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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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Marilyn (Spanish)

By Golu
Don't let the title mislead you. This is a good coming-of-age story of a boy raised and living in farm that comes with its share of fun and tragedy. Based on true events, this film takes you in the psyche of its characters and shows homophobia and what it can do to people.

Teenager Marcos lives with his family on a rural farm. He is a very shy kid and we see him wanting to experiment with cross dressing. When his father suddenly dies, he has to share responsibilities with his brother and mother of the farm. On the carnival night, he dresses as a seductive girl pretending to be Marilyn. The town goon likes him and rapes him after the carnival, which I believe Marcos secretly was looking forward to. But because of this, his secret is outed to his family and his mother burns all his clothes. Fortunately, things take a positive turn when Marcos meets openly gay peer Federico at a convenience store in town, and the two begin a relationship. Federico's family accepts Marcos but when Marcos suddenly invites him for dinner at his home, his mother brutally beats him up. This scares Federico and also he doesn't appreciate lies told by Marcos. Marcos is now even more snubbed by his mother and brother and he takes the inevitable extreme step to possibly end his misery.

The rural farm environment forms a strong backdrop of the film and is very much a character. And hence, when the 5 minute carnival scene comes, you see the contrast to the mundane life that Marcos is living. He is dancing with joy, rhythm and vigor, something that you don't see him with in his day to day activity. The film is slow and definitely will not be everyone's cup of tea, but it did remind of the film "Harvest" that I saw long back just because of the setting and slow pace, but still beautiful film. There is a lot more silence here but every scene still speaks to something. Marcos, as an actor does a splendid job. Without saying much his face, his eyes and his body speaks volumes of what he is going through. The pain of his father's death, dancing as Marilyn in the carnival, his mother's anger and eventual possibility of love with Federico. You feel for the boy at every step of the way.

A true story, an unexpected ending and a quiet yet strong film. It's an indie arthouse gem if you are craving for something very different. (7/10)
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