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...
Into the Night (Australia): This short deals with the need for companionship, as a lonely older man hires a street boy mostly for company, and also portrays a much younger boy just entering street life.
Boy (New Zealand): A young hustler learns the truth about the death of a young woman in a small town, and has to fight for his life when the town wants him silenced. This film is shot in short choppy scenes of 3 seconds each. It was a little bit confusing for me.
Gigolo (Germany): Offers a complex character who hint towards larger social problems. Karim isa hustler who is with a rich older woman. When she dumps him he find a a rich man but neither has given him contentment. He is a man shaped by French racism.
Build (Canada): A college student who quits his studies and turns to hustling goes through disappointment in a lifetime of failed aspirations. He needs to support his alcoholic mother and himself financially. When he is betrayed by his fellow co-worker whom he had a crush on, he has to face disappointment and somehow continue on.
Rock Bottom (USA): A sweet, overweight, 30-something, picks up twink street hustler Jason and takes him home where typical hustler shenanigans take place. Yet a real rapport develops between the two, and the film ends with Jason crossing his own hustler boundaries to kiss Billy, suggesting things might get better for both.
Gold (Canada): A nearly blind artist employs hustler Jay not for his body, but to assist him in painting new canvases. In teaching Jay about passion and beauty, he leads the young man to a kind of salvation.
I have to admit that in general the shorts in this series have been a lot better than the previous ones that I saw and hence it deserves a slightly higher rating.
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