Is this technically a gay show? Even after getting through the whole thing, that's still kind of tricky to answer. There's never any physical intimacy shown between the two leads, not even a single kiss. What it gives you instead is something that goes way deeper than that. It traces an emotional bond that spans a full decade between two guys who are both dealing with their own baggage, and what they share basically amounts to being soulmates. The story moves across Japan, South Korea, and Berlin. Honestly, whether people want to call what they have a romantic relationship or not doesn't really matter to me. A relationship doesn't need a label like boyfriends attached to it to actually mean something. And closeness doesn't need to be physical to feel genuine. What this show captures is something quieter but way more powerful, a bond rooted in understanding, respect, and just showing up for each other. Across eight episodes, each running 35 to 45 minutes, this is one...
David is a famous artist who finds himself in a artist block. To get more inspired, he decides that he needs to get a job and since he has waiting experience, he decide to join a not so famous diner, so that no one recognizes him. The diner is owned by Matt and Violet, a loving couple. The 3 of them become friends and are having a good time, until David starts having feelings for Matt. Surprisingly, Matt looks in David a friend, whom he can hang out with. One day when David shows Matt his painting of Matt, he can't hold back anymore and gives himself to David. They have pure passion. But things start becoming awkward at diner and so David quits. Matt misses him and visits him again and then they start having an affair, while Violet is totally clueless. On a parallel side, we also see Shannon, David's transgendered friend who lives with him and wants to get a sex change operation but it keeps getting postponed because of her HIV status. Things keep worsening with her. She ends up in hospital really bad and finally decides that she can't take it anymore and would like to end her life. When another friend of David's sees David and Matt together, she is utterly shocked and threatens to tell Violet about everything. Eventually when David is about to do his portraits exhibition about Matt, Matt comes clean to his wife, who throws him out of the house. The film ends with all 3 principal characters being left alone to deal the realities of life.
Interestingly the film has lot of reference to Superman, which I found oddly fascinating considering the target audience was primary gay. I have to point out here that every single acorn in this film does a brilliant job. My fav scene is when Matt calls David as buddy and he exclaims to Violet that "Did you hear that your husband just called me buddy. You know I am a fag, right?" The scene was fantastic and it sort of establishes the character that David is. The guy Matt was very believable as the loving husband, who for some reason could not help himself falling in love with another man while loving his wife equally strong. I for once was never bored in the film and was curious to see what would happen next. I don't think the side story of the transgendered girl was a drag to the film. The film very subtly focusses on crisis and epidemic that AIDS and HIV is bringing. Sure the film doesn't have a happy ending but then at least it is more realistic and believable.
I liked it a lot and I think most people would. (7/10)
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