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...
Set in Tennessee, Asian American Joey has been in a relationship with Cody and together they are raising a beautiful and a very happy son Chip, who is now about 6 years old. When Cody is killed in an auto accident, Joey is more than prepared to raise Chip as his own. But a long-forgotten legal document signed years ago by Cody awards custody to his sister Elaine, who promptly follows through on the plan. She says there must be some reason why her brother wanted her to have custody and even gets a restraining order on Joey. As expected, no lawyer is ready to take his case, as there is no case. Except, for Paul, a well-to-do retired lawyer who volunteers his services out of sheer compassion, who has seen how passionate Joey has been about his work, his family, his son and what a good soul he is. In an out of court arbitration, we get to hear what Joey's childhood and younger days were like, what he has been through and why he will be the best father he can be to Chip. Thankfully, film has a happy ending.
Interestingly, this film is not really a "gay rights" film, because thats the first thing that came to my mind. But the more I think about it, it is about a father and son who have been separated against their wishes and for reasons that poor little Chip will not be able to comprehend. The words gay or homosexual is never uttered. The story is straight forward, but its in those long silences and glances and lazy chores that the actors are doing is what you connect with. Like I said earlier, those scenes are needed to establish the basis of how happy the trio of Cody, Joey and Chip really were. One thing I don't understand is why would Elaine suddenly become so cold, when she clearly loved Joey and respected him as much as her own brother. Surely she comes around in the end, but it's still puzzling for me. Coming to performances, Joey, who is also the producer director of the film gives an absolutely impeccable and extraordinary performance. He is heartbroken and vulnerable, yet you can see the goodness in him by the way he talks to everyone around him respectfully, how he creates game boxes for his son who is into dinosaurs. Joey's performance completely overshadows everyone, who, by the way, are also extremely good. The little kid Chip, he is so brilliant. It always feels as if you are sneaking into their family life. It never seems they are all acting. The film never gets melodramatic and stays very true to how you would want things to be handled in real life.
Yes, I am reviewing it here but I strongly believe this is a cinema that should be seen by most people. It's about a father and son being separated and you can't help but root for them to get back together. Gay or straight, it doesn't matter. It's about doing the right thing. Yes, the length of the film would be an issue for most folks but trust me, it will be worth it. (7.5/10)
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