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...
The topic of child prostitution is one of the hardest to grasp on the camera and my admiration goes to every director who has taken a shot at the topic so far. This is the kind of topic which if handled in the wrong way can come out across as very very cheap and vulgar. It needs to be handled with maturity and sensitivity.Tomek is a 14 year old boy interested in astronomy and he lives in the area around Poland and Germany. One os his close friends from school works as a prostitute. Child prostitution apparently is huge in that area in that time.He meets this teenage girl Marta at a club. To keep her happy and meet her continuing monetary demands, Tomek now needs to work. After attempting a lot of honest way to make money, he inevitably finds prostituting himself to be the only way to make what he needs. Feeling he has nobody to turn to, Tomek falls deeper and deeper down the ugly path so many of his peers have already gone. One such evening he ends up going to a client who loves to beat the shit out of the kids. This incident changes his life. He becomes stronger. HE informs the police about the leader of the prostitution racket who gets jailed and he himself ends up becoming the boss of the area at the tender age of 16. When his close friend from school for work, he sends him to the same client, who likes to beat kids and as a result this time the kid ends up dying. Tomek is shaken and doesn't know what to do. Meanwhile the boss is back from the jail. What will happen next? WIll Marta stay with Tomek or is she with him just because of money?
All the young actors in the film present the right amount of professionalism and amateurism needed for their characters to be believable. he story initially was not going anywhere. It was only later when something major was happening. It was so weird to see how a little 15 year old like Marta would use Tomek for each and every penny of his for her own benefits and pleasure and when Tomek can't give her that, she just moves on to a rich big boy. It was incredible. Also was surprising the sudden growth in the boy with just one incident. That is still acceptable but then he suddenly becoming the boss of the prostitution racket was unbelievable. The director took a little too much liberty here.
A delicate subject, watch it for something different. (4/10)
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