Excellent, but too short

This is a very good 44 minute long LGBT short movie. It is well made and well written. The story is intense, concerning a young man who, after suffering sexual abuse at the hands of his stepfather, turns to selling himself to other abusive men. But the arc of the plot turns happier (and sexier) when he meets an undercover cop who falls for him.

Strong points:

-- The plot is interesting, engaging and well-conceived. It concerns some heavy topics but is not overwhelmingly depressing. (That said, it does feature a couple of incidents of rape, and people who are sensitive to sexual violence should be warned.)
-- The acting is truly excellent. Jed Chung does a good job of communicating how clueless and lost Light is. Even more, I thought Max Liu was tantastic -- thoroughly believable as Light's savior, Shuo. Liu is intense, masculine and yet soft -- the way he treated Light was perfect. (In some ways he takes the place of the father-figure Light never had). And he has a wonderful deep voice and a gorgeous body, so what's not to love? (P.S. the MDL pic of Max, above, does NOT do him justice.)
-- The cinematography is first rate, with great camera work. (I loved the opening scene, where the cam is following Light through the market as he goes to meet one of his "johns".)
-- There is not a lot of music actually in the movie, that I remember......however the film concludes with a music video (I think the name of the song is "Light") and that one is truly excellent.

Weak point:

-- The decision to make this a short movie limited the creators too much. A longer treatment could have given the audience a better understanding of the development of Shuo's affection for Light. It seems to appear out of nowhere. The lovely scene where Shuo abandons his reserve and makes love to Light would have been just wonderful if the audience had a better feeling for the tensions/mixed feelings that were afflicting Shuo.

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A Beautiful, Sad Story

This is an excellent short film (30 mins) which chronicles the central relationship in sensitive ways. It does not shy away from focusing on the pain that both of the characters feel -- from external bullying as well as internalized homophobia. The characters deal with these pains in their own ways.....some of which are frankly heartbreaking, but very realistic. (Running away in the face of challenges is not at all rare.)

The plot also features some cute and funny moments.....the one involving shopping in a pharmacy was beautifully acted and had me laughing out loud. I found these moments disarming -- they make you empathize with the characters, which heightens the impact of the ending, which while sensitively handled, is quite sad.

The cinematography was excellent -- nice scenes along the shore but also back at school. The camera does not shy away from the blood and bruises that result from bullying.

And the messaging is very clear -- bullied teens need help, and when they don't get it, bad things happen.

P.S. Pay no attention to my rating for "music." I was so captivated by the plot that I cannot remember the music at all, but MDL requires a number!

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What a great little series!

i liked this series from the beginning......thought the (lack of) chemistry between the two main characters was intriguing as was the premise of having a one-night stand that goes wrong in all kinds of ways. But after the end, I LOVE it. Here's why:

-- The actors were great. Yves Flores is experienced and it shows. The breakdown of his walls (physical and emotional) was beautifully reflected through the story arc of the series. Iyo Canlas had a tougher job, for me.....because I did not "bond" with his rather silly "true love's kiss" character. But Reb develops, too and -- maybe because his hopes get dashed -- he develops a much more mature perspective on relationships. Iyo played that change (which really only comes at the end) beautifully. When JM was crying in Reb's arms, you could see the fantasies coming down.

-- The plot was slow at times, but when you complete the whole series you get a better perspective and you can appreciate the whole story very clearly. Reb's flighty instability in the beginning was actually essential to providing room for him to grow and change. And because the plot is not rushed or superficial, it is believable, in the end, that two so dissimilar people might actually grow towards each other, and become capable of that kind of peaceful, accepting love.

-- The music was really good! I hope somebody pulls together a compilation, so I can re-listen. (There's a list of credits at the end but for a non-Filipino speaker it is hard to figure out which song is which.....) [Update: a fellow fan sent me this link for an OST playlist, which others might find useful: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1EeuOc_JdZw&list=PLXjXbBD8EzbnQ8p7cWorcwIPgKtKrjehz . My favorite song is Kargo. ("Nandito lang ako.....") Gotta go back and do a rewatch to remind myself how all these songs fit into the series plot.]

