Your Name Engraved Herein (Mandarin)

It's always interesting to see and read what being gay was like in earlier years in different parts of the world. This popular film is set in Taiwan in 1987, right after martial law is lifted but the society as a whole is still very conservative. This film about two boys falling into romantic entanglements amidst societal, religious, and psychological pressure has been apparently one of THE most popular and talked about films of the year 2020.

The film opens up with the protagonist, Jia-han meeting his school priest and band leader Father Oliverto discuss the fight he had just gotten into. The narrative flashes back to the previous year, when Jia-han, a recent transfer, pulls up next to Birdy in the pool. They share some sort of awkward, unspoken acknowledgment. Birdy is outspoken and rebellious, and therefore teased & bullied. But the two bond immediately, their schoolboy camaraderie providing cover for their growing intimacy. Heads rest on shoulders during train rides, bodies cling to each other on the back of a scooter. Jia-han fantasized and really loves Birdy but cant say for sure what he feels.  In the following year, the school has now started accepting girls, Birdy takes up with an outspoken girl Banban and even offers to find a girl for Jia-han, who is absolutely aghast hearing this. Jia-han is heart broken and tries to tell Birdy about his feelings but he wont hear. Birdy is lashing out, now a reactionary. Jia-han is withdrawn, sullen. Their love is pervasive. But it seems impossible. Impossible. Repeated incidents of conflict and reconciliation draw the pair together and break them apart, before fate finally takes them in different directions. And they finally meet after almost 30 years in Canada to pay their respects for their mentor Father Oliver.

This tender romance, that builds up slowly often falls into melodrama zone, but for me, personally, that works and still manages to move the heart. The director doesn’t rush the romance between the boys, and his patience allows the actors to develop believable chemistry. The friendship grows, they are partners in mischief. They share confused sexual encounters, stolen looks and glances across classrooms and band practice, intimate trips to the sea, and moments of genuine love. You feel Birdy is definitely gay, but then you are also confused why is he outrightly rejecting Jia-han. I had an inkling, but its made clear towards end that Birdy also always loved Jia-han. But he was also very sure that this love will not end well in their society so he did not want to bring hopes up for Jia-han. In a brilliant scene Birdy shows up at Jia-han's house hoping that threatening him to tell his parents will finally make Jia-han back off but instead he is ready to come out, but turns out that the rebel Birdy is not as string as Jia-han. The two boys are beautiful and gorgeous and act extremely well. To be honest, for first 15 minutes I couldn't tell them apart but slowly it worked. The film may feel too slow or melodramatic for some people, but the pace kind of worked for me. I think the film was trying to focus more on the fact that Birdy loved Jia-han equally or even more than the other way but he also knew that this would not end well for them, so the perfect age old way to push them apart by refusing their love and finding another partner. Sadly, it was never that explicit. I have mixed feelings about the ending but there is never a right answer. Sometimes ambiguity is the best

The film is wrapped up in the gravitational pull between Jia-Han and Birdy that the details of the boys’ school, their families and the political circumstances surrounding them pass by in a blur. The film is about first love, when you don't see anything else and sometimes you wanna leave the world behind. I loved the film and will strongly recommend but be prepared for the slow unfolding. (9/10)