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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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Martesa (Albanian) [The Marriage]

By Golu
This is the first LGBT film from Kosovo on my blog. I am not sure if this is the first LGBT film from the country itself but if this film is any benchmark, then I will have to look for more options. This film, by the way, was Kosovo's official entry for Oscars. I will talk about this in details, but the chemistry between the lead actors is something I have not seen in a long time in movies, especially between two male leads. Also what's important to understand is that the film is set in and after the Kosovan war.

We meet Bekin and his fiancé Anita in an opening scene where Anita is looking for her missing parents. The dead bodies come from Serbia. This sets the history of the contested nation-state of Kosovo. Bekin and Anita are soon to get married and are very happy and in love. Through a couple of flashback scenes we see how they met, started courting and have reached this point today. Enter Nol, who has just returned from Paris, where he is a successful musician and the dynamics between the happy couple suddenly change that is hard for Anita to comprehend.. It turns out that during the way Nol and his family stayed with Bekin's family. The three form a tight bond but we soon get to know that Nol's lost love is none other than Bekim and now Bekim is struggling and pining for his only true love. One night when after a fight at the bar, Bekim comes to get Nol from the police and this is when its confirmed how the 2 men fell in love during war and how much ever they suppress it, it can't be changed. Bekim's love for Nol is pure but he is also bound by his duties and responsibilities towards his soon-to-be wife. Nol is not ok with being a side affair and expects Bekim to tell the truth to Anita but Bekim can't. And this is more because he really does love Anita too. The wedding day comes and with some drama from Nol, it does happen. Their secret is still safe. The film ends at a very sombre note where Nol heads back to Paris but Bekim refuses to let him go before he says a proper goodbye.

I have to admit that the ending is not what I was expecting but in hindsight it was the right thing. There could not have been an ending which would have pleased everyone. I do feel bad for Anita's character because she never got to know the truth but who knows if Bekim is ever gonna love her the same way he did Nol. She deserved more. But having said that its the chemistry between Nol-Bekim which is electrifying. The night and morning after Bekim gets Nol out from Police Station, we see the interaction between them so pure and natural as if you are peeking into someone's real life through a secret camera. The sex scene between them is so passionate without being explicit. And their flirting with each other the next morning is just too good. It is one of my most favourite scenes in the entire film. The film doesn't start with being a LGBT film. It will be wrong to classify it as just that. It is an authentic portrait of a middle class contemporary Kosovo and a relatable snapshot of how a society grows crookedly around its unresolved secrets, in the same way that a marriage can. Coming to acting. every single actor does a great job including all supporting actors but needless to say that its the 3 main actors who give an absolute standout performance. They are all absolute stunning. Bekim is my favourite though. He is drop dead gorgeous and you can see and feel the love in his eyes for Anita and even more for Nol.

I am feeling short of words to describe how much I fell in love with the love between Nol and Bekim. Love will continue to persist. Highly recommend watching this film for brilliant story, acting, direction and Bekim, on top of all. Maybe it will also rekindle the idea of wanting to fall in love all over again. (8.5/10)
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