-- The entire series takes place inside one residence, so there's not a lot of scope for grand camera work. But the director and cinematographer made great use of close-ups. JM's and Reb's faces -- whether smiling, skeptical, eager or crying -- were the essence of the visuals and they were beautiful.

-- I do agree that some of the discussion about the nature of love came across as cheesy. But beneath that, there was an interesting question (how can two people who don't really agree on the nature of love get along?) , and an even more interesting answer: maybe love is not the same for everyone, and maybe couples need to find their own connections in their own ways.

This is the best Pinoy BL series of 2021 (so far). It is original, well-acted and has a lovely vibe. Well worth a watch.

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Not Great. But not awful either.

This is a light and whimsical comedy-romance. There is no huge drama, and the happy ending is sappy enough to please even the most committed lovers of BL "happy ever aftering."

Pros:

-- The lead actors created quite believable characters. Until they found each other, Gino was unsure and nervous and had no idea what he really wanted. Alex was moody and lost in his past. I just wish the blossoming of their love had been a bit more gradual/subtle.

-- Oh, and yes, Migo de Vera has a world-class, A-No 1 body, and doesn't mind showing it off. They left me gasping in the final ep. when the scene changed to him mostly naked in the bed. Such perfection is rare indeed. (Not that anybody noticed, but he also has very attractive eyes.....)

-- The music was very enjoyable. It was light and very catchy -- it perfectly suited the mood for the series.

-- The messaging was good. Alex's little soliloquy at the end about "love is love" was really quite meaningful. And I like the very Pinoy framing of some of the discussions which situated gay love securely in a context of divine benevolence. That alone is a lovely and very explicit rebuttal to the homophobia espoused by many organized religions, and it left me cheering. But the messaging was a mixed bag......see below.

Cons: The messaging got to be too heavy at some points. Especially in the wedding scene. Overkill.

-- The plot was weak. You never got a good feel for how Alex suddenly started having feelings for Gino. Several of the episodes in the middle were just aimless wandering around the resort. And then the end......just toooo unbelievable that after GinEx had been together for precisely 3 months they were prepared to have a big, emotion-filled wedding ceremony......but they knew nothing about it!! I have to say that the concept of a having a surprise wedding (a surprise to you!) thrown by your friends is something totally new. I hope it doesn't catch on in real life.....I can see that sort of thing ending a lot of relationships.

-- The minor characters were not effectively developed. A couple of them (Kelly the room-maid) were almost offensively stupid. Others were kind of intriguing, but you never got to know them at all. And who was the middle-aged guy, anyway, who stimulated Alex's sudden realizations about the nature of life? Talk about the Deus Ex Machina who solves all the problems.

-- Production values were dodgy. There were sound and light issues at several points.

All in all, I think this is worth watching, but probably not a top priority. The last two episodes are key....so if you want to do some skipping, just watch the first two and the last two episodes. The ones in the middle don't add much.

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A Cute Snapshot of Love, As It Happens

This short film successfully showcases the abilities of relatively new actors, recruited by ABS-CBN for possible further roles. It is a sweet and very watchable snapshot of a love that is struggling to find its voice. Well worth a half-hour watch.

Plot: The plot is about exposition, not development. We learn about the characters; we don't see them change. The action takes place over a two-day period as one of the characters (Davey) is about to leave to stay with his family in another city. That forces him to confront how he feels about leaving his best friend Anton behind.

The interactions between the two are very true to life -- a mixture of playfullness, seriousness, and physicality between males that will be familiar to any guy who struggled when growing up to make sense of confused feelings of attraction for his best buddy. And also true to life is Davey's initial inability to admit, even to himself, what he's feeling. His struggle doesn't last very long though (it's only a 29 minute movie) and the resolution (apparently "chosen by the fans" in some sort of poll) produces a happy ending.

