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Contrast (Japanese Series)

By Golu
This is basically a high school BL where two guys who have nothing going on in common somehow end up getting really close to each other, and that's kind of the whole point of the title too. There's barely any drama or fluff packed in here, it stays pretty straightforward the whole way through. A little bit of friction pops up here and there, but it's nothing compared to what you'd normally get in this kind of show. Runtime wise you're looking at 8 episodes, each one sitting around 25-30 minutes. The two guys carrying the story are Akira and Kanata, and funny enough they knew each other's faces way before they ever knew each other's names. Kanata's the type everyone likes, always got people around him, popular guy, but there's this distance to him that people can't quite place. Turns out he had an injury that ended his football days, and that's what pushed him into being more withdrawn, and it only got worse once his younger brother got picked...
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Benim Çocugum (Turkish Documentary) [My Child]

By Golu
This documentary has its heart in the right place but gosh! It is so bland and boring to watch. Don't get me wring, like I said, these stories are important to be told, but if you want the attention of your audience, you do have to put in that extra effort. What's the point if no one is even gonna watch it. Istanbul and Turkey will always have a special place in my heart, so a documentary from the country focusing on o parents of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender individuals, and the intimate stories they share in front of the camera does sound good.

We meet about 7-8 parents, who recount their growing up years and how and when they found out their kids were gay, lesbian, trans etc. They share their experiences very intimately, recounting every little detail (sometimes hard to talk about). And share their stories. They are personal. And then they talk about how through support groups, they eventually got to know one another. How these groups are helping not just kids but mostly parents of the kids and redefine what it means to be parents, family, and activists in this conservative, homophobic, and trans-phobic society. The second half of the doc focuses on their preparation of the famous gay pride parade.

The documentary's simplicity and no tricks is an asset but also its biggest problem. Just one to one cuts of individuals talking through camera and sharing their stories answering probably what I can consider set of 10 questions gets boring and too much after a while. Imagine you have given 10 questions to 8 people and then you are just going around listening to their answers. But having said that, it is brave of the parents to not just show their unconditional support to their kids but also help other parents, which is very important in the conservative Turkish society. I wish the film also look snippets form the children as well, which would have made it even more real and interesting to watch. (4/10)
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