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...
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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