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...
The story is simple. A 199 year old girl Cahaya, a deeply religious person with strong Islamic values comes to Jakarta to meet her estranged father who left her when she was four. She somehow has an address for him. To her complete surprise, the father she is looking for turns out to be the face of a stranger, a transvestite man named Ipuy, working as a prostitute in the streets at night. In the initial minutes after encountering each other, both are shocked at the turn of evens. The innocent Cahaya is crushed at her father's choices and hesitant. But over the course of the night they wander in the streets of Jakarta until the dawn and they end up in an encounter of self-realization and soul salvation for both of them. There are mafia folks looking for money that Ipuy stole and beat her up very much. The is when the daughter takes care of her, making the father realize that there is more to their relationship than just sending monthly money to the mother.
The story is simple and happens over the course of just one night. The film may feel slow, but the idea is to focus on human nature, the father daughter opening up to each other, making confessions and eventually and most importantly being nonjudgmental about the other person. Interestingly when the daughter asks the father why doesn't he do something more respectable, they way Ipuy explains that she makes good money and also likes what she does, also gives some sort of legitimacy to the prostitution profession itself, which I thought was an interesting twist. Both the actors playing their roles are very good actually. The interactions between their performances restore the emotional balance of the story and unravel the empty spaces of their souls. The film may feel slow to a lot of people and issues being resolved slightly easily without much drama, but the film's focus on love and redemption was nice. Whether you are the transvestite father or the religious daughter, there is something pure inside every human soul, and through this purity, a lovely man can emerge. (6/10)
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