Gritty short BL from Hong Kong - stick with it
This was short (1(named zero or 0) +5 episodes and most 14 minutes long) about 2 M/M relationships told through a straight couple.Hayden and Damien
Kelvin and Archie
I don't want to give too much away but there's dealing with grief, sexual non consent, being closeted etc all in these 6 episodes. the subject matters are heavy but the ending is hopeful so definitely worth the watch.
Grandma is my favourite character . The other female character my least favourite
I would have loved to have known what the post-it notes said but we can infer eventually
Definitely better as a binge watch as it takes a while to realise what's going on especially with the second couple. A treat in the last episode where we hear music used in a few BLs . Very cute. Can you spot where else it's been used ?
Enjoy!
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Too much happening for such a short amount of time
I’d say the episode zero is a must watch before watching this. It’s a short episode but it give some background information for the opening scene of the series to make more sense. The series looks realistic, both the characters and events. I do like the production value as well, there are certain scenes that are just so beautiful to watch.But what’s with all the couples?! This is an extremely short series. All episodes combined and it’s still less than 90min long. I don’t understand why the story needs to be told by a girl who we don’t really know much about. She is simply telling the story of the other two couples to her lover. There is not nearly enough time to really develop all the storylines, so it does come across as quite choppy and rushed. I did like that the flashbacks were quite clearly separated from the present.
Damien & Hayden: there is not really much to say about them. We got a few snippets of them spending time together and apart, but I don’t think we really got much information on either of the two. Damien is heartbroken, possibly Hayden too. But that’s pretty much it. They do form some sort of connection, but the intensity doesn’t really correspond to what we see otherwise.
Kelvin & Archie: their story is heartbreaking. No matter how you look at it, someone will get hurt. And the person who might end up suffering the most, is the one who is the most innocent one in this whole mess. I do think that Kelvin is really trapped. And say what you want, but what he had to go through and is still going through is not something a good person does to another. Especially if they care about that person. No, that is what an abuser does.
All in all, I think there was just too much to be resolved for such a short series. It would have greatly benefitted from focusing only on one couple or having a few more episodes.
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I'm giving it an '8', but I didn't like it.
I'm torn on this one. It's well-written, exquisitely filmed, well-directed and pretty much excellent in every technical way.I usually defend shorter works, but in this case, it's too short for the material it covered. Not plot-wise - all the story arcs conclude and while I wouldn't say it's a blissfully happy ending, it is realistic and convincing. It's in the emotions. It's bleak for too long with an awful person dominating the story, and there's only 3 minutes of relief.
I may be missing something, but I didn't see how the two stories were connected or how they complimented each other - it felt like two entirely different stories stapled together, and while the color grading and other skillful 'tricks' made it very clear what were flashbacks, the jumping around made the story feel even more disjointed.
And because there is rarely any context to what's going on, it's hard to figure out. Why were Archie and Kelvin at a high school at the end of the series? My guess was that Archie now teaches there and Kelvin found out and went there to find him, but then he was surprised that Archie had been there, which was just confusing. I may have all that totally wrong, but that would only amplify my point.
Anyway, I understand this is being made into a long series, which would be welcome if it's the same production crew, but I hope they find a better way to handle Archie & Kelvin's story than have a horrible, evil female character that sucks the desire to watch this out of me. It could be more nuanced with societal and family pressures driving Kelvin's decisions - making him get trapped and have no choice just makes him pathetic, and if I were Archie I wouldn't touch him with a 100' pole - he brutally dumped me once for her, why should I believe he won't do it again?
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Edgy
It's dark, It's dirty, It's Hong Kong and it's real. Too real for some I'm sure. I had to stop and readjust my expectations a few times. You know... like it what for what it is not what it's not.Anyway, I'll say it again, this is not a BL it's an LGBTQ+ real life kind of stuff.
I want to give it a 10, but as some have said maybe it will be redone and the longer version will be at or near a 10. I think it has the potential.
