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 ...
My expectations out of this movie was not huge but I was hoping that in addition to making some viewers aware of what the whole "circuit" scene is gay community is like, the film will also have a string story and an equally string message to give to the viewers. Alas, my expectations were not met even though they were set low.
John, is a cop, who is forced to move to LA because no one wants to work with him in his small community. There he meets Hector, who is hustler and slowly they start a friendship which slowly leads John into the circuit party scene of LA. John also has friends Gill, with whom he ultimately gets romantic with and Gill's ex-boyfriend who is making a documentary film on how people in the gay community are dying because of drug abuse specially in the circuit parties. His documentary primarily focuses on Bobby, who has been the heart of circuit parties for a few years and is now diagnosed with HIV. The film primarily focuses on how John gets lured into drugs slowly and continuously and how relationships between John, Hector and Bruno develop and affect over a period of time finally ending with Hector's death because of overdose.
Story wise the film doesn't have much to offer. What it does offer is information on the circuit parties and some of the life style of gay men in LA where it is all about muscle, strength, forever youth and lots of sex. Hector is obsessed with all the same things and clearly worries getting old. John, who is supposed to be an intelligent guy, gets lured into drugs just because he can't bear being alone. That according to me is no justification. Yes, the film does educate you on drug abuse but definitely does not leave you with any message of any sort. The only little message comes towards the end when the documentary film maker admits that he does understand all the negatives of drugs and circuit scene but he shooed and likes it. What the f*** does that mean? Then there is some other characters in the movie, whose presence is never really explained well specially the party maker and his wife. They come off as merely a plot device to fuel Hector's downfall. Yes, the guys were good looking and buffed up etc. but a film needs more than just this.
I think the same subject can be modified and made into such a string hard-hitting film. This film missed that boat. (4/10)
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