Skip to main content

On The Sea (UK)

By Golu
This one's a beautiful, tender, quiet romantic drama with a moody atmosphere, set in a tight knit Welsh fishing community. It's a touching story about a man waking up sexually in the middle of his life, and how he, his family, and everyone around him deal with it, which makes it emotional and sentimental without ever getting over the top. The slow burn plays out against a landscape that's as bleak as it is gorgeous, where quiet, closed off men are stuck inside rigid ideas of what masculinity should be. Some people might be reminded of "God's Own Country," but I think both films are lovely in their own way. Jack is a middle aged guy who co-owns a mussel farm with his rough around the edges brother Dyfan, and the tension between the two of them is simmering under the surface right from the start. Dyfan's three sons all help out with the work, while Jack's sulky teenage son Tom keeps skipping out. Jack's been with his wife since they were both 16, and...
Post a Comment

Maschile Singolare (Italian) [Mascarpone]

By Golu
This film was really good. It immediately reminded me of some my favorite Italian queer films that I have reviewed here, especially the ones directed by the Turkish director. This one is not by him but somehow the soul seemed like something he would make. The film is not earth shattering by any means, nor does it show anything brand new that we have not seen before but something about this, the way screenplay holds together, just touched me.

Antonio is a doting stay at home husband to Lorenzo for almost 12 years and he is only 30 now. Suddenly one day Antonio gets dumped by his husband who has fallen for another man for sometime now. Antonio is shocked since he had depended on Lorenzo for both psychological and economic reasons, and now he needs to find a new place to stay, a job and a new purpose in life. Cristina, his lifelong friend is his emotional support during all this time. Antonio manages to find a room in a apartment owned by Denis, a boy who lives a very carefree life enjoying sex every now and then. He helps Antonio find a job in Luca's bakery. The trip form a formidable friendship full of love, fun and occasional sex as well. Luca helps Antonio to get out of his shell and explore the gay community and just have sex and enjoy his life. He is still young. Always fond of pastry, Antonio regains self-confidence by attending a professional course, and realizing also that being single is not so bad. Things change when a random trick he meets, could be potentially turning into something more serious. Antonio now needs to think through how he had earlier sacrificed himself completely for his relationship, and so would he want retrace his steps or take a step further with his new found life lessons. An unfortunate tragedy helps his take that decision.

First thing I liked about the film was the boys. OMG! Every single guy in this movie was hot, sexy, cute yet the boy next door that you could take home kind of guy. Is Italy really full of so many hot men? Maybe its time to visit again. Jokes apart, there are many things that I liked and connected with in the film. The film is not made out to be a soapy drama. Even the break up in the initial few scenes was done very realistically, without being dramatic. Having a to find a new home is a real problem (I had to deal with the exact same issue in an exact same scenario), but thankfully Antonio finds Denis and further Luca. It was very heartbreaking to see how initially Antoni wouldn't be able to have any other man touch him because his husband was the only one who he had ever been with, but thanks to advice from Luca and Denis, he changes slowly and discovers a whole new world or men available online for hook ups. And there starts stream of further gorgeous men, every single one of them bringing in some change in Antonio. The friendship between these three men was really beautiful. Antonio finally starts to mature but an unexpected relationship chance suddenly threatens to bring brakes on his life. A perfect man shows up who it seems love Antonio really with his heart. He has no malicious intent but a grown up Antonio. Needs to decide will he give up everything again just for another person, or stick to his own individuality and be with a person with whom he can build a life together , and not leave everything that's near to him for this. The sudden twist in the end was shocking but that helps Antonio see things in perspective because otherwise he was about to take a u-turn. Acting by every single person in this film is absolutely perfect, the settings of Italy is beautiful and did I say that guys were gorgeous? The version I saw had some bad English subtitling but I hope folks can find a better version. 

This film is simple yet very very relatable and its after a long time I really enjoyed a film so much that I wish some things like that happened to me in real life. The film connected with me and that's a big win, in my opinion. (8.5/10)
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Tuxedo (Thai Series)

By Golu
When I saw this series with 8 episodes of about 20-25 minutes each, I thought, good: Finally someone has come to senses and made a show which is not stretched out and they have tried to squeeze in a decent storyline in a good small episode format. But unfortunately, despite a decent premise on hand, the clunky writing, bad screenplay and an extreme tasteless portrayal of mental illness makes this show, not a fun watch. By the time it finishes, you just want to laugh off at the entire absurdity of it all. Aioun is talented tuxedo designer and very much in demand but he has handful of clients and he builds suits only for people who he feels a connection to. One night when his younger brother is about to get mugged, he is helped by a total stranger named Sichol. Since he tears his suit in the fight and has an interview the next day, Aioun gifts him a suit form his design as an expression of thanks. Sichol's interview is for. Personal assistant of a man named Nawee, a wealthy heir to h...
25 comments
Read more

Heartstopper: Season 2 (Web Series) (UK)

By Golu
Heartstopper Season 1 was a universal hit. You could not have read one bad review or heard from anyone who has seen the show not liking it. It was the kind of series that is easy to love, with sweetness exploding out of every scene without overwhelming you. So naturally, when Netflix greenly Season 2, expectations were naturally high and the same happened with me. I didn't know what to expect, but I had high expectations of this very very sweet teenage love story. And with eagerness and being a little late to the game by a few days, here I am, pouring my t thoughts down having just finished one of the most anticipated shows of the year. The second season also has 10 episodes and has all of our loved ones from the original season. The show continues from where it had left off in Season 1. Charlie and Nick are a couple and only their very close circle of friends know about it. This includes Charlie's best friend Tao and his trans best friend Elle. The center of the show is still ...
19 comments
Read more

Gaya Sa Pelikula (Filipino Series) [Like In The Movies]

By Golu
Pinoy BL series seem to be catching up to the popularity of the Thai shows. And I must say that they are doing a pretty good job at it. Where Thai series started to get repetitive with so many shows based in a college setting with seemingly similar storylines, Pinoy series are offering the viewers with new and interesting stories and some really good sets and surroundings. This series was 8 episodes of about 25-20 minutes each. Karl, a 19-year old introvert architecture student is in the middle of an identity crisis. Prior to the start of the second semester in college and forced by his parents, he moves into his uncle's condominium unit so that he can learn to be financially independent. Karl takes on odd jobs online to do so. But when one of his major clients suddenly goes MIA, he is left short on funds and without a means to pay for his utilities. An opportunity presents itself when his cocky neighbor Vlad has to hide from his family and proposes to share Karl's space for th...
23 comments
Read more