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...
Roger is a struggling gay artist preparing fo this upcoming one-man show at a local gallery. His friends have noticed that of-late his paintings have become quite violent and his work is full of anger and rage. Because of experiences in his later teens, he has become obsessed with the violence rained down upon gay men and the lack of concern society has shown. This fixation gets worse when his boyfriend goes through a similar experience and is now moving away to a different place. On a specific night, one of the neighbors is throwing a party and the ex-boyfriend is also there. There Roger meets Steve Malcolm, whose name somehow sticks with Roger. Looking through his research notes, he realizes that Stephen Malcolm is one of the four tried for the murder of George several years ago; the guilty young men were sentenced to merely a few months of public service - for the murder of a gay man. All the effort and energy he has poured into his painting could never equal the chance he has now – a chance to balance the scales. He lures him back to his loft to make a painting but gets into a conversation making him confess. By the time the evening ends, Stephen leaves full of guilt being reminded of everything he has done and he then takes an extreme step.
The film has a very theatrical feel to it and actually I feel this subject can and should do much better as a play. I wonder if this was ever one before it was converted to a film. Initially for first 20ish minutes, it wasn't very clear what was really going on, but as things get clearer, the film started getting interesting. BY the time it reaches the sequences involving Roger and Stephen, the dialogues got a tad too heavy. I understand Roger's fascination for the subject of bullying and gay bashing. I guess he was doing his part, but can someone be so obsessed with it that it starts affecting their personal relationships? I think so. You would be surprised how incidents from childhood or even at any stage in life can leave some remarkable impressions on your mind. I may not relate to it, but I won't question it. Overall the film is a bit wordy and could possibly test your patience, so be prepared and know what you are getting into. Yes, the direction is bit rough at the edges and the noble intent and the relevance of subject is important. (5/10)
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