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...
For every bad film in the QFest film festival, thankfully we also get to see some good films too. Even though the entire subject matter of incest might repel to a few people, the film is fearless and daring in many ways as its touches on some very taboo subject matters. It slowly creeps up to you. There is a very haunting aspect to this film that will leave you lulled and wanting more.
Set in a sun-burnished Brazil, two boys, Francisco and his younger half-brother (same mother, different fathers) Thomás, are being raised in upper class comfort in Rio by their doting mother. Five years apart, the boys are best friends and unusually close to each other so much so that their intimacy brings vocal concerns from relatives that maybe they are too close. But the parents reluctantly brush away the concerns. There are several instances when Francisco says thathe will forever take care of his brother Thomas. After having focussed quite a substantial amount of time on their childhood, the movie flashes forward 15 years later when their mother is dead and Francisco's father is dead. Thomás' father has moved out so that the brothers can live their life. Francisco and Thomás are now strikingly handsome, bronzed young men and their childhood intensity has evolved into a torrid sexual relationship. They are deeply and madly in love with each other. But when Thomás is offered a chance to train for the Brazilian swim team in Russia for a long period of time, the proposed separation brings fears that their love is threatened. Francisco forces Thomas to go for the training but not before they exchange wedding rings amongst themselves. The distance apart tests their faith and love for each other. They miss each other terribly, Francisco gets into partying and even ends up kissing a girl but soon realizes his mistake. When the pain becomes unbearable, he goes to meet his brother in Russia and the two lovers are now reunited never to be separated.
Some of the context in the movie is not clear. When the mother realized the closeness between the men, why didn't she do anything about it. Did the brothers get physical for the first time only after their father left home and they were adult? Was their father aware of their relationship? If yes, didn't he object because clearly everyone around them saw how close they both were. The relationship to me is extremely poetic and beautifully directed. There is a great chemistry between the 2 men both as kids and adults. The love scenes will make you gasp with their intensity and sense of poetry. The 2 men although light up the screen, there is a certain amount of sadness eminent from their acting. I actually want to write so much more about this film but you really have to just watch it to experience it. The film makes you yearn for lovers. It doesn't matter if they are half brothers.
"I love you."
"And why do you love me?"
"I love you because you're mine. I love you because you need love."
"I love you, too."
"And why do you love me too?"
"I love you because...to understand our love they'd need to turn the world upside down."
Watch it. Its beautiful, poetic and romantic. And of course the main actors are extremely hot too. (9/10)
Comments
I wonder if you can find out whether the film is based on the book The Carnivorous Lamb by Agustin Gomez Arcos. There are a lot of similarities between the book and the film, and the bit of dialogue you quoted is almost identical to the love confessions between the book's protagonists, a pair of incestuous brothers living in Franco's Spain. If you haven't read the book, I'd totally recommend it.
Best ever!
The novel is stunning, and it just gets better and better as you reach the climatic ending. At the beginning of the book, I just thought it was just another story of subversive love in subversive times, but it's much more than than: it's outstandingly real, and yet incredibly ethereal in its beauty.
The best part of having seen this film was that it led me to read the book.
:)
Its a controversial subject. And the fact that we dont always like the same film, just goes to show that we are indeed normal humans. lol