My favorite scene is the drunk scene in the streets with Damien and Hayden. It really was quit telling for me.
The grandmother was also great.
Let's we if we get a remake.
If you're looking for different raw and dirty. This should be enjoyable for you!
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1Great Cinematography, Weaknesses With The Rest.
The cinematography was thoughtful, visually well-balanced, and frequently beautiful in composition (even with grittier settings). The rest of it was okay but had weaknesses and I won't watch again. I didn't feel like it was a waste of time though, so maybe give it a try if you're in the mood for something simple, short, indie, and overall sweet.FYI: If you watch on YouTube the first episode is actually titled "Ep 0", NOT Ep 1! (At least that's how it is on the Jupiter Entertainment channel in the USA.)
What I loved: The cinematography.
What I liked: The sweet bit with the post-its and how comfortable the actors seemed in their intimate scenes.
The acting was decent but no one was compelling. The music was forgettable but not distracting either. I was glad with how it ended for everyone but I wasn't that emotionally invested.
The weaknesses:
There are six 13-22 min episodes and it's all over the place. The way the story jumps around (between couples and in time) is confusing and transitions are very abrupt. There's too much story for the time constraints. The plotlines and emotional arcs for the two main couples feel very rushed.
The hetero couple seemed so random and out of place; their brief and cryptic scenes didn't add anything of value. I couldn't figure out their purpose. The time on them would have been much better spent on the two main couples.
There is some awkwardness to the English subtitles that seem to be a translation issue so I'll give the script the benefit of the doubt on how natural the dialogue is. The content of what's said, though, is fairly simple and unmemorable (no really deep or moving conversations).
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Fantastic atmospheres and a good job for a quality indie series.
I loved this series!I loved the choice of introducing the storyline of the two gay couples from the point of view of a couple discussing life and love: this reminded me of old Chinese (and Franch) art film.
The cinematography and music are great, the colours are beautiful… the night scenes in Hong Kong streets just amazing. A great intensity transmitted by a few jokes and a handful of frames. We have to be honest: other asian production, often with astronomical budgets and 12-episode, fail to be incisive and leave something like, in a very short time, Stay Still did.
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more realistic series/angsty vibe
Overall: there were aspects I really enjoyed and others not as much. Watch the prologue first https://youtu.be/W333cGTtTf0 Prologue plus 5 episodes about 15 minutes each. Aired on Jupiter Entertainment's YouTube channel. The company said they are going to re-tell the plot but with more time which I'm ambivalent about.Content Warnings: dub/non con kiss, manipulation, slap, non con video taking/sharing, unwanted public outing, bullying
What I Liked
- a more realistic/darker vibe
- clear flashback (though no transition to the present)
- the shipper grandma
- NSFW/kissing done well
- good consent in episode 3 when a character says he's not ready
- production value (especially music, lighting, cinematography)
Room For Improvement
- very cliche female character with basically no repercussions for terrible things done
- I'd rather they had removed the m/f couple instead of using her to tell the story, then the two couples could have more screen time and we don't really get the m/f couple's story
- each story was too rushed, they should have focused on 1, an example is how feelings seem to change instantly but we don't see why
- episode 1 was very much of a set up episode
- it would have made more sense if the grandma was coming into the room and he stuffed the picture in his pocket so she wouldn't see instead of him just putting it in his pocket and forgetting about it
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Strongly disliked one of the storylines, stayed for the indie vibe and artistry
This short BL drama (5 episodes of about 14 minutes as well as a prequel of similar length labelled separately as "episode 0") is centred around the relationships of two couples and narrated through the eyes of a third one. My appreciation of the series is quite unbalanced as I appreciated only one of the two storylines.In terms of story, I was indeed quite disappointed by some elements. Given the shortness of the episodes, it is a given that the plot need to move quite fast, especially because the show is about two couples (who almost never interact with each other), but still the pacing felt a bit draggy at times.