Actors/Chemistry: The two leads are quite good looking and enjoy excellent boyish chemistry. Don't expect fireworks -- there's no sex in this movie; the most intimate moment occurs when Anton gently takes Davey's hand, after Davey's admission that he's so confused...... But the actors really succeed in making viewers understand what the characters are feeling under the surface. (They are so successful that the viewers figure it out well before the script does!)

Minor Roles: There are several interesting looks at friends of the happy couple, but not enough time to develop them fully. One is out-and-proud, and the other is homophobic and negative - until he figures out that his friends' happiness matters more to him than his prejudices. Their roles broaden the movie in a very useful way, so it is not just monofocused on the leads.

Music: There is some nice background music but this is not one of the strong suits for this movie.

Production Values: Very good. ABS-CBN knows their stuff. However, one can see that production was obviously crimped by pandemic precautions. (By far the largest portion of the screen footage is of single characters, talking on a phone or interacting over the internet.) The two leads have some scenes together, fortunately. (It will be soooo nice when film production can go back to normal filming protocols.....)

I think there's a lot more interest to be wrung out of all these characters, and I hope ABS-CBN takes this as a pilot for a continuing production of some sort.

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Beautiful, But Flawed

I had read a lot of mediocre reviews of this series, so I put it "on the shelf" for quite a while. But now, having finished it, I can offer my own thoughts.

Plot: Confused. The director indulged himself with lots of extraneous nonsense (e.g. flamboyant characters who just detracted from the mail plot;) abrupt character transitions (e.g. Ace goes in the blink of an eye from obnoxious twit to sweet and loving husband) and general chaotic writing. (Even I could have written better dialogue at certain key points.)

Production Values: Quite good. Filmed mostly in a few locations in Manila (including a real luxury home), the camera work and sound were all good.

Music: Excellent, but limited. The most romantic moments incorporate Paul Ramirez's vocal version of "Hindi Ako Bibitaw," which is gorgeous, and awesomely suited to the theme of the story. I listen to it over and over, and it never fails to bring tears to my eyes.

Actors: The two leads are handsome, charismatic guys and they did the best they could with the script they were given. That said, I found the performances to be uneven. At best, they were wonderful. But there were a lot of indifferent moments, too. (Sky should not be so impassive at key points.)

Here are some of the wonderful moments:
-- The "first contact" when Sky reaches across Ace's desk and grabs his hand to thank him. Miko's shining, eager young face is so endearing. And then rewatch and look at the succession of emotions that Aki plays through. Surprised, a bit offended, then realizing how it made him feel and showing just a bit of a smile. A great scene.
-- Sky in his hospital bed, pleading with Ace "don't leave me. Please. Please." Miko's voice trembling and raw; his eyes full of tears. Completely convincing, and completely wounding for viewers who are sooooo on his side.
-- The Confession dinner. Aki's face shows Ace's anguish at having to reveal himself. And then, at the crucial moment, it is he who kisses Sky. (Later, Sky gets the dominant role, but not in this first kiss. And that transition is very endearing.) And then the soaring music and fireworks in the background, while they embrace. Wow.
-- The Coming Out Dance -- the dance is at first awkward af. Like grade schoolers trying to move together. But then they get the hang of it, and not incidentally they repeat their love for each other. And then they are moving with grace and energy........such a pretty scene -- which ends abruptly when they fly into each others' arms, Sky's hands caressing Ace's cheeks....and another kiss. (The intake of my breath was audible at that point.)

Chemistry: Absolute FIRE. These two make love like they are on fire, and like they are committed to each other for life. (which is the story, after all). The sexy scenes live in my mind -- not because they are explicit (they are not, compared to stuff we all see on the internet) but because the two actors put their souls into showing that love. Honestly, it breaks my heart that we won't get to see them act together again -- they have moved on to other professional activities.

