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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...
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Ich Fühl Mich Disco (German) [I Feel Like Disco]

By Golu
This film is so many things. Drama, tragedy, coming of age, comedy but most importantly its the story of building relationships between an otherwise estranged father and son. Parenting is never easy and people learn on the journey, and this film tries to give us that glimpse. Its not really a gay film per say but since father-son relationship evolution involves the son exploring his sexuality, I am reviewing it here on my blog.

Teenager Florian lives with his parents. He has excellent relationship with his mother who is everything to him, but not so well with his father, who is always struggling not knowing what to do with his son. Florian is fat, not interested in sports or girls, has two left hand. When the mother gets a stroke and is in coma, the father son have to reevaluate their relationship with one another. The father is a swimming coach and he takes Florian along with him to the pool. There Florian meets another boy and he starts to have feelings and sexual awakening to that boy. They sleep together one night (don't think sex happens). The father sees them and is confused but in some hilarious situations that follow, expresses his support to his son and him being gay. Needless to say the kids are embarrassed. Eventually the doctors decide the mother needs to be taken off ventilator, but the renewed father-son bond is going to take them through life journey much easily.

As I mentioned that this is not specifically gay film, but I did like the sequences where Florian starts to have a sexual awakening of his attraction towards another boy. Interestingly the mother probably always knew it, based on one of the scenes earlier in the film. Even better, and I am glad that they showed this with a comic angle, was the father showing his support for his son being gay. Sure, he fails miserably in his assumptions and his show of support but its the thought that matters. Besides all this, the film is actually a simple yet loving story of coming to terms with love and loss. We all have our ways of dealing with grief, but this film takes an inspirational route to show their perspective. The film doesn't take itself too seriously but takes the characters and their worries head on and that actually works in it's favour. Flori was such a wonderful and unusual protagonist and some of the dream like sequences are fun to watch. The film works because of the amazing acting by the father-son duo. A good fun time watch. (5.5/10)
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