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 ...
Margaret is 52. Nate is 19. They're neighbors in a Chicago building. They're best friends. They seem alone in the world. There is no mention of family. They like to do things together: Shop at the Goodwill store, have brunch, hang out. Margaret has never been married. Nate, who is gay, has never had a boyfriend or even been kissed. Margaret wants to become a successful stand up comedian (but truly she is pathetic) and Nate is a student at film school. He's directing his thesis film and has enlisted Margaret as his sound person. One night Nate meets James and after a couple of meetings, we see that the 2 young men start falling for each other. Margaret is not thrilled to learn about Nate's new friend, but bravely invites the two of them over for dinner. The dynamics of this scene are carefully modulated to allow the morphing of James into the jerk he really is. As Nate navigates his new relationship, Margaret begins to make real headway with her stand-up routine and their lives begin to head away from each other. The once upon a time closest buddies just grow apart, very apart.
It is a pleasant film that has a few moments of drama, but is primarily a sweet story of a unique friendship hitting a rough patch. There is no over the top drama or emotions. It feels like everyone's day-to-day existence. There’s no huge setup, no voiceover narration explaining who the characters are or how they became friends. Performance wise both Nate and Margaret do a wonderful job. The scene wen Margaret invites Nate and James for dinner is little weird to watch because James acts as a real jerk. Margaret's jealousy should not be confused for closet love. When you see losing a friend, the jealousy is obvious irrespective of age or gender.
The movie is about: friendship. The film respects that and doesn't get distracted by sex or age. (5.5/10)
Comments
it made me cry so hard.