Skip to main content

Burnout Syndrome (Thai Series)

By Golu
True to its title, this show tries to capture burnout not as some big dramatic collapse but as this slow, draining exhaustion that quietly eats away at relationships and how you see yourself, and honestly it makes the characters feel really real. The pace is slow on purpose, and everyone here is flawed and full of contradictions, nobody's simple. It uses this messed up boss and employee dynamic to sneak in some pretty smart commentary on society. The story digs into toxic work culture, mental health struggles, and how money ends up running our lives whether we like it or not. And yeah, there's a love triangle thrown in too, because of course there is. This one runs ten episodes, each around 45-55 minutes. Jira's twenty eight, broke, and struggling to make it as a painter. Nothing's going right for him, his art isn't selling, he's got no steady job, and he's basically on the edge of falling apart. His best friend Ing does what she can, finding him odd jobs an...
Post a Comment

Sisid (Tagalog)

By Golu
Two people in supposedly straight relationships have a chance encounter leading to an unrequited love form the crux of this film. An unrequited love that may not lead to a happy ending, this film reminded me on one of my favorite Peruvian films of all time at quite a few places but this film does not  come even close to that. Its just the setting an idea of people growing and changing in their quest for love over a period if time is always intriguing.

Jason is a marine biologist, who wife of 7 years is dealing with sickness, probably cancer. On a work assignment h needs to go tot he island of Polo to lead the rehabilitation and preservation of a fish sanctuary. There he meets Dennis, who is also his assistant. Jason slowly gets to know Dennis' family and their struggles being poor. Meanwhile Jason's dying wife is trying to set her husband up with her friend after her passing. As days go by, Jason and Dennis develop romantic feelings for each other, eventually giving in to their sexual desires. Things get complicated when Dennis girlfriend gets pregnant, which is a big deal in the society. Same night Jason's wife finds out about their affair. Abby's shock from her discovery made her illness worse, resulting in her hospitalization. Both Jason and Dennis now have to make some real hard decisions and do the right thing for their loved ones, leading to an unhappy ending to their love.

The first thing that stays with you after watching the film is the gorgeous scenery, lush ocean water, and the overall surroundings and peace and tranquillity. I wish I could spend time in one such place to unwind. That apart, the story of the film has merit but a LOT of things have not been developed. The primary being relationship between Jason and Dennis. There is no proper built up of their relationship. I am sure in their respective jobs, they are around naked men all the time, so clearly there has to be something more than physical attraction for the two supposedly straight men to get attracted to each other. I felt that was missing. Also, Jason's chemistry with his wife was missing. I mean, the story should hav been super interesting on paper, but somewhere while execution, its missing something. It doesn't have that fitness and polish that could have elevated this story to another level altogether. Was the love between two guys just superficial and more lust (maybe.. maybe not). Dennis does the right thing by getting married and having a baby but what will happen of Jason. His wife dies and he is alone. His battle is far from over. I am sure there are many real life people who are stuck in sham marriages when they are secretly in love with same gender. Love is love, beautiful and painful irrespective of sex and gender, but the film maker has slightly missed an opportunity. Don't get me wrong, the film is still worth watching and enjoyable. The good looking leads make our job as audience slightly easier. (6/10)
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Phor Lae Lukchai (Thai) [Father & Son]

By Golu
I think the budget of this film was probably too small, but for that, the film definitely offers a different and unique storyline without over dramatizing anything. Yes, some scenes were a bit amateurish but in the bigger scheme of things, that can be overlooked. The film is both beautiful and sad in its own unique way. Aek is a gay dad, whose partner died right around the time their son Nueng was born through surrogacy in a road accident. The relationship between father and son is unpleasant and unstable. We are not really told why, but it seems the father has been unsuccessful in caring and loving his son because of his partner's death. Aek continues to hook up wit hookers. Also, Nueng is constantly bullied by everyone around him for having a gay dad. He has no friends, except Nat, a neighborhood boy, who also happens to be Nueng's boyfriend. In a sudden turn of events Nat is found murdered along with another boy naked. Saddened by the events, Nueng jumps from roof and k...
1 comment
Read more

Sei no Gekiyaku (Japanese) [Dangerous Drugs of Sex]

By Golu
Every person has their own unique way of dealing with loss. This film is as much a psychological thriller as it is a soft porn BDSM portrayal of two young men that makes the film overall horrifying as well as humane. It is really hard to describe the genre of this film in one word. Its important not that the film has some really disturbing scenes so if you go into seeing this film, please proceed with caution. Although any sexual non-consensual activity is not ok, this film has its won strange way of showing that suicide is not the only solution to all life's problems. Makoto is a regular office goer, who just finds out that his girlfriend is probably cheating on him. ON top of it, his parents sudden death coming back from a trip that he forced them to take, he gets completely dejected and decides to commit suicide. Unknown to him, he is saved by mysterious man Yoda Ryoji, and he wakes up finding himself tied up in leather and belts in a very BDSM setting. This mysterious saver soo...
3 comments
Read more

The Shortest Distance is Round 3: Fallen Flowers

By Golu
Continuing with the weird trilogy of "The Shortest Distance", I am so glad that finally I am done with part 3 and won't have to deal with this again in future. Thankfully, as of now the makers have not announced any further parts; which will save all of us on this earth from the embarrassment of watching this in near future. After the first 10 minutes are used in sort of recapping bits of first two parts, the story moves forward. Haruto is now starting to have feelings for Ruka, the mysterious pole dancer from second part. In a fit of rage, Ruka ends up killing the goat man and to save him and Haruto, Shibahara asks them to go underground. Meanwhile Shibahara continues the search for Seiya (the guy who had cut off Haruto's penis). It turns out Seiya is now also taking care of the original club owner from part 1. Both of them were released after they had informed Shibahara of Aoyama's secret location. Shibahara tortures Seiya's boyfriend leading to Seiya killin...
5 comments
Read more