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...
We see 2 parallel stories. Gabriel, a man in his early 30s probably works at a grocery store. But he also works as a prostitute sleeping with men and couples to make money on the side. We also meet Violette, a young girl who lives with her rich parents on her farm, but bitterns out her father has been sexually abusing her. When she gets pregnant, she has had enough and she kills them both. In the meanwhile, Gabriel gets attacked by one of his suitors. Desperately looking for money, he robs one of his patrons and then runs away. The duo end up meeting and slowly become the emotional support for each other. Gabriel's cop boyfriend helps them to break free of their chains and maybe see al light of happiness.
This film was odd IMO. The story was dark, but somehow there was also a hint of subtle humor, in the duo's everyday dark secretive life. The shots are long and also that try to give us an insight into the mental situation that Gabriel and Violette, but it goes on forever. The scene a=fo Gabriel living his life and meeting clients and after clients get repetitive. Also, him meeting Frank and eventually falling in love and whatever felt rather convenient and sudden. In contrast, Violette's story was more convincing. We have seen films earlier where two oddballs or strangers meet and develop a bond but in this film, I was just not sure what was the point. To give credit to the actors, they do a really good job of what's expected of them, but other than that, I kept asking myself throughout the film as to what's really going on and what s the point behind all this. (3/10)
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