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 ...
Leonardo is blind from north and is best friends with Giovana, who walks him him everyday from school. Leo is often picked up at school but he is used to it by now. The dynamics change after entry of Gabriel, a new student in the class who ends up sitting in proximity of Leo and Giordana. Gio probably likes Leo but can't do anything about it. She also wonders if Gabriel is interested in her. But Gabriel and Leo start becoming close friends. This is the first time Leo has found company in a male guy of his age group and unconsciously he ends up ignoring Gio in certain cases. She starts getting jealous of the close proximity between 2 guys. One night after a party Gabriel ends up kissing Leo but they don't talk about it anymore to avoid awkwardness. Leo clearly likes Gabriel but Gabriel says he doesn't remember anything and starts spending more time with another girl in the school. Gabriel also tries to make sure that misunderstanding is cleared between Leo and Gio, which ultimately happens. This gives Leo courage to tell Gio that he loves Gabriel. Initially shocked, Gio ventrally comes around and the film ends on a very positive note when it turns out that Gabriel has similar feelings for Leo.
You know as I am writing this review, I am realizing that barring a few issues that I had with the film, I pretty much liked most other things. Let's get over the negative first. There were quite a few scenes and dialogues where Leo wants to go to a different country and be on his own. His struggle to not always be helped but rather be independent. As a viewer I felt cheated because despite having spent so much time on discussing the issues, it was never given a proper closure. Although Leo riding a bike on his own in the end does show a sort of freedom that he gets. All 3 principal actors are simply terrific. Their performances are noting short of amazing and heart warming. The way these teenagers show emotions of love, jealousy, rejection, care & sensitivity is mind blowing. There is something endearing about the film that makes it worth the watch. The movie is very "go with the flow" and you feel a part of the film. Discussions between Leo's parents about their protectiveness for him were also handled with dignity and not pity. Actor playing Leo is superb. I was 100% convinced that he is blind in real life. Gabriel is so cute and adorable that I could eat him up :)
Complemented with a great musical score, this film is definitely worth a watch and highly recommended. (8/10)
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