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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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Holiday Heart

By Golu
A film like this that was made for TV in 2000, has its heart in the right place. But it gets so repetitive with its fallouts and redemptions so often that it gets tiring to watch. With all the positivity that the film tries to evoke, these factors take away from the film to reach higher goods. This is a story of redemption which tries too hard to make people cry and manage that with having a lead character being a famous drag queen.

Holiday Heart is a very famous drag performer who is yet to get over her boyfriend's death. She hopes to go to Paris to restart her life. One day he meets teenage Nikki and her mother Wanda who are being abused by Wanda's boyfriend, and Holiday invites them to live in the next door spare apartment that he owns in a building. The three eventually become a unit and start living happily as family. The sis until,Wanda falls for Drug dealer Silas and ultimately reverts to her habits if using drugs, prostitution and being a good for nothing mother. After Silas disappears. She treats Holiday shabbily but he is always willing to help for the sake of good life for Nikki, with whom he clearly identifies based on his own fitfully revealed past. Soon a few months later, Silas returns, friendlier than before , willing to take care of Nikki and is thankful to Holiday. Together as an "odd couple", they take care of Nikki. But Silas is still dealing. Silas realizes soon that he could be a threat for Nikki, especially after she runs away to find her mother and begs Holiday to take care of her. The two start to create a life till one day around Christmas, Wanda gets shot by the same group of people who she is has been dealing drugs with. Few months later, Nikki is visiting her mother's grave and Silas and Holiday are part of her life.

The lead actor playing Holiday, IMO does a fantastic job. But the focus is really not on his sexuality or work. The characterization is a bit flat for not just Holiday , but even for other ones on the film. They come and go as they please, leaving the focus primarily on Holiday and Nikki and their growing relationship. None of the characters want to redeem themselves. Wanda is always in and out between her love for her daughter and wanting to continue using drugs and have sex with men, where as Holiday wants to make sure Nikki doesn't end up in a life that he had to go through. I enjoyed Holiday's lip synced dance performances in the club and over as well, but its the overall scope of the character itself that I wasn't completely sold on to. Wanda was ok and her portrayal of a woman so addicted to drugs that she even agrees to prostitute for drugs was heart-breaking. Silas was a strange character. It was never very clear why was he so invested in well being of Nikki and despite him also treating Wanda so badly, why was it ok for him to stay with Holiday intermittently. Was Holiday secretly falling in love for him?

Watch this film, only for our lead man's acting and portrayal of a drag queen, who is god fearing but also willing to go to any lengths to save his loved ones. (5/10)
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