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...
Caz (gay) and Chris (straight) are best friend, who are DJs but they also run a pirate radio network promoting punk music. The film starts with murder of TJ at a local gay cruising park. While Caz is distraught by the death of his friend, Chris seems focused on balancing a professional career in commercial radio without selling out. During this time Chris meets his girlfriend Tracy also. Somehow Chris gets hold of the tape that was recorded during murder making him a suspect but when he calls Caz for help, he is busy with his new boyfriend Billibud. The duo even have a showdown leading to Chris to broadcast the music alone even though the radio station has been vandalized. Chris is then attacked by TJ's murderer, who turns out to be someone he and Caz had thought of as a friend. Meanwhile, Caz's boyfriend Billibud also gets attacked by local skinheads. A grand reckoning takes place at an open-air disco in the park where TJ was murdered, where his murderer falls to his death in the inferno of his own creation. The film ends with the two DJs reconciling their differences while they clean records, which is followed by a one-by-one each of the friends joining into dance together.
The film is less about gay romance but more about friendship, and the racial and sexual tensions of the 70s Britain where you have blacks, mixed, skinheads, people affiliated to different school of thought and political affiliations. You see and feel Chris' distraught when the friend is murdered. He keeps thinking that it could have been him in the cruising park. You could be harassed, or assaulted, or even killed and most of the world would just move on. And anthem interesting perspective of what cops feel about Black lives is during the interrogation scene of Chris when he is taken in for questioning fo this suspected involvement. While all this is going on, there is a certain elect of resistance that prevails throughout the film. All of the cast bounce off of each other and there’s a playfulness you see in all of them. Queer love was radical then, and it's still radical now. Interracial queer love is even more so. The way they fill the screen is not exploitative. Overall, there is a LOT happening in this movie and the makers have tried to address many issues, many of which surprisingly are still relevant even after 30 years of the film being released. The film is vibrant, political, slightly overlooked with punk music and a tiny little queer story. IF these things sound relatable to you, go for it. I understand the importance of the subject and presentation, but did I enjoy the movie while watching, Id say, just about. (5/10)
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