Moreover, if I quite appreciated the story of Hayden x Damian, I must admit that I strongly disliked the other storyline around Kelvin x Arche. It involved a crazy / evil woman antagonist, which is kind of a classical trope that I unfortunately particularly did not find entertaining here. It tempered a lot my enjoyment of the show, it could have been interesting but felt messy and difficult to root for them given the context. I honestly wish the drama would have focalised only on one couple (for me Hayden and Damian) in order to better characterize the protagonists and to go deeper in terms of scenario.
Acting-wise, the actors did an honourable job. There was no obvious weak link and the chemistry was good while not memorable.
I really enjoyed the indie vibe and the artistry of the series. It is clearly a slow and atmospheric drama with a more subdue vibe. And there are truly beautifully filmed scenes that are striking. It felt like the filmmakers were able to do a lot in terms of scenography and lighting, with little budget. I also liked the music overall.
I would not necessarily recommend this to people as I only enjoyed one of the two storylines. It is really short so you might want still to give it a go, at least for the artistic vision. It seems that the production team has decided to work on redoing this story in another format (with more & longer episodes)...Not sure if I will watch it unless they drastically improve the content of the storylines in the upgraded version.
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This review may contain spoilers
Hong Kong Short GayDrama
Let’s be explicitly clear here that this isn’t a BL but a full on gay drama. If you like fluffy BLs then you went down the wrong rabbit hole if you watch this.This is truly a slice of life of what being gay is like in HK. If you’ve ever been to HK, you know this is most likely set in Kowloon where parts of the mildewy atmosphere gives the rusty and decaying architecture as aura of it being slummy.
The main couple of Damien and Hayden gives off the vibe of gay culture in modern ties in HK even if HK is now under Chinese governorship. The second couple of Kelvin and Archie reminds me of 90s gay men having to marry to spawn kids to keep the family and societal norms intact. I don’t understand why the start couple is there other than they might be witnesses or narrators of this series.
For all the gay men who want realistic representation of gay stories. Here you go. This isn’t BL meant for women but it’s an answer to all the gay men who are always whining about how they don’t want women fetishizing gay boys in BLs. Enjoy this series because it’s what you asked for when you repeatedly whine about women making fluffy BL that’s toxic to offend your senses.
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This review may contain spoilers
Don't stay still!
This whole web drama, even though it is well filmed, directed, acted, it should not have been a drama but two, maybe three separate short films or maybe episodes in an omnibus drama. The story follows three couples who never interact, they do not know each other, and what happens in their lives does not impact in any way the others. So I frankly fail to understand the intention behind the director's vision. Is it a social commentary? I could not notice any.There are three couples vaguely connected by the girl in the first couple which shows up : Paki & Shane. They are enjoying their last night of lovemaking because she is getting married soon. So she decides to tell him a story about two of her friends (episode 0). But what ep.0 did not make clear is that the story she wants to tell is not about a couple but two different stories about people who do not know each other. The first couple in introduced in the first episode: Hayden and Damian, his neighbour who get to know each other through Damian's grandmother. When they meet, the sparks fly but they are both still vulnerable from their previous relationships so they decide to take it slow. When the grandma dies, Damian is depressed and with Hayden's help he manages to pull through the grieving period. The second couple we meet in a bar where Paki met Hayden for a drink. Archie is Paki's friend and he meets Kelvin, the bar owner, and his high school boyfriend for the first time after years of being abroad. They used to be in a relationship in high school but a girl liked Kelvin and wanted him for herself so she outed and shamed Archie, so much that he left. She then manipulated Kelvin into getting her pregnant and held onto him through their son. When Kelvin meets Archie and realizes his feelings for him are still the same, he decides to stop dancing to his wife's tune and to be honest about himself.
