Is this technically a gay show? Even after getting through the whole thing, that's still kind of tricky to answer. There's never any physical intimacy shown between the two leads, not even a single kiss. What it gives you instead is something that goes way deeper than that. It traces an emotional bond that spans a full decade between two guys who are both dealing with their own baggage, and what they share basically amounts to being soulmates. The story moves across Japan, South Korea, and Berlin. Honestly, whether people want to call what they have a romantic relationship or not doesn't really matter to me. A relationship doesn't need a label like boyfriends attached to it to actually mean something. And closeness doesn't need to be physical to feel genuine. What this show captures is something quieter but way more powerful, a bond rooted in understanding, respect, and just showing up for each other. Across eight episodes, each running 35 to 45 minutes, this is one...
The story is also interesting, Sebastian is a fading director living in Mexico City. He should be working but instead he spends his day with his dog, snorting all kinds of drug, slightly depressed and always talking about suicide. He is mean to his dog and unforgivably rude to his housekeeper Vero. As suggested by a friend of his, he takes trip to coast, staying at a gay partying spot with shit load of hot naked men where he meets influencer Jordan Firstman. He is obnoxious, flirty, pushy and almost pushes himself to work with Sebastian on something together, which frustratingly Sebastian gives into. And then something terrible happens. In a freak accident Sebastian ends up dying and this is where the drama begins. Jordan is in town and can't find Sebastian , who has gone missing. What does Vero know? Is she the key to the details of what happened? I am tempted to write here where the story goes, but I will try my best. But the second half of the film is all about Jordan trying to find Sebastian with help of his friend and brother and Vero, who knows an dis involved in more than it meets the eye kinda situation. The film constantly keeps going back between English and Spanish.
Firstman’s bubbly and insufferably uninhibited on-screen persona clashes with Sebastian's tortured and misunderstood artiste demeanor. Neither of their characters is someone one would want to spend much time with, much less together. This film, in that sense, is a deliberate exercise in tolerance. The real star of the film, in my opinion is the maid Vero. When Firstman questions her about Sebastián’s whereabouts through a translator app on his phone, she knows better than to give away the secret that's keeping her employed. And the actress plays her role with such humanity that it’s easy to root for Vero's success at deceiving him. But at the same time, using his own role and that of his rich friend of Jordan; the film makers is trying to make a statement on Mexico City being taken over by expats and the privilege of rich, overuse of drugs. Mental health wrt suicide and how people react and support to that. The film constantly shows us the characters using insta or tik-tok to show how virtual distractions create a buffer from real-world concerns, which there are a lot of in this film. As I have mentioned before, there is a lot of 'good' nudity in the film but it still feels al little long tp watch. I kept going through phases of I like the film or I hate this film and that why even now, I don't really know how I feel about it. It's an interesting concept for sure. Bringing the very real world of influencers into the very strange world of filmmaking, it blurs the lines of fiction and reality and comedy and weirdness. The end is a bit of bitter sweet as it seems to come from a place of necessity rather than style or narrative. With all its quirkiness and weirdness, it does offer an insight into the made up world of influencers, the cultures, sexuality and what not. I think the movie is trying to make fun of its audience by trying to show us how stupid we really are, but the satire is slightly complicated and may not be easily understood by many including me. I was anyways more than happy to see all the nudity and erect dicks and sex scenes in addition to the somewhat mixed up black comedy. (6.5/10)
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