A sad but great story
I really liked the story; it's one I think back to often. It's not a happy story, but it's a really good one. It's definitely more of a movie about gay people than a BL (if that makes sense). The characters really intrigued me in this. The spice factor was pretty decent as well. The actors did a great job.Was this review helpful to you?
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Truly one of the most cinematic pieces of media
I will never stop praising this film, I've watched it at least 10 time and without doubt each time I watch it I will always be taken aback by the emotional connection the actors are able to transfer through the characters. This is everything I was looking for when it came to representation of religion and the struggles internally of being lgbtq, honestly this is one of the best pieces of media to exist ever. On top of this, despite not necessarily liking time jumps I think the way in which this was done at the ending was really special and was very important in portraying the message throughout.Was this review helpful to you?
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Go for it!
Go for it!Set in the post martial rule of Taiwan, where homosexuality is still a taboo, this movie presents the life of 2 high-schoolers, one silent and the other crazy. But even when both fall for each other, only the silent one dares to speak the truth while the other runs from reality.
The story is really real. The convent school, the strictness. This movie actually potrayed all of that without any filters. Showcasing the reality of reactions of society including you teachers, peers and family towards same gender relationships was done very well.
The actors did a great job which carried most of the movie. Edward Chen, marvelous acting. The scene where he asks what's wrong being queer, my God! That was painful to watch. Same with Tseng Jinghua. First and foremost. He looks so much like Yangyang it's crazyyy! His acting is splendid too. When he listens to the song by Jiahan, woah! You could feel the pain through the screen. The side characters were great too. I really liked the father at the school. His character had such weight. And finally, knowing that the story was based on the director's real life without the reunion at the end, man! Now we have yet another human to cry for ㅠㅠ.
But I would say, I personally am the kind to get very emotional but this one didn't feel too deep. I expected me to be more invested going into this movie. Something in the second half just didn't hit the mark.
Yet, I would say you watch it. I think I would rewatdh it. And that's because this movie was very organic; very natural. Not overdramatic, not overboard. Raw and real. So ya, 7.5/10 👍
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DO NOT WATCH THIS!! BUT PLEASE WATCH THIS!!!!
okay i’m not great at reviews there’s a reason i never write them but i couldn’t not write a review for this movie. Honestly the only reason i watched it was because Zhang Hao from ZB1 sang one of the OSTs on live and i thought “hey let’s watch this random movie hao obviously likes!” without looking into it anymore. biggest mistake of my life.Honestly if you don’t like to cry this movie is NOT FOR YOU. It had me sobbing to the point of hyperventilating and nearly throwing up more than once. But i think that also proved just how well written and amazing the acting of this film is and how clearly the passion of the director and writer (who this story is based on) shows through.
This movie is so worth a watch as long as you know what you’re getting yourself into and want to cry a river!
I’d also recommend looking up a list of TW for this movie if there are certain things your sensitive too :)
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Some of the actualities of an LGBTQ+ love-life.
I cannot emphasize how much, I am in a state of dilemma, on whether I should be sad about the ending of the story or rest on the bitter realization that not every love story would be a happy one. The story wholly describes how a person comes to terms with their sexuality, and how they develop feelings for the wrong person. I am so content with how Jia-Han had accepted being gay, starting from having a crush on Birdy, then experiencing jealousy when Birdy hangs with a girl to conditionally coming to his parents just to confess his feelings for him.The life lesson argued between Jian and Father Oliver is the gold to be mined. "How is your love greater than mine ?" would be the epitome of subtle inference to the gender equality issues we face even today. This story made me realize how religion can a boon and a curse to your life. The old pedagogy of the church has derogatory effects in the community even today.
I was very personally hurt and disappointed by the story of Jia-Han, I think he is the one the story didn't do any justice to. I feel, that even in the end when Birdy subtly confessed his real feelings toward Jia-Han, he wasn't accepting it wholly. I was distraught to see Jia-Han still getting rejected for a drink by Birdy, after all these years.
In the end, a dream is portrayed of their younger versions joyfully singing the theme song, in the streets of Montreal.
So, in the end, there is this dreamy picture that we paint for ourselves of living with our loved ones, irrespective of gender, caste, or race. But in the end, we do realize that we are chained by the norms of society and religion, who dictate our life for us and paint our lives just in black and white.
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It’s so good from the flow and actors, I cried when I watched it for the first time, and that fact that it is based in true story or the director’s story fuck I sobbed so hard, I know it all that they’re in love with each other at the first place cause, what friend would do something like that and the line they throw to each other “let's not make any babies in the future” and “yes we will not have baby” fuck I know it Was this review helpful to you?
Taiwanese BLs are a rare sight
Beautifully crafted film, from its breathtaking cinematography to its emotionally rich plot and powerful performances. Every element was done with care, and I was deeply moved throughout. It captures the struggles of queer youth during a time when acceptance wasn’t common, making the story even more poignant and heartbreaking. What makes it even more special is how rare Taiwanese BL films are these days. It’s raw, real, and deeply emotional. Many have praised it for its authenticity and the chemistry between the leads, and I wholeheartedly agree. It quickly became one of my all-time favorites. I’d watch it again in a heartbeat and recommend it to anyone looking for a queer film that’s both beautiful and meaningful. 🫂🫂Was this review helpful to you?
Sometimes the happiest scenes never happen. But we still need to believe they can.
