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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