Overall, I would say if you like observing actors' chemistry and don't mind sitting through about 3 episodes' too much silly content, then watch this series. Its flaws will be very quickly evident, but its beauty doesn't show up until Ep 8, and is then well sustained for the last five episodes.

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An Interesting, but flawed production

I enjoyed watching this series, but at the end I felt disappointed because I don't think they hit the high target they set for themselves. They wanted to use a BL story to explore important social issues of socio/economic class, gender and identity discrimination, rural poverty, and so on. The main problem was that they had very limited budgets and not enough screen time to do this all successfully. So a lot of the social messaging came out as just preachy statements -- rather than showing viewers the problems, the characters just sat and stated their positions.

Plot: Rich kid, marooned in the country, falls in love with a tenant farm boy. That part was pretty well done; the characters were believable and the story really did a nice job of showing some of the personal traumas (Kai's father's violent death, the family's mourning, and Kai's mother's acceptance of his love choices were very touching). Andre's conversion from insensitive clod to sympathetic figure was good. However, the script had a number of abrupt transitions (e.g. when Kai suddenly fell in bed with Andre), and when Kai (who previously seemed pretty well balanced, and had no problem suddenly sleeping with Andre) became unexpectedly wracked with gay angst in the last episode.) And the end left some key points really hanging (what happens to poor Brix? Is he just cast aside?)

Acting: Pretty good. Ian Rosapapan is charismatic and his smiles made the series. John Padilla did better at being the nasty little snot than the loving partner, but he was generally believable -- I thought his self-realization at the end was very well portrayed. Yoyen Bautista was similarly believable, and I really liked his character Brix (too bad he was left twisting slowly slowly in the wind). The farm women were believable, sitting around the fire and talking, but there wasn't enough time to explore their stories -- what kind of experiences did they have that led them to talk about the discrimination they had experienced? (I think there may have been some trans characters, but that never got clarified for me.)

Production: Very low budget. A few nice outdoor scenes but otherwise the only impressive scene was the family mourning for Kai's father. That one scene was truly beautiful.

Music: The soundtrack for the series was actually very good -- putting the audio a real step above most of the visuals. John Padilla sings nicely and a couple of the other songs were quite beautiful as background tracks. The music was well chosen and sensitively used.

The Ending: The very end clearly sets up a Season Two. It seems likely to introduce a range of new issues (Andre's angry family fighting his love interest in Kai), but those risk being real tropes. I hope that the writers are given more time to explore some of the issues that were just barely touched upon in Season One. And I hope that the main characters can develop more gradually, without abrupt emotional transitions. But I have to say that I have been drawn in by the actors and I want to know what happens to their characters, so I will definitely be watching.

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An Unexpected Pleasure!

I stumbled across this miniseries (thank you, oh Mighty Algorithm) and had no particular expectations. But after two episodes I was completely hooked, and ended up binge-watching the rest all in one go. (Not my usual practice.) It surprised me -- a rough gem waiting to be discovered.

-- The story is straightforward but the dialogues are in many cases truly excellent. The tensions and attractions between the two lead characters make for a confused mix of emotions and the scriptwriter did a great job of bringing them out. As a previous reviewer said, this is all about the closet and the damage it does to people trying to figure themselves out. Apart from the main direction of the plot there was ample room to discover the back-stories of the characters, a discovery process which really added to the dramatic tension in the last few episodes.

-- I also really appreciated the realistic social subcontext. Rocky comes from a background that is altogether too real in the Philippines (or Thailand) -- he can't finish his education because his impoverished family is depending on him for support. The script is not heavy-handed and there is no preaching.....but man, do you get the idea. (And Rocky's devotion to his father and siblings makes him even more attractive as a character.) Many many BL dramas from the Philippines and Thailand inhabit an imaginary world where everyone exists in comfortable urban affluence. This one introduces real-world concerns without being moralistic.