I'm pretty sure this movie was supposed to make me sob my soul out, but that is not what happened. It broke my heart into a million pieces. It emotionally destroyed me. I will be thinking about this movie for a very, very long time. But did I sob? No. I didn't sob because this was like a very slow heart attack. I think that's the best way I can describe it. It was a two-hour movie and throughout the entire movie, it was just a slow and steady sense of dread. Even in the beginning when the scenes were happy and joyful, you could tell that something horrible and sad and heavy was coming up because the environment, the tension was always there. And maybe because I know the history of the movie and I knew what to be prepared for, but overall, the foreboding sense of dread was very, very strong.What really got to me was the last 10 to 15 minutes because after going through a whole, like, two hours of pain and suffering and a little bit of joy, but mainly pain and suffering, we get somewhat of a closure. I personally wouldn't call it a happy ending. It's a very sad ending, to be very fair, but it gives you hope. It's not even a hopeful ending, but it still gives you hope that maybe one day, time fixes everything, that you do get to be happy, that maybe life corrects itself. It is how you interpret it. And those 10 minutes of the two main characters having just such a pure connection, it wasn't a romantic scene, no, but it was two good friends coming together yet again. And that is what broke me. And for the first time, I experienced the situation or scenario of almost sobbing, but not really. Like, I had silent tears pouring out of my eyes because my heart was healing itself in a very, very slow process.
The thing that broke me the most was remembering that this was based on a real life, and this whole story was based on the director's real life. Because I'd known about this movie for a very long time, and I had forgotten this fact. So when I finished the movie and I tried to go and do some, just look at the cast and directors and stuff, I come upon this fact. And this is when I find out for the first time that the last ten minutes of the movie, the one scene in the movie that actually made me, made my emotions cross the line of crying, was a scene that never happened in real life. It's so painful to imagine that all of this is based on a real story, and just the last ten minutes of joy did not even happen because the director never got to meet his buddy ever again. The story ended when they were last together. That's the end. But the director was generous enough to give us somewhat of a happy scene at the end. Just to remind us that yeah, love exists and maybe you can move on and everything heals with time. But in reality, that's not what happened to him. And that was the saddest fact about this whole movie.
There's a lot of wonderful dialogues that are in the movie, but my personal favorite one is "if being queer takes you to hell, then send me there, maybe people there will understand me better". As somebody part of the LGBT community, I constantly make jokes about the fact that I'm going to hell because I'm gay and that's where I'll end up. But I say it both cynically and comedically at the same time, because I do find it funny that people who love so purely can go to hell. I just don't ever understand the concept because love is a very pure thing and at the same time, I do understand how religion plays a role here. I do get it. So this dialogue was like a knife to the heart. It's funny, but at the same time, if I do end up in hell, just because I love somebody of the same gender, it's a relief to think that, yeah, there will be other people who will understand me better, that I won't be alone, even in hell.
I really appreciate the director giving some form of hope at the end. Even though they did not get it in their own life, they choose to give it to other people, and that itself shows you how loved and pure they are, and not a sinner because they're gay. They will go to heaven and so will everyone go loves with a pure heart.
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Too dark
Soo as i have written before i dont really like dark movies/drama...i live the fluffy cheesy ones with picknicks in and sunny bright skies!However after reading some reviews on this movie i thought i should give it a try...
I really love the story! And the reality behind it! It is really difficult to be honest about your sexuality as it is let alone in a christian community.
I could really feel the pain of the male lead that was expkaining the story to the pastor. He was hurt sooo bad....and it was soo difficult to express....
I do think they could have made this movie 10 times better if would have expanded this to a drama or elaborated more about the mix feelings between the leads and the struggle against sociaty.
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Indeed, your name is engraved deep within
why am I crying?Oh, such a sad but bittersweet end.
Would definitely rewatch it in far future (if im alive).
This film was a good memory.
................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... BIG SHOUTOUT TO THE ACTORS, DIRECTORS, PRODUCERS & TEAM.
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Very sad ending !!
I loved the story I loved the movie it was really good but it was so sad the ending was sad and I will never get over this BL this is the saddest BL that I watched so far and the storyline and the plot is amazing the ending is sadly not what I expected and when I first watched it I thought it was going to be a happy BL but unfortunately not but I will forever think of this as my favorite BL but my sadest bl out you should definitely watch it but it will break your heartWas this review helpful to you?
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A Love Story For The Ages
Your Name Engraved Herein is a poignant love story about two teenage boys set in Taiwan just right after the martial law is lifted. It is also a coming of age story that delves deep into teenage homosexuality and the struggles that come with having to deal with societal expectations and public judgement.Birdy and Chang Jia Han are high school best friends who fall deeply in love with each other but have to keep their love hidden because homosexuality is not socially accepted and is even, in fact, seen as a sin. Both boys go to a Catholic school, so homophobia is rampant.
I'm not gonna lie, this movie made me cry. I shed tears for both boys because I knew they truly loved each other, and in a perfect world, they could've been happy. But since it was 1987 and Taiwan was a military-run state then, their homosexuality was considered a disease that must be cured or corrected. Their love was over before it could even start. They are forced to go on their separate ways and even try to fit into the social norms.
Tseng Jing Hua and Edward Chen both give powerful performances in this movie. They did remarkably well in portraying two troubled young boys who long to be together but can't because it just isn't possible, the political climate and society just won't allow them.
Fortunately, they reunite many years later and they are given another shot at happiness, and that's where the movie ends. I firmly believe that they would've rekindled their relationship and start anew. I so badly want them to finally be together, they certainly deserve it.
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