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Journey With You (Chinese Series)

By Golu
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...
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Woubi Cheri (French) (Documentary)

By Golu
I am actually quite surprised that this documentary came out way back in 1998. Described as the first film to give African homosexuals a chance to describe their world in their own words. Often funny, sometimes ribald, but always real, this documentary introduces us to gender pioneers demanding their right to construct a distinct African homosexuality.

The film starts with basic vocabulary lessons. The main characters explain for us that a 'woubi' is a male who chooses to play the role of "wife" in a relationship with another man. A 'yossi', is a bisexual man, perhaps married, who accepts the role of a woubi's husband. A 'toussou bakari' is a lesbian. Controus are homophobes who oppose the woubia lifestyle. The film then goes on to introduce us to various characters like an immigrant from Burkina Faso, two cross-dressing prostitutes, a mature transvestite. These people go on to enlighten us their everyday struggles and how they have to survive for basic living and not get harassed by local folks. This film by a heterosexual Guinean director is a liberal's cry of protest against a society which refuses to see, let alone accept, homosexual relationships. In the absence of a supportive gay community, its heroes had no choice but to disappear. Woubi Chéri is the story of those who for economic or political reasons will not disappear but are creating an undeniable gay presence in the Ivory Coast. This is not to say that all homosexuals in the Ivory Coast are as flamboyant or "out" as the woubis in this film; there are no doubt as many homosexualities emerging in Africa as anywhere else. Not the most entertaining, but certainly an eye opener, especially given it came almost 23-24 years back. (4/10)
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