-- The acting was really good. Royce Cabrera is excellent (and super-attractive) as the stoic Rocky. (I could have used a bit more emotion from him at various points, but it's part of the character's stoicism and fatalism.) Kyo Quijano is a new actor, and it shows.....a lot of people dislike his character, Judah, who is kind of a spoiled brat. (Gives a bad name to gay people). But I tend to give Kyo credit -- HE's not the spoiled brat, Judah is, and I take the fact that Kyo was able to repel the audience at times with his whining as a tribute to his ability to get into the role. This series is really just about these two characters -- the supporting roles are really really minor. And the two have very good chemistry (despite the huge gulf in their personalities/backgrounds.) Memorable moment for me: Rocky lying on the bed talking about his family concerns. He lies on his back, unmoving and looking straight up; he is controlled and stoic -- even while talking about his greatest anxieties. But then.....a tear runs down his cheek. That just grabbed my heart -- it says so much about concepts of masculinity and what they do to people.

-- This was clearly not a big-budget production, but it was very successfully done. Virtually all of the scenes took place in the shared apartment. The lighting and camerawork were very good and the music, while not memorable, provided nice backgrounds for the characters. I really liked the balcony scenes, where the two (drunken) characters play truth or dare and end up discovering each other in unexpected ways. On the other hand, the "artwork" in that apartment was pretty appalling. That unicorn had to be the most un-subtle piece of neon art ever -- and for neon art that is really saying something!

-- The plot twists up until the end were good enough that I was actually surprised by the ending. That doesn't happen much. And the sex scene was tastefully done. (I liked that they fell into bed first, and starting thinking about their relationship afterwards. That struck me as highly realistic!)

So I would warmly recommend this as an entertaining and rewarding watch. Don't be put off by Judah's whining, and think about what the drama is telling you, beyond just the characters' interplay. There's a lot to unpack.

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Thinking about Life, and Love

I have really mixed emotions about this series. No one should watch it expecting to finding fluffy BL content. It is much more in the tradition of Pinoy LGBT cinema. Taking place on a sunlit farm, it is not literally dark, but the subject matter is dark indeed -- especially if, like me, you are not much of a believer.

The Good Points:

-- The story makes you really think about life, and love and hope (or the absence of hope) and what it means to confront all of those challenges as a gay guy. Some seriously heavy stuff. On balance, I thought this was one of the strongest points in the series -- it doesn't paper over the issues, but makes you think about them and about what you really believe. It also frames these issues in a context of Christian/Catholic belief, which is obviously spot on for the Philippines, but maybe not for everyone.

-- All three of the actors were excellent. Kaleb Ong is clearly a very talented actor and I hope to see more of him in different kinds of roles in the future. His progression from hopeless depression to caring and loving, even while staring death in the face, is the major theme of the plot, and he pulls it off quite well. (The scene where he jumps out of bed, and up into Enzo's arms was so full of joy......what a contrast to the suicide scene.) I also really liked Gio Emprese, whose character Peter is a beautiful man -- so giving of himself to his hopeless nephew, and yet torn by so many doubts and fears. At first I kept asking myself what his motivation could be -- and then later in the series we discover it is purely religious/philosophical. Anyway, I thought Gio's performance was very convincing.

-- Those are the pros. There are unfortunately also many cons. Poor sound quality, which particularly grated during the loud scenes when the characters berated God and each other. Very slow pacing. I'm afraid many people will switch off before they get to the last few episodes where the whole point is discussed -- I thought the scene where Angelo and Damon are talking, in bed, about what it means to be gay, is the best scene of the series (and no one moves!!) and it is a shame that I think many viewers will never get there. The end tries to provide a bit of uplift, but I think it fails just because it turns a drama into a cartoon (figuratively). And it all happens against the background info that Damon has suffered through five more months of debilitating disease and weakness before finding rest. I did not find the cartoon ending at all reassuring.....

