I've always had kind of a love hate relationship with Chinese historical BLs. Some are genuinely excellent, but then there are others that cram in so much plot that keeping track of all the layers of betrayal and scheming gets exhausting, and I end up checking out mentally. Part of the issue is also just how much content is out there in this space, so something really has to stand out to keep me hooked. In this case, the production value is genuinely impressive, top tier stuff, but story wise, I just couldn't bring myself to actually care about these characters. There's a ton of political scheming and backstage manipulation running throughout. Somewhere in the middle of all that chaos, a hostage ends up falling for his own Prince Charming. The show runs eight episodes, each around 50 to 60 minutes long. After spending three years guarding the border, Fifth Prince Yin Qi gets called back to the capital because of a secret letter, only to end up walking straight into a deadly...
There are very few movies which are made on real life actual stories. This is one of them. Although this again would not be classified as gay movie but yes definitely the lead character is gay and thats all that is to it.Tobacco heiress Doris Duke is like one of the richest living women on earth. One day she firs her butler for bringing cold cantaloupe. The agency then sends Bernard Lafferty who earlier served Liz Taylor. He is gay and a former alcoholic. He was in rehab for 6 months but is recovering now. After a strict master employer relationship, Doris starts liking Bernard for his selfless motive of serving her. They start getting close and travel together. Her lawyers question his motive. She realizes that he does not want anything from her. As he sys one night, all he wants to do is take care of her. Though Bernard is not without flaws. He slowly succumbs back to alcohol and steals the most expensive wines from the wine cellar. He is fired when Doris comes to know about it. He comes back only after he knows that Doris is seriously ill and maybe living only a few more months. He serves and takes care of her selflessly and in the end is rewarded with most of her property left for him in her will.
The entire story focusses on how the 2 people come close to each other, spend time, trying to be friends but at the same time how Doris makes sure he never crosses any line. There are no specific gay acts or anything in the movie. Just the character is gay. Performances I thought were pretty neat by both characters.
A worth watch. No big shakes but not bad either. (5/10)
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