Wuliang is a small masterpiece. From story to acting, it exceeded my expectations in so many ways, and the twist in the end, while expected, made me happy with its wholesomeness.

When I saw that this movie is only forty minutes long, I was skeptical that it would manage to develop its intriguing premise. I was pleasantly surprised – the script does not waste even a second of its screentime. The two main characters are fleshed out well, and the plot is brought to a satisfying conclusion. This movie would have been brilliant if it was longer, but it is still great the way it is. As someone who likes wuxia, but does not have the time to watch fifty episodes, I appreciate its conciseness.

In terms of chemistry between the main characters, this story is a match for The Untamed and Word of Honor. The Chinese have become masters of introducing obvious homoerotic subtexts to friendships and selling them as bromances. Po Xiao and Feng Ren are so obviously queercoded that calling what they have a bromance is difficult.

Overall, if you like wuxia and BL series without kissing, you will enjoy this movie. Uniquely atmospheric, it also has beautiful cinematography and gorgeous actors.