So my recommendation is to watch this one if you are in the mood to accept some serious contemplation. Even better if you have some level of belief yourself, because then the struggles of the actors will seem more relatable. But don't expect a polished, high-quality production.

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Melancholy

I have really conflicting feelings about this movie (which arrived in a cinema in my home city, so I watched it on the big screen.)

-- It is very well made indeed -- intentionally dark and melancholy, and very successful at that.
-- The actors did excellent work at portraying the deeply flawed characters and their mixture of gravitational attraction and repulsion.
-- I didn't like the inconclusive ending. Some people like being able to "write their own ending," but I don't. After the fact, reading reviews and comments on this site, I learn that the original manga actually had a happier ending. I think I would have preferred that.
-- The sex scenes were quite explicit, without actually showing the family jewels. I was surprised by that, but it didn't bother me. I do think that the nature of the sex scenes (who was doing what to whom) really conveyed important symbolism about the relationship of the two leads.

As to the characters: in some movies or series, my heart just embraces the characters from the beginning, and I want nothing but the best for them. Even if they are flawed. (like Gao Shi De, in We Best Love). But not these characters -- they are just too flawed, and frankly, unable to draw logical conclusions about themselves. I watch them; I never feel for them.

The moments when my heart rejected the characters were:
a) When Otomo, having left behind the wreckage of several different relationships with women, and having made enough of a commitment to his gay lover that they were living together, decides to pursue another woman to the point of getting engaged to marry her. What kind of idiot would DO that -- I understand people who find truths about themselves after marriage and try to maintain loveless marriages and have affairs on the side, but his marriage had ended and he was a free actor. Actively chasing yet another innocent woman when all his signals had been flashing consistently red for some years? How unfair to her and how untrue to himself!
b) When Imagase, who was so head-over-heels in love that he pursued Otomo for years, finally achieves his heart's desire, and then decides to leave, and throw it all away. It doesn't help that Imagase (despite being a fairly sympathetic character) turns out to be a controlling b**** who trolls through his lover's phone, looking for evidence of affairs.

So the fact that these two ended up not together didn't move me much at all. Ho hum....on to the next pair of drama queens.

I also didn't like at all one of the central philosophical constructs of the film: that there is a "straight world" and a "gay world" and people have to choose which type of person they are and which world they will live in. People are not either/or -- they occupy points on an infinitely-detailed spectrum. Clearly, the film seemed to make a bit of an attempt to convey that the "gay world" trope is a dysfunctional imposition by an overly-rigid society, but then in the end the lead characters seem to buy into it, not challenge it. Bleagh.

Interestingly, the audience in the cinema seemed to be largely female (BL fans, I guess) and I am male. So that fan base may not share some of my reactions to the characters, which are no doubt influenced by the fact that in some ways I have actually lived the "different worlds" trope. But that's why I feel so strongly that it needs to be rejected.

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An interesting story about a bit of LGBT history

The "mystical" pretext for this series didn't really engage me, but I really enjoyed the opportunity it provided to explore a painful chapter in the history of the Philippines. The insights into what life was like for a young gay man under the brutality of the martial law government in 1974 provided a real bit of (sad) learning for me.

Don't watch this if you are expecting a fluffy BL story -- it's not that. On the other hand, I didn't find the characters sufficiently relatable that I felt their pain very much, either.

So the strong points were the plot and also the visuals. (The filming was largely done in a beautiful old house, and a lot of scenes were visually very attractive.) There may have been some background music, but I can't remember anything notable.....

The characters were mildly interesting. I found the elderly housekeeper to be an intriguing presence and the "mystical" element in the story could have been developed more by having that character take a more active role. As it was, she was basically a bystander.

The acting was average, up until the final episode. Wade mostly looked pouty, until he actually showed some serious emotional range at the end.

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Watch this One for the Smiles......

…..and I mean both the smiles that this series will bring to your face, and also the lovely smiles on the faces of the adorable lead actors.

