This review may contain spoilers
Are there differences?
I love how natural it felt watching as the friendly teasing turned into actual flirting. With every couple one person was a bit more shy than the other but they were both curious to figure out if the other actually meant it when they said they were being serious about wanting to kiss each other. Despite every couple acting out the same scene there were subtle differences, which I really enjoyed since to me it reflects how scenes like this might be in reality.The girls seemed close, best friends maybe considering they wear matching rings. Both seemed a bit shy, at first, uncertain where things were heading. The the guy in the second scene seemed flustered when the girl suddenly turned his joke around and clearly refused to let it go, even going as far as asking whether he actually meant it. The third scene had a slightly different undertone to it, there was a mild if probably not entirely serious threat of violence as a first reaction when the teasing tone between the two male friends turned into much more than just joking around. Though, it was clear all six people clearly wanted this kiss to happen - here I'm really happy everyone actually made sure to ask for consent, to make sure they were on the same page.
To me, these subtle similarities show that even though all the pairings/couples share the same names (Jimin and Soo Hyun respectively) there is still a difference in how people with different genders might act when first confronted with the idea of kissing someone (especially if it's someone with the same or opposite gender). With the two guys there was a hint of fear in both guy's way of behavior, showing they were both trying to backpedal so as not to be seen as the 'weird one', an undertone which I also slightly got from the two girls. Both non-straight couples seemed to portray the silent question how others would react to them kissing, so each of them had to make sure the other person was being serious, was not just messing with them as some kind of cruel joke - I might have been thinking way too much about it in the last couple of minutes but I think the person portraying the character of Jimin in all three scenes is much less experienced than the one portraying Soo Hyun. And yet the latter already seems to have a slight crush on the other as well, showing it by teasing and yet being also unsure whether their feelings are actually requited.
The uncertainty and yet the constant push-and-pull until each person had their clear answer was beautifully portrayed and as someone who happens to be part of the LGBTQIA+ community that felt a bit too real at times (of course, especially with the first and third couple in this short film): Testing the waters but not being ready to jump in, ready to deny everything once questioned just to save a friendship, yeah, that felt a lot like past experiences.
I enjoyed this short film very much - while at first I thought it would be three different scenariosit turned out all three couples went through the same scenario. Altogether it felt like having a quick glance at three different parallel universes because after all there is no real difference between the couples. They are nervous, excited and yet they communicate their intentions clearly.
Altogether I think this short film shows that despite everything love is love, no matter one's own gender or that of the person you like or want to be with. After all, we're all human.
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Impressing and Special
I'm giving the male couple a 10/10. If I had to rate the female couple, I would give them an 8/10, and I would give the male and female couple a 7/10.I do admit I may have a bit of a bias in regards to the Straight couple. As someone who only some years ago came out as Bi, I have been trying to find all the LGBT+ content I can. I have seen so many Straight romances, and the world of tv and film mostly consists of Straight romances, so I have seen every Straight trope and relationship dynamic under the sun. In a way, I find myself bored with Straight romances. Because I've seen it for so long, am always publicly presented with it, and live in a majority Straight world. So, while this premise is unique for the other two couples, I have seen rather similar scenes play out with a Straight couple before (Love Alarm would be the most recent comparable example).
The two guys acted the best compared to the two other couples (I'm not knocking the others' acting, they did a good job overall, I just thought their chemistry and actions didn't feel as natural). Their tension was palpable. It felt as though there was this constant pull between them. It was as though they kept taking turns inhaling and breathing out for each other.
This short is very short (of course, because it's a short film). I only wish I saw a little more. I would have loved to have seen what happened 5 minutes before they went inside to escape the rain. What were they talking about before? Were they hanging out? Or, did they just run into each other?
But, then again, the fact that this short film leaves me longing for more just speaks to how good this was. I think the point of it was to leave you with some questions. So, consider me happily annoyed that not everything was spelled out and handed to me. Lol.
