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...
Its Christmas eve in 1986. Borja is a loner teenager who likes to dream about films. Its his passion, just like his father. His elder brother Vincent is a reader and their mother is another oddball. They come together for Christmas eve dinner after which secrets come out. Vincent goes to his friend's home, a lie to cover the fact that he is going to a gay cruising park. While the drunk mother is sleeping, Borja goes through Vincent's stuff in his room and discovers his. gay porn books and jock straps which makes him very horny and he realizes his own sexuality. Vincent gets mugged at the park and comes back home dejected and the brothers have a huge fight over sexuality issues. Borja challenges Vincent on why doesn't he accept who he is rather than denying. While the brothers are talking and find solace in each other, the mother wakes up and hears everything and attacks Vincent. As an instant reflex, Borja attacks his mother. Cut to 1999. Borja is now living with his boyfriend but still has horrid dreams about gay attacks. Finally he goes to visit his family's grave to tell them that he is forever moving to SF to learn film making. But a chance sexual encounter with the cleaner leads to his death as well.
This film could have been a nice erotic thriller but I felt that the director got too much self-absorbed and could not make heads or tale of what he wants to say. Despite great acting, good looking actors, pretty good production quality, the film is let down by a trash script. The scenes where Borja is exploring Vincent's room is stretched way too long just to increase eroticism for no reason whatsoever. There is more than enough penis shots in the film. After a mediocre slowness, the film does pick up pace when the two brothers have a fight. That's a very good scene and paced well but again it slows down with Borja's dreams. The only good things about the film is the 2 extremely charming actors who give it their all but sadly the film itself lets them down.
There are better films that show sudden eruption of suppressed desires and this movie itself could have been a great film. Sadly, the writer and the director got carried away in self-indulgence. (4/10)
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