Plot: This is definitely the opposite of an angst-filled LGBT drama. It is a lovely, light and more than a bit ribald BL rom-com with a straightforward storyline and super-appealing young actors. It doesn’t take itself too seriously (I mean really….the lead characters meet when they just happen to be wearing identical facemasks with a penis motif????) But that’s great as it leave you bemused and smiling – and that is the entire goal of this series!

There are also some serious laugh-out-loud scenes, such as:
-- The moment when the totally lovestruck and befuddled Key unconsciously wraps himself in the curtains while focusing entirely on his “confession” phone conversation with Chen. (Ali King is superb as the lovestruck teenager.)
-- The moment when Chen is having a video conversation with Key, and in the background the goofy security guard Whilce is using his temperature sensor gun to probe his scrotal warmth.
-- The moment when the shirtless (woof!) security volunteer Dicky, having worked up a sweat while learning to dance for Tik Tok vids, picks up his shirt and sniffs the armpits to see if he can put it back on.

There’s no homophobia in this world filled with young love – even the security guards are encouraging the two boys to get together. Chen feels no hesitation about consulting his sister (and guardian) about posting a vlog in which he declares how much he feels for Key.

So it’s all about love, love, love and how to deal with its onset. The only source of angst is the pandemic. The scene in which sister Libby breaks down because of the pandemic-induced stress on her is quite vivid, and you get the impression it was really heartfelt (including just a touch of political rant about poor national leadership). The people making this series were all heavily impacted by the pandemic, and their real feelings shine through in that scene. And the final scene is all about hope in the middle of the pandemic. That scene was memorable because of the build-up to the kiss, yes.....but even more because of the pandemic messaging. Chen and Key, beset by despair and uncertainty on all sides, make a choice for love and hope.

Acting: None of the actors have much experience. But they all had a lot of raw talent. The lead actors did a wonderful job of reflecting the emotions of the characters – even while wearing masks, their eyes did the smiling, and it was SUPER cute and appealing. The supporting actors were also great – Teetin Villanueva as sister Libby was superb in the breakdown scene. And Luis Padilla provided serious eye candy as Dicky.

Production: Very well done, with nice use of close-up shots. Lighting and color very bright, as suited the ambience of the story. Good choice of sets. Background music nicely integrated into the story-telling. I have to give particular tribute to the make-up artists who helped turn young actors with – in the case of Ali King – very prominent five o’clock shadows into fresh-faced youths. There was one scene which showed Ali’s hairy legs, and that’s what made me realize what a good job the makeup team did on the faces!)

But anyway, if you want to finish a series feeling good about life and love, watch this one. I think this series hasn’t gotten the applause it deserves.

P.S. After my third rewatch, I had to go back and upgrade my ratings. I've decided Ep 4 of this series is one of the best, happiest, most true-to-life reflections of awkward/intense young love I have ever seen. If I could bottle the essence of Ali King's smiles, I could cure the ills of humanity.....

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A very enjoyable light watch that leaves you with a smile

I watched the movie, after having watched the series about 6 weeks previously. I like the movie much better. At just 80 minutes it tells a more coherent and compact story (without the interruptions and distractions of watching the series episodes one after another). I think the movie gives the viewer a much better feel for the emotions and reactions of the two lead characters. Their interactions made more sense when viewed as a single work, and the end was really a satisfying logical conclusion, rather than rather random (which is what I recalled thinking after seeing the series.)

Story: Simple and straightforward, about two guys who find each other on a Christmas holiday. The interest is not in the story arc as presented, it is in the insights into what they are thinking and feeling -- the bellboy who is accustomed to being more-or-less dehumanized and turned into a sex toy, and the visitor who has lost a love and is not very interested in finding a sex toy. ("I;m game for that if ever, but that's not why I asked you to come in.")

