This is your typical indie coming-of-age tale about a teenager, though it’s clearly working with a very tiny budget. Set within a migrant family living in Southern California’s Coachella Valley, the movie digs into how fragile old-school traditions and expectations can be. We follow a teenage son as he goes through the process of coming out and struggles to find acceptance while dealing with homophobia, domestic abuse, and a messy love triangle that involves his own sister. Goyo is seventeen and just about to graduate from high school. Since he’s been a bit more feminine since he was a little kid, he’s always had to deal with emotional and physical transition from his dad, Ramon, who is obsessed with him being "a man." The only real love he gets is from a lady next door who actually respects him for who he is. The family lives in a Mexican community where everyone works on a grape farm, but things get shaken up when a new guy named Lucio arrives. Lucio basically seduces Goyo ...
Earth in a 12th grade student, who wants to be a musician but his father continuously pushes him to study. A young charming and cute boy Sun soon moves in as his neighbour and an unlikely friendship starts developing between the two where clearly Sun likes Earth. Eventually Earth reciprocates his feelings. In enter Log, Earth's best friend who finds Sun very cute and starts pursuing him. Because of a misunderstanding, Earth thinks that both Sun and Mog like each other so he takes a step back. But eventually truth and true love prevails and Sun tells Mog that its only Earth whom he likes. This is a story of how the two boys get closer and help each other grow, showing that the soft changes in life can be found in the location that's just next to each other's house.
The story is simple and straightforward, the production is very average and without the random twists and turns that are starting to show up in other Thai BL series. I know I have complained in the past that we should remove all fluff and focus only on the main story, but if that means coming up with films with such thin flimsy plot, then please don't. The acting is average and Sun looks good but a lot of things are just not explained. Why the strained relations between Earth and his father? Does Sun like Earth or his music? Suddenly Mog starts pursuing Sun, who himself shows that h his liking the attention, which felt a bit weird. Keep your fast forward button handy to watch and finish this film super fast. I wish someone could teach the value of tight screenplay and editing to these independent film makers who are full on busy creating BL movies and shows in Thailand. (4/10)
Comments
Also, the poor thing came after Great men academy and A tale of thousand stars, so the comparison definitely hurt a lot...
There are many times that despite being warned of a bad film, I still end up watching it, just because I have to.
PS: a few new Chinese shows have come out lately which are marked as not gay but sort of bromance. Are they worth it? I ask because as its is, I have so much stuff to see.
As for the new shows you mentioned, I've tried "The untamed" that is incredibly beautiful but... it's just a bromance really imo. You have to GUESS there is love between them by the way they look at each other. I read it was based on a novel where characters are really gay in it but homophobic China banned all kind of physical contact. Which was a no-no for me. I decided to quit when I read there would never be a single kiss, especially since it's super long (like 50episodes). I mean, it deserves to be seen for sure, but not if you're looking for gay content.
I haven't tried any other so I can't really say, sorry.
Good luck on all your reviews!