Surprisingly the limited dialogue made it much more interesting. They were able to play more with tone, spacing, and atmosphere. It was also very interesting to see how the 3 different couples' actors changed up the lines in small but subtly beautiful ways. This has to be the best short film I have seen in years.
Also, one final compliment: The sound team did an amazing job! Every sigh and movement felt heightened, which made every moment feel precious and not wasted, and the rain was perfect background noise.
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Love in the rain transcends gender.
No matter which way it plays out, this scenario did not sit well with me.This is a scene picked straight out of someone's trusty fanfic arsenal and yet, despite the actors trying to play the dynamics slightly differently for each couple, I felt like I didn't know enough about who they were or their relationships with each other to truly care about them as characters or want to see them kiss. Instead, I found myself recoiling from secondhand awkwardness and wishing Jimin could just escape already because anyone making those kinds of sudden advances raises all sorts of red flags in my book.
The dialogue exchange is incredibly awkward and the acoustics in that one stairwell must be wild because it sounds like the first two scenes were recorded inside a tin can. I guess it did accurately capture the feeling of being trapped while hiding from the rain with someone you aren't super close to, so I'll give it that!
To this short film's credit, I appreciate the intended message behind the juxtaposition of these scenes - love happens, regardless of gender - so in that way it's admittedly sweet. The first two scenes were practically the same right down to the "non-con is just a joke" bit, which combined with the echo to activate my fight or flight instinct, so the strikingly different way the third scene was played (despite following the same script) caught me off guard. I can't tell if I liked it a smidge better only because it subverted my expectations or if the slightly improved production for that segment contributed.
The sound quality makes a miraculous recovery here, so perhaps that's why the chemistry started to feel a bit more natural to me. The lack of an echo makes the characters seem closer, as though they're nervously feeling out the space between them while their curiosity and interest grows. I'm still not a huge fan of the setup for the aforementioned reasons, but at least it felt like I was watching something a little bit new happen.
All in all, this is a fine short to watch on a rainy day, but it's just not for me and that's okay!
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A successful artwork
This short film is very interesting: three couples of actors were given the same script and setting. According to a member of the production team, there were also three different directors. I recommend watching the complete version of this short film as I believe leaves a bigger impression overall.The message "love and attraction can happen and exist between two people regardless of their gender" was portrayed very well, probably in the best way I've seen in any film or show. All the characters also had the exact same gender-neutral names in each version.
The actions of their characters, their attitudes and their interactions with their partner also change in each version, and I really appreciated that as opposed to them being exactly the same. After all, people are never the exact same as someone else: our gender identity, our life and our feelings have an impact on our personalities and even our identities, so it made sense for each couple to live the same event slightly differently. I believe this expresses even better how feelings might differ depending on the person, but that doesn't make them any less real for the people who experience them.
I don't want to talk more in detail about this short film simply because I believe it deserves to be watched at least once. It's less than 20 minutes long overall, so I highly recommend giving it a try!
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This review may contain spoilers
OMO i saw this a while back on the tube and have to say - this is good - This is a really cool concept and I loved the execution! Three different couples performing the same dialogue and scene, seeing them play it out slightly, differently according to the couple involved, was really fun to watch. each was funny and sweet in a different way.The first were the girls - and there was no aggression there, but more attraction if denial and then intrigue, that made them come together. with that sweet kiss.
The second couple were male and female and i laughed more cause the girl was the aggressor and seeing the guy panic was funny - but it felt short, just cause the kiss was bleeh - brings me back to all the kissing scenes in Kdramas where the FL turns to stone and can't react - cause if u react ur basically "the whore of babylon". so that takes u "out of the enjoyment of the moment" - and was a bit disappointing after the first couple.
The last couple Aish :D maybe its the fujoshi in me, or the let down after the straight couple - but this was so good, funny, cute and yummy (yeah XD i know) but y'all get it - its two guys and they were funny, cute and aggressive verbally - tough-guy act hard to let go off... and their kiss omo made my cheeks hurt, i smiled so hard... and the only kiss that had butterflies going haywire in my stomach... it was short but Very sweet -
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