Acting: Very good. Kaloy recreates James' standoffish personality with great success -- sometimes I didn't much like him, because he was just a bit too stuck up. Genesis was a joy to watch -- both because of his great portrayal of the flirty, eager and yet worried bellboy, and because his makeup and hairdo accentuated his gorgeous big brown eyes! In the beginning, the two didn't seem at all comfortable with each other -- but I think that was inherent in the roles! Later, there is a sweet hugging-in-bed scene, and a joyful romp around the bedroom with lots of playful embraces. I think the combination worked very well at the end.

Cinematography: Good, but nothing special. The whole thing was filmed during the pandemic at a resort, which accounts for the limited scope for different scenes and the lack of additional characters.

Music -- generally good, if not passionate I especially liked the use of "The Nutcracker's" Waltz of the Flowers as background for the online dance done by the two characters as they feinted and parried each other with text messages on their mobile phones. That was genius.

All in all, this is a very enjoyable light watch. It won't fill you with emotion or make you cry, but it will leave you with a smile.

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A Lifelong Story that is well worth watching

I have not read the manga or watched the series, so I came to this "Director's Cut" movie version with no preconceptions. I thought the story was excellent, the actors gave clear and relatable performances and the cinematography was also really good. A few comments:

-- The screenwriters succeeded beautifully in capturing "Life" in just 110 minutes. From the happy-go-lucky days of youth through tough decisions about career and family, to the enduring quality of love. The ending was as close to a happy ending as one can get, while still being realistic about the inevitability of mortality.

-- Beyond the basic plot elements there were some very important issues handled, and in a very good way. The issue of one partner forcing himself on the other was dealt with in a firm but sensitive manner, and -- even after the issue is resolved with a bit of humor (the electrocution line) -- the audience is left in no doubt about the importance of consent. The question of mixed marriages (with foreigners of different races) was confronted squarely and clearly. (I LOVED Hakira's line "Well now you can see that compared to a homosexual relationship, a mixed marriage isn't so bad!")

-- The cinematography was quite good throughout. Loved the image of the two boys on the line, approaching each other. And the sunrise scene on the beach was spectacular, both for the cinematography and the joyous acting. Never in my life before this have I gotten teary over a cigarette lighter.......

-- While Hakira's angst over his life choices was quite real to me, I thought there was a bit of unreality in the supportive reactions of all the family members -- his sister and father, and Yuki's mother. Maybe I'm just a pessimist, but I don't think they would be won over quite so easily. It was a nice warm touch, though, that Hakira was able to support his sister in her love, after she had supported him years ago over his attraction to Yuki.

-- I found it impossible to suspend my disbelief over the concept that, with no contact at all, Yuki and Hakira would find themselves in faraway Alaska in the same place at the same time, so they could reunite. Just a bit too much of a coincidence for me. Oh well, I just had to take it as a bit of fantasy storytelling.

But don't be dissuaded by my niggles. Altogether, this is a movie well worth watching.

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Ready.....set.....rewind

I enjoyed the movie much as I enjoyed Happy Together The Series -- it was sweet and entertaining but not fully satisfactory.

Pros:
-- The actors were much more comfortable, and did a very good job in the movie of making their characters relatable. (No doubt because they actually were relating to one another, instead of to a screen.....) JC is such a sweetie...... Tony came across very well as the more sensitive and loving version of Xavier.
-- The movie developed the stories of some of the subsidiary characters well. JunJun and Chrystal, in particular.
-- The setting in a nice resort made for visually attractive photography.

Cons:
-- I really felt like this was just the end of the Series, re-imagined. We rewound the tape, replayed it a bit differently, and didn't end up anyplace different.
-- Several story aspects were left hanging in strange ways. Tony came out to his parents ON THE PHONE? And after that nobody fleshed out the reaction of his father the wanna-be jock? And Mico was hit by a car???? What happened?

All in all, this is worth watching (especially if you're a fan of the two stars), but don't have high expectations. Maybe the franchise will continue and we'll get more character/story development.

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