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...
This is one thing that sometimes I don't understand about film festivals. All kinds of weird films get the kind of accolades which for a normal viewer like me shocks the hell out of me. A film like this with barely any dialogues and pretty much long shots of nothingness are a big yawn for me, especially when it drags on for 2 hours. And then i read critics going gaga over this film, and I am like what the hell am I missing. This was simply very boring. A kind of film which you can watch in a fast forward mode, finish in 15 minutes and would still not miss a single thing.
An older man spends time in his home, who seems to have some sort of ailment. After almost one hour of nothingness, we see him getting treatments of acupuncture, mugwort burning and electrical stimulation therapy. Meanwhile we have a younger boy, who we watch as he cooks (pretty much for 30-40 minutes). Somehow the two men end up meeting a in a hotel room where the younger guy is giving massage to the older man for almost 25 minutes with an erotic ending. The only tender moment happens after this when the older man gives the younger boy a gift and asks him to join for dinner. The two lonely men eventually go their separate ways.
I fail to understand why anyone on earth would want to watch this 2 hour long ordeal. If the idea is to show people about 2 lonely men that come together circumstantially, some short films have done that brilliantly. You really cant test viewer's patience like this. I am a bit angry while writing this review and I have never felt like this while reviewing a film. I would call it nothing but self-indulgence. The film has barely any dialogues which is fine. The two actors are similarly inexpressive, their faces blank as though personal interaction was a major risk. Please do yourself a favor and do not watch this. (0.5/10)

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