This one falls into that darker corner of gay cinema. There was real potential buried in here, but the execution feels so flat that at points it plays out more like a filmed stage play than an actual movie. It's a dark psychological drama built around a street hustler confessing to a brutal, confusing murder of his own lover. Black and white flashback sequences do a solid job laying out the details of what happened, but the real focus stays on the dialogue and the writing itself. Right at the start, a young hustler has already killed his male lover Claude. Three days go by before he calls the police to turn himself in for the murder. But instead of just reporting it somewhere ordinary, he actually summons the police and the local press directly into a judge's private chambers. Yves has keys to the place, which tracks given what he does for a living, but having the press waiting right outside makes the whole scene look like some elaborate blackmail scheme against the judge. The ...
Kijima is an award winning novelist, who has lost his mojo an dis now struggling for money. He gets reacquainted with his college classmate Kido, who is now an editor in publishing company. Kido was recently kicked out by his girlfriend, so Kijima invites him as roommate in return for expenses. At his work, Kido deals with erotica novels that Kijima looks down upon. Kido suggests that Kijima start writing erotica too to make money. Initially very reluctant, the growing debt on Kijima makes him accept this and hid stories to be published under a fake name. Meanwhile, Kido's company also publishes erotic novels by Gamoda, a very old, almost dying man, who is a heavyweight in this industry. Kido's company wants to buy rights of his posthumous novel, for which Ido recommends him that he take Kijima under his wing. For some reason Gamoda makes Kijima give blowjob to Kido to see how serious is he about apprenticeship. This leads to a very unexpected love story between the two men. Kijima also starts to faithfully take care of Gamoda as well. But Kido is not sure of where he falls in all this. He loves Kido, but is also very much a straight guy who wants to have a family and a wife. The two men go through a few ups and downs, while Gamoda is struggling with his health. The ending is not a happy one, but to be honest, it is one of the most real and practical ending, that can happen in such a situation.
This series surprisingly has some very erotic and sensual sexual scenes between its two leading men. But at no point they become steamy. They are needed for the story, and that combined with the very poignant emotions going through both the men make the whole journey very novel and very interesting. The physical intimacy and the chemistry between the two lead actors is just too good. The entire mood of the series is very mellow, calm and stable. No over the top shouting or anything. Kijima is allowed to show a lot more vulnerability, while Kido is a fantastic screen partner with an equally compelling characterization. Are they in love, is this physical need or is it just merely a way for them to not be lonely? The beauty of this series is that despite everything that happened between the two men, they never lost touch of intimacy and connection with each other. This is a feeling that very few people get to experience. The actors are good looking, acted well, the screenplay is tight and overall the pacing and the melancholic mood of the series makes this an absolute must watch to your list. (8/10)
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