Honestly I can't believe we're still getting BL series this bad in 2026. This mini series runs about 7 to 8 episodes with a total runtime of just about an hour and it is so boring that I genuinely struggle to find the words. The actors are awkward, the story is as basic as it gets and there is almost nothing about this show worth saving. The makers do try to stir up some drama here and there but even that falls completely flat. Ho Won is a 23 year old university student who spots a man sitting alone at a gay bar and gets attracted to him. The man is Min U, a 33 year old who brushes Ho Won off immediately saying he's too young. Ho Won lies about his age and since he's made a bet with the bartender that he'll get this man home before the night is over, he switches tactics and eventually the two end up at Min U's place and sleep together. Despite being complete opposites in every way there's some kind of pull between them and they go on a couple of dates. But t...
This doc films the 11-month preparation for Anima Ardens and offers a window into a unique artistic collaboration. The auditions introduce a unique dynamic that transforms as the film progresses. Smits asks his prospective dancers if they have read the performance description in full and understand that the piece is to be done in the nude. Several dancers are visibly surprised and uncomfortable as they begin crossing their fully clothed legs and twitching anxiously. However, Smits makes clear that he isn’t choosing men based on their abs or their endowments. They are dancers, after all, and the audition scenes offer a survival of the fittest challenge as the top dancers distinguish themselves through technique, form, and confidence. Closeups of male skin and non-stop graphic nudity show how vulnerable these men can be within the non-existent borders of artistic freedom. More of a celebration of the male body than erotica and definitely not gay.
From the auditions to the final performance, Bare witnesses an erosion of insecurity as some dancers take time to emerge from their shells. One dancer observes the beauty of nudity by saying it “opens up sides of themselves they normally don’t show.” We never get to see what the whole actual performance looked like. What we do get to see of the rehearsals, is these naked men endlessly crawling over each other, standing about like statues or frantically jumping around. I couldn't discern any point or narrative in all this naked turmoil (assuming that the ballet was supposed to have any). While it's fascinating to watch all these good looking men work through the rehearsal process naked, this film captures exactly what rehearsals can be: a tedious time. This is especially true when the choreographer isn't sure what he wants and he's taking almost a year to create his latest work. I knew t hat there is not going thing queer about the doc but at least I will get to see 11 naked men. Sadly it all ended up being a big bore. (2/10)
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