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...
Sometimes it helps going into a movie not knowing anything about it. Although thats not how I do it but its good, sometimes. This film is said to have been made for TV and I am sure it must have done well.
The most traumatic moment for a kid is when he has to go through his parents divorce. Jack is one such kid. Just about to turn 16, he is trying to deal with his parents separation for a while now. He sees his father very week. Things are ok until one day Jack's father decided to tell him that the reason they got divorced is because he is gay and is living with his partner Bob. He doesn't know how to deal with it and hates his dad. His only support is his best friend Max. Jack slowly comes around because of Maggie, the daughter of a gay friend of Jack's father. She has known this for a while and deals with the situation much better. Maggie is the hottest girl in the school and hence, Jack's father is successfully able to invite him over to his and his boyfriends aptt saying that Maggie would be visiting. Things change a bit when his best friend's Max parents, whom Jack always thought had a perfect marriage, fight and his father ends up beating his mother. By the way Max's mother had always liked Jack. The incident brings Max and Jack closer, they both grow up mentally and this is when Jack's dad help Max's family. The family ends with Jack's 16th birthday being celebrated and all close friends and family members together.
This is one of those regular family movies with a twist that the father is gay. The film beautifully handles and takes us through the mental struggle that a kid goes through not just trying to deal with the parents separation but also other things in their life.
I would say a very decent attempt by the director. (6.5/10)
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