This review may contain spoilers
Poignant, sad, and yet hopeful....with some really stellar storytelling and acting
A beautiful slice-of-life tale with flawed, mostly insecure, incessantly evasive and predictably coward queer men, running away from taking a chance at happiness and love ...and yet, our protagonist finds a way to get a foothold on life....finds the courage to be authentic, to breathe, to express and to be unafraid.....keeping hope alive, even when wading through all the bleakness of life's uncertainties and cruelties
The script, camerawork, colouring and editing...all of them are bang on, with not an ounce of flab anywhere...and the acting is absolutely stellar
Cho You Hyun is stunning in his act as Cheol Jun, a young, vulnerable, gay man who has deflected from North to South Korea, looking to find a foothold, a life and finding himself...as he cautiously explores the gay scene in Seoul as a quiet, introverted and sensitive misfit in the scene, he meets Yeong Jeon, superbly portrayed by Kim Hyun Mok....as they start getting to know each other as part of a gay group, they start off with misfires...the situation gets further compounded by insecurities, jealousy and self-doubts.....and when they are finally able to face the truth, the usual cowardice shows up and Yeong Jeon chooses to run instead of finding the courage to accept their truth and take a chance on their love...
Its both angering and heartbreaking, particularly because you are reminded of all the times you did the same - running away instead of taking a chance, even though you knew there was a real possibility.... simply because you never want to lose and face your own insecurities of not being enough, letting love slip through for the fear of losing it in future ....damn the cowardice!!!
Cho You Hyun, however, finds the courage to confess, to not flinch and then offer that spark of courage to others like him.....he finds a way to get admitted to a college, go back to the gay community space and gets past his inhibition to sing his heart's song...
The rawness and vulnerability of the storytelling makes it beautifully poignant... I also loved that so much of what goes on in this movie is via expressions, backdrops, and silences...which aptly underlines the unspoken, hidden and repression of a queer life at the margins
This is really stunning and one of the best for me in the recent times.....and that beautiful end-song gave me goosebumps....if there is hope, we go on.....
The script, camerawork, colouring and editing...all of them are bang on, with not an ounce of flab anywhere...and the acting is absolutely stellar
Cho You Hyun is stunning in his act as Cheol Jun, a young, vulnerable, gay man who has deflected from North to South Korea, looking to find a foothold, a life and finding himself...as he cautiously explores the gay scene in Seoul as a quiet, introverted and sensitive misfit in the scene, he meets Yeong Jeon, superbly portrayed by Kim Hyun Mok....as they start getting to know each other as part of a gay group, they start off with misfires...the situation gets further compounded by insecurities, jealousy and self-doubts.....and when they are finally able to face the truth, the usual cowardice shows up and Yeong Jeon chooses to run instead of finding the courage to accept their truth and take a chance on their love...
Its both angering and heartbreaking, particularly because you are reminded of all the times you did the same - running away instead of taking a chance, even though you knew there was a real possibility.... simply because you never want to lose and face your own insecurities of not being enough, letting love slip through for the fear of losing it in future ....damn the cowardice!!!
Cho You Hyun, however, finds the courage to confess, to not flinch and then offer that spark of courage to others like him.....he finds a way to get admitted to a college, go back to the gay community space and gets past his inhibition to sing his heart's song...
The rawness and vulnerability of the storytelling makes it beautifully poignant... I also loved that so much of what goes on in this movie is via expressions, backdrops, and silences...which aptly underlines the unspoken, hidden and repression of a queer life at the margins
This is really stunning and one of the best for me in the recent times.....and that beautiful end-song gave me goosebumps....if there is hope, we go on.....
Was this review helpful to you?
