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Journey With You (Chinese Series)

By Golu
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...
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Unconditional (UK)

By Golu
"Unconditional", presents the intense story of a severely repressed homosexual attempting to create his fantasy woman from an inexperienced, virgin, teenage boy. Effectively disturbing if not entirely satisfying, this tale of a handsome older man's infatuation with a teenage boy is a mix bag is terms of good or bad cinema. The unusual love-story soon spins off into strange territory as dangerous and dark obsessions take over.

16 year old twins Owen and Kristen struggle to make ends meet as they are full-time carers for their disabled mother. They make jokes about her dying, but also care about her deeply and their lives revolve around her. Enter Liam, a cool suit-wearing salesman who visits them to handle a financial loan inquiry. With his flash blue car and easy patter, he appears a charismatic intervention into the twins’ dull lives and Kristen especially is taken by his charms. But it is Owen that Liam has his sights on. He takes him out for a drink and the pair bond over beer, pool and food, with Owen entranced by his charms. Thinks move into stranger territory when Liam convinces Owen to dress up as a woman and the pair go out for dinner together. Owen  is inexperienced and impressionable enough to go along to an extent, it doesn’t take long for the viewer to realize there’s something very wrong with Liam, even beyond his needing to pretend Owen is a girl. Meanwhile Kristen thinks that it is her for whom Liam always shows up at their house. Liam sees his love for his ex-wife every time Owen dresses up as a woman. Liam becomes more and more romantically obsessed with him when dressed as a woman, eventually resorting to frustrated violence when he feels Owen moving away from him. He insists on Owen dressing as a woman when they are together and starts to promise a future and a ‘normal’ life together. “Indecision is for losers,” he tells Owen. “There are no conditions on love.”

The odd and complex relationship between Liam and Owen is definitely watchable, especially as it reaches a climax as the pair checks into the seaside Guest House and Liam’s behaviour tips over into frightening violence. The film is filled with very solid performances by everyone specially Owen. This has to be one of the most challenging roles for any actor. Liam acts really well although after a certain point when his actions go bonkers, as a viewer I fail to understand whats wrong with his tortured mind. Having said that, the story itself is intriguing and compelling and you want to know what will happen next.

Watch it for the performances. Definitely a decent film. (6/10)
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