What is the point of Paki's telling these stories? One cannot stay still, immobile. You have to move on, forward, fight for your own happiness and try to be true to yourself and your feelings. I can see that but then why is she not doing it herself: she obviously has feelings for Shane but she's marrying someone else. Not everyone can be happy, not everyone can stay with the person they love? OK, I guess..
While the stories are not particularly original, the acting and production are excellent for a drama filmed on a restricted budget. The colours are all washed out, dark, sad and depressing. The stories are not: they are uplifting and hopeful. Nice contrast. The camerawork is rather interesting: obviously handheld and shaky and there are some interesting camera angle choices: all that made for an intriguing watch, never boring. Music is a bit all over the place: while there are a couple of beautiful songs we only get to hear them during credits a couple of times, otherwise it is all heavy, dramatic and serious piano music.
The actors are all amazing, very much at ease with each other which shows well in the steamy makeout scenes without a single fish kiss.
In conclusion, this is a nice bl offering from HongKong and I hope this crew makes more similarly well produced and written dramas!
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Hayden and Damien are definitely the highlight of this series, even though their story is a bit less dramatic than the other couple.
Archie and Kelvin are a cute couple, but their story is a bit "meh" for me. Yes, it's realistic, but it's not anything we haven't seen on the BL world before.
I think a more lengthy series with the focus being Hayden and Damien would've been more interesting to watch, I see the potential.
As for the straight couple that narrates the series, is there really anything to say about them?
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I could easily give this a 10...
..If it was a higher budget production.But i have to say that with the budget they had they did an amazing job!
Stay Still lacks nothing compare to high investments and large production companies..but money!And i wish anyone who is wiling to make a BL/gay drama and has the funds to do it,take examples from all those underrated low budget projects which deals with more realistic,dark and troubled issues and show raw and real feelings.
90% of all the low budget mini series and sort films i have watched are little gems indeed.I had to rate them lower only because the quality. The money -not-spent really shows and unfortunately most of the time ruins the entertainment value.And i personally as a viewer always take into consideration the technicalities when rating.
Ok end of the rant but if you ever come across my watchlist and see low rates on such dramas you know the reason.
So back to the drama itself.
The cast did their very best.Acting wasn't the best,i don't even know if they are professional actors.One thing i know for sure.The kisses and all the hot scenes were more real than -many-others we see in high-rated ,high budget series where we just laugh with those dead fish kisses.Here at least show some genuine passion.Also Im glad at the end credits shows everyone's name(it will be really nice if here in MDL add them too)
Yes it is too short to properly develop the story(ies).Yes we don't get enough time for the primary couples and -why not-for the side hetero too.
And i want to start with this couple.Ive read many found it unnecessary and even skipped all their scenes etc.First of all i liked the idea the story to be told through them.It also somehow connected the 2 main couples as their stories are totally irrelevant and most likely never will cross paths.
So many complaints about this couple.But i don't agree.Showing them in bed,having sex,talking and smoking wasn't a filler neither wasted screen time.Not to me.Was a very clever way to show us that every couple,no matter their sexuality,homo or hetero,all faces problems,all struggles for different reasons,all have to deal with society/family/friends etc,one way or another.
We see the hetero girl is forced to marry someone she doesn't love and her lover asks if she can cancel it.I was happy we get the first happy ending among the couples, when she nodded "yes".
This is a very short drama and i don't want to go deep into the main characters and their stories.
All i can say is that both stories portrayed in the most realistic way.Is not always fluffy,cute and full of butterflies because life is not either!
Both couples in their own way fight, for their happiness.I was so glad they didn't give up on each other.
My last comment is about Kelvin and Archie story.Is NOT a cliché story.Is NOT a common,lame or boring trope.
Kelvin is a married, with a son, gay man who was trapped in a life he never wanted,by a bitchy woman who uses their kid to keep him.Don't take such stories as a bad trope.It is the real thing,in real world.
I want more series like this.I hope such productions get more sponsors in the future.
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