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 ...
Will is a poet and he lives with his boyfriend Lee who is a musician. They have occasionally worked together and indulge in sexual flirtations but Lee is definitely more involved in relationship than Will is. When Lee realizes that his romantic feelings for Will cannot be fully reciprocated due to Will's sexual confusion, Lee abandons Will and moves back to his rural hometown. A year later, Will, alone, has lost motivation in his work. Lee has seemingly got himself on the right track, and has held out from relapsing on his relationship with Will. One night, Will drunkenly reaches out to Lee, leaving a video message on his phone. Lee responds by inviting him and their mutual friend Jo up to his parent's country home for the weekend. Lee struggles to decipher between his repressed feelings for Will and his hurt feelings, while Will seems preoccupied with drugs and stealing from the beer store he works for. The two navigate through a weekend of fighting, drinking, poetry, music, and reconciliation.
Yes, thats what the film pretty much is. But even this paper thin plot is hard apparently to be presented on the screen. There is no characterization. The story arc is flimsy and very underdeveloped too. You may be able to relate to a few traits of other of the two protagonists, but only if that was enough. While relatability is an important quality, perhaps stronger writing and more developed characters would have aided the film’s deeper narrative themes. The film keeps jumping back and forth and also some supporting characters keep showing up, who really add no value to the overall setting. Even the lead actors do not have the charm and charisma to hold audience's attention. Both these actors are also co writer-director of the film, so one can see how internalized this project was. We have seen films about conflicting gay relationships before but it would take much sharper writing to keep us interested in yet another variation on the theme. (2/10)
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