifth, if you don't want to be with someone, or you start having feelings for someone else while in a relationship you should break up with the person you are with, you don't have to wait till that person cheats, or gives you a reason, not wanting to be in a relationship is reason enough.
Last but not least: BEING GAY IS NOT A BAD THING, IS NOT A LIFE SENTENCE, OR SOMETHING TO HATE YOURSELF FOR, IS JUST LIKE YOUR TYPE OF BLOOD, OR YOUR ZODIAC SIGN, IS JUST ANOTHER FEATURE ABOUT YOU THAT'S ALL.
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A storyline:
Its really beat around bush sometimes to straight into a point. At first i feel kind of boring but after a few minutes later it such an enjoyable to watch when they try to context with each other.
A plot:
I was about to finish one of a fantastic book it called Simon vs the homo sapiens agenda. I am looking forward to find some of a bromance movie that is similar to this one. I Found It. A Sweet boy movie is kindly the same as the book i used to read and it is coincident that i am expected.
An opinion:
I actually like to watch this movie and i hope there gonna be season2.
Anyway there is no way to have kind of guy who try to contact with you and do such an certain things . Seriously ????
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I watched the trailer and I was so excited to watch the film. I honestly thought I would enjoy it. But it really disappointed me. The storyline is empty and meaningless, the characters don't seem to learn anything throughout the movie, the dialogue is poor... everything is just disappointing. The actors did a good job, given the circumstances. It started off pretty well but the two last thirds of the film did nothing for me. And I felt quite offended with the message of this film. I felt as if they were saying being gay is a phase, and that it's wrong. I wasted my time watching it. I gave it 4 stars because I felt bad for the actors but after writing this review I'm thinking of giving it 1 star lol.
update: I changed it to 1 star.
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The actor who played Toy was probably the strongest but, as the story continued, I felt less and less interested in Toy and Nack as a couple to root for. As a rule, I'm not a fan of the "I'm only gay for you" bullshit that BLs often perpetuate, but that's not why I'm not a fan of the film. For me, it was just boring and without a compelling plot/resolution.
I did enjoy the pool and swimming scenes. Thailand looks so gorgeous I will have to make it a priority to visit soon!
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Will never watch it again.
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This review may contain spoilers
This literally had no point...
Romance? Where?Coming of age? Where?
See the cast and acting wasn't bad. The issue is this had no direction or point whatsoever.
1. This is advertised as a BL. It is not. They try to rope you in with some "steamy" scenes, but thankfully this is not very steamy. Chimon, who I did not even recognize until looking this movie up on MDL, was 16 when this came out (younger if they filmed any year beforehand). The sexualizing they did was bad enough so thank goodness they didn't have him in actual NC scenes. Yuck.
2. The main character's sexuality was not determined or pursued. So how is this a coming of age? He watched a guy get a blowie and was like hmmm that's hot. But he rejected the guy interested in him. He ended up befriending another guy, Toy, and falling for him, who rejected him. Toy's sexuality is presumed straight, despite everyone insisting he was in the closet, there is not enough context to confirm this. The two guys the lead encounters were blips on the radar. His mom also rejected the possibility of him being gay too. So it immediately got swept under the rug all together. Like they really said nevermind this is actually about him going to college. ??♀️
3. He tried to unalive himself and his friends just popped up out of nowhere. The ending was so rushed and stupid. Then it just focused on him getting into college through a couple time jumps and then he and Toy become friends again.
Literally what was the point of this movie? Speedos. Underdeveloped plot masquerading as a romance as an excuse to get a bunch of speedos on screen. So unless I saw a different version than everyone else, that was it.
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Story - I agree that the story is not solid. At first it takes a couple weird turns. It's unexpected. They are not swimmers. This is not about a swim team. However I think the different tangents the storyline goes off on helps introduce the characters really well and more importantly what kind of world Nack or Chimon (actor name) lives in. There is also a part about his devout Christian mother, but this storyline remains unfinished. I don't know if I like that or dislike that because it's a controversial storyline anyways.
The story overall is GOOD. The ending is not really happy or unhappy. It has a lesson at the end, but it is up to the viewer whether to agree with it or not. The story is DEFNITELY enjoyable though if you're here for some BL. It's also a smooth watch in general even if you're not a crazy BL fan.
Acting/ Cast - I'm a fan of Chimon, so I'm a little biased. Chimon, the main actor, is very good though. He acts good! The other main male character/ his partner also delivers for the part. There's nothing bad to say about their acting. If you watched Thai BL before.. it's about average with all other series and movies.
However the main character, Nack, has a group of friends. They are not a huge part of this movie, but I never felt the real connection between them and Nack.. I started to ask myself if they really saw him as an equal friend, but I think it's a mix of them being newer actors and how the storyline was written.. not really much can be helped there.
All the other supporting characters definitely delivered though.
Music - I don't really ever pay attention to music.. I like the story more. From what I remember it was pretty good.. I think.
Rewatch Value - If you're into BL, this is something to consider to watch again in the future. It's a light-hearted movie that's not typical or overly anything really. It's a good movie. I will probably watch it again.
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Time doesn't heal everything.
To be fair, I didn't have high expectations so wasn't terribly disappointed when everything went the way it did. Really not a fan of gay-shaming or the assertion that time heals everything though. Or the whole 'religious morals' thing.
There were a few sweet moments which were - imo - sadly overshadowed by the more unpleasant ones. Also, the attention paid to crotch shots was more than a bit disturbing. And not just because they didn't actually add to the movie in any discernable way...
Overall I think the actors did well despite the lacklustre story but yeah, wouldn't watch again.
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