This is the second vertical AI BL drama I've sat through, and honestly I went in knowing better. I had it on while I was doing cardio at the gym, and what struck me was just how much the plot echoed the last one I watched. Same step brother romance angle, same mystery girlfriend showing up near the end, same extra guy pining after one of the leads. Genuinely the only thing going for it was the runtime, the whole thing wrapped up in forty five minutes flat. The setup kicks off with Finn moving schools because his mom just married into money. He finds out his new step brother Aiden goes to the same place, and he's warned to keep his distance from him. Their first run in at school is rocky, just like you'd expect, but there's this odd pull between them neither can shake off. Finn keeps telling himself not to read into it because Aiden's straight and openly homophobic. Things shift when some kids start bullying Finn and the student council president, Ryan, steps in to ...
This story of a father-son relationship was very interesting in a good sort of way. The film has been handled with reality and tenderness with great performances by the principal cast. Set in the Mission district of SF and the thriving Latino culture there, it shows a father's struggle to accept his teenage son's gay tendencies. Che, a recovering alcoholic and a reformed inmate is a powerful man respected throughout the Mission area for his masculinity and his strength. He is a bus driver who spends his nights and weekends lovingly restoring vintage low-rider cars. He hangs out with his friends who are all now into vintage cars and their families. He has a loving son Jesse for whom he wants to do everything. When the neighbor Lena comes to their building, he initially dismisses her but slowly warms upto her. Things fall apart when Che finds out that Jesse is probably gay and that he has been hanging out with a blonde guy at gay bars. Che reacts with anger and violence and this is when Lena supports Jesse. Jesse leaves him to stay with his uncle. Things go wild and once in some street fight Jese gets shot. Che takes care of him, brings him home but tells him that he still doesn't accept what he is. He tries to understand Jesse being gay but cannot and loses his temper again and goes back to alcohol. Jesse can't deal with this anymore and starts living with his boyfriend. Che now needs to adjust and make peace or he'll lose his son, his only family.
Che has given a really powerful performance in this film. The scenes between him and his on screen brother give us an authentic loving depiction of the Latino culture in the Mission. Jesse has also acted well as the teenage of today's time who is confident and comfortable with his sexuality and doesn't mind getting on with his father if need be but at the same time he also truly cares about the man. A tighter editing of the film would have helped a little.
The film is a small, intimate jewel that is both touching and enjoyable. (7/10)
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