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...
Herman and Franco are an older gay couple who have been together for 8 years. They meet Fede, a very young man in his early twenties, online and have a few raunchy conversations about a threesome. Finally they invite Fede for dinner and more. A very nervous Fede arrives anther home and obvious discomfort is seen between the trio. Slowly as the three men eat, chat, and drink plenty of wine, they become more talkative and open. In due time, they are revealing intimate aspects of their lives and histories. Soon after dinner, the romantic encounter starts which ends up in a threesome (a really long scene). The trip sleep together and being good hosts Hernan and Franco make sure that their guest is comfortable and has everything he needs. Fede leaves and the film ends with him sitting in the classroom with memories from last night. We see him smiling with pleasure, having learnt something and most importantly a confidence that wasn’t seen before.
As mentioned, content wise there i snot much. The trio meets online,, meets in person, have threesome and part ways. This simple thing is stretched in such long drawn scenes that it tests your patience. The first act of online chat lasts of about 10-15 minutes where raunchy, steamy messages are exchanged. Then comes the dinner conversation done in 2 long takes of 20 minutes each and finally the sex scene that again last for more than 20 minutes. I really don’t understand why the director had to go so deep in every aspect of their acts and make it tiring. Haven’t the team heard of ‘Sometimes less is more’. This neither classifies as a relationship drama or an erotic thriller; it just offers a very slice of life film, but how I wish it was also an interesting one. The dinner conversations give us a peak into the trio’s character but it soon becomes very dull. It becomes difficult for an audience to care about Fede, as we know nothing about him; he simply seems young, innocent, and uncomfortable.
I seriously recommending doing a very tight edit of the film and present it as a short 20 minute film. The actor are fantastic, they look good, get into the skin of their character, have good chemistry and they do a great job but the screenplay and direction falters big time. In its current form, the film is a bit dull and tiring to be strongly recommended. (4/10)
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