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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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Closing Numbers (UK)

By Golu
Watching films during the AIDS epidemic time are never easy to watch. Even of the films are badly made, they constantly remind you of the horror that people went through and make you appreciate the life and flexibilities that we as queer folks have today. Despite having seen a lot of content set in those times, seeing something new always stirs up emotions of all kinds.

This was a made for TV movie that came out way back in 1993. Anna and Keith are a happily married couple of many years. By accident Anna discovers that Keith has actually been having an affair with a man named Steve. Anna and Steve meet and talk about Keith and during these conversations, Steve asks Anna to get tested. He tells her that he always had protected sex with Keith but given that she may have not, it's better to know the truth now than later. On confronting Keith with the possibility, it freaks him out and he refuses to get tested. Anna eventually tests negative. But, in the process she ends up befriending Jin, Steve's best friend, who is suffering from AIDS and is in his last phase of life. We are also introduced to Jim's parents who at one point had completely disowned him. But now with the news of him being sick, the mother comes around, but the father doesn't cave in. Jim's mother along-with Anna take real good care of Jim with support from Steve. Jim is a very happy and content and a positive guy who always takes things in his stride, including what would be the closing number that should be played in his funeral. His eventual death, so very expected, shakes everyone to the core. Anna and Keith get back together, and from what I understood from the film, Keith probably has tested positive and now Anna will take care of him.

As much the film is about a couple breaking up over homosexual issues, I think the film's core is more about love and compassion. There are incidents that happens in one's life that define you and make you realize what defines yourself. Your priorities change. and this is what happens with Anna. It's not very clear as to why she decides to join into taking care of Jim, but clearly there is a connection that the two have. Maybe it was to understand what do some of the folks go through in the so called horror of being infected with HIV. The world in those days was fragile and sensitive but also evil when people would make life difficult for folks with AIDS. The whole breakup between Keith and Steve was as abrupt as was Anna's and Keith's but like I said , I believe that the films idea to focus on was the compassion and love and sensitivity towards individuals who are sick. Thankfully none of the performances are over the top and are all very nuanced.

It's a very watchable film, if you can keep aside your prejudices against HIV and AIDS. Actually if you still have prejudices against either of that, it speaks a lot about you as a person and maybe you need help and education. (6/10)
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