This is basically a high school BL where two guys who have nothing going on in common somehow end up getting really close to each other, and that's kind of the whole point of the title too. There's barely any drama or fluff packed in here, it stays pretty straightforward the whole way through. A little bit of friction pops up here and there, but it's nothing compared to what you'd normally get in this kind of show. Runtime wise you're looking at 8 episodes, each one sitting around 25-30 minutes. The two guys carrying the story are Akira and Kanata, and funny enough they knew each other's faces way before they ever knew each other's names. Kanata's the type everyone likes, always got people around him, popular guy, but there's this distance to him that people can't quite place. Turns out he had an injury that ended his football days, and that's what pushed him into being more withdrawn, and it only got worse once his younger brother got picked...
From a story perspective, the film is more about about the actual war and the attacks. And in between all this we have the story of Sergeants Ian and John. We don't know much about their past or context but we know they are gay. It is never made very evident whether they are open or not, because they are certainly not try to hide it but also not really trying to not hide it. They have great mutual attraction and are almost a couple. Ian wants to become an officer and constantly keep reminding John that queers are never given officer rank. John doesn't care much about ranks but given he is hot tempered, he gets angry quick and hence doesn't want anyone to know about his sexuality. Besides this tiny sliver of this couple, the film then is focused in these two men leading their squad in a desperate attempt to survive a botched Phoenix Mission, despite their Captain who has lost his humanity and who will use any means to win, including sacrificing the squad.
My biggest problem is that we know practically nothing about these two men. Are they a couple, are they out but no one talks about it, what is really their relationship status like or nothing of that sorts. I guess the maker sort of wanted to give a tribute to all gay men who have served in military over the course of time and Vietnam war (which is put in our faces with some statistics around how many gay men served in that war at the end of the film). Bit in the process, the audience is never really given an opportunity to connect with the two protagonists. Without providing more intimate or personal details about the characters, it dehumanizes them into nothing more than game pieces or stick figures, generic plot devices with whom it's difficult to fully empathize or understand on any deeper level. The production quality of the film is also pretty basic and it just feels sad to see the whole war situation and love situation become more gimmicky than real. The plot had potential, the script was so laughably bad that the whole movie just came off as ridiculous and unbelievable. Bad acting certainly doesn't help.Their dialogues seem unscripted and awkward, the disjointed scenes seem entirely built an attempt to emulate major blockbuster Vietnam war moviesIf anyone is interested in watching a similarly themed film, please go watch "Yossi & Jagger", an amazing amazing film.
The premise of a gay-themed war movie is such a good idea, with the potential to create a real masterpiece, with the same depth and nuance of, say, Brokeback Mountain. Sadly, Love in Country comes nowhere near that. What a pity. (2.5/10)
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