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Journey With You (Chinese Series)

By Golu
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...
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The Perfect Son (Canada)

By Golu
I had mixed feelings about this film. A subject like this could offer viewers a very moving experience , but somehow I just didn't connect. And this is no fault of the makers. I think the subject itself was ok but to make a full fledged film probably ended up making it gloomy rather than a touching and moving fare. Thankfully two brilliant performances save the day.

Estranged brothers Ryan and Theo meet anther father's funeral. Growing up Ryan was the perfect son, while Their was good fo nothing drug addict. The duo reconnect trying to get to know one another better. Theo realizes that he hardly knows anything about his brother Ryan, his wonderfully fabulous gay life past. Ryan also reveals that he has AIDS and that he will eventually die soon, making Theo realizes that he wants to do everything he can to make his brother's life comfortable. The film involves Theo getting comfortable with Ryan's life. Meeting his friends and taking good care of him in hospital and home, all this while he also tries to win his ex-girlfriend back.

The film is extremely slow and solely relies on heavy dialogues and the wonderful performances of the two leads. Trust me, there were plenty of times, when I was yawning and kept wondering if something important would happen. But I now realize that this film is actually the director's personal story. He wrote the script based on his own relationship with his older brother who died of AIDS in 1995. It feels the film is about how people connect and how family is inescapable. The imperfect Theo finally finds some connection with Ryan whose flamboyant lifestyle has inevitably led to his HIV+ status and more dependence on drugs than his rowdy younger brother. Yes, the reconciliation is genuine and heartfelt, but as audience, I never felt their emotion, but thats probably because by the time final climx happens, I was already bored. If not for the brilliant acting, this film would have been an absolute disaster. The two men at least manage to salvage the film, to a certain extent. (4/10)
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