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Chained To My Bully Stepbrother (AI Vertical BL Drama)

By Golu
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 ...
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The Man With The Answers (Greek/ German/ Italian/ English)

By Golu
I am very conflicted about calling this a gay movie. The protagonist happens to be gay, which we find out in one scene, and besides that this film has absolutely nothing to do with the sexuality. At its core, this film is a road movie, a kind of travel-and-talk friendship/romance.

Victor, loves diving and is now looking after his sick grandmother on an island in Greece. He is a loner with a part time job. When his granny dies, he decides to leave town. We find that he has strained relations and some unresolved issues with his mother, who many years ago, left him and married a German guy and lives now in Bavaria. On the ferry enroute Italy, he meets Matthias, a very confident and outgoing German man. As odd as the two are, Matthias convinces (while flirting) Victor to take him along for the ride and he will take him through some scenic routes. Jere begins a road movie with gorgeous landscapes and a couple of incidents leading to the two men realizing their growing feeling for each other and one night they finally give in. They finally reach Victor's mothers home, but Victor was never sure what he would do or how he would react. Fights happen and eventually with support of Matthias, the mother-son duo is able to talk through the unresolved conflict.

The film is actually very simple with a very simple storyline, but the two gorgeous leads and their chemistry keep the film going. And where do I even begin of the gorgeous gorgeous European landscapes and countryside. It is truly beautiful. The film has very minimal dialogues and a lot more silence, glances and understated things going on. Our protagonist Victor is looking for answers and its the journey that is made pleasant by Matthias' presence. The pace is slow, but is sweet which will not be to everyone's tastes. The two leads act really well too. They both imbibe and understand their characters and it is very easy to connect with them. Life can be funny that way. Sometimes, a person just comes into your life, stirs it up, and nothing looks to be able to be resolved. I personally know this, because with my travels around the world, I have met so many different beautiful people, who in one way or the other leaves some lessons for you in life. On a negative side, not many people would enjoy the slow burning movie. It can test your patience. No background is established about Matthias or much for Victor either. Was he alway stay, why is he a loner, why no social life, why does he not have a driver's license etc etc. 

There are some movies that are to be seen with your heart. I would say keep your expectations low and be patient. The beautiful scenery, two very handsome leading young men and a road trip. You will either enjoy it or hate it completely. Yes, there were times when I did roll my eyes and questioned the need for certain scenes but sometimes watching a film is about having a smile on your face and forget about stress and just enjoy the beauty. (7/10)
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ILHiker said…
I just watched this one. The first two lines of your review were exactly what I was thinking: this is not a gay movie, despite one scene of kissing. It was pleasant, but, exactly as you described, I'm one of those it did not resonate with so I wouldn't have rated so highly. I'm wondering if I missed some cultural nuance that would have explained a little more to me about the characters and where they were coming from and their motivations. It's not impossible that I would rewatch it someday, but I think it would still be just something fairly pleasant to look at, and not with any depths I'd be able to detect on a second viewing. I can't think of the name now, but I want to contrast it with that other road movie, with the gay friend and straight friend who is a photographer, they pick up the hitchhiker (Boris?) whom the gay friend seduces and the straight friend gets jealous and makes a play on the gay friend. That one had the scenicness and pleasantness of this one but some character development. Still, it was a pleasant watch.
September 28, 2022 at 2:37 PM
Golu said…
I think I know the film that you talking about, but my pea sized brain can never remember themes. I need to do something about it
September 29, 2022 at 7:36 AM
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