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 film is set in a juvenile center where a few teen boys and waiting for what's to become of their life. We meet Joe, who is three weeks shy of being presented before a judge who will hopefully grant him freedom. He has been waiting patiently along with many of the boys in the center, but the arrival of a new troubled boy William changes things. Suddenly his huger for that freedom dissipates. Frantic, passionate moments, typical of any teenagers exploring their sexuality, are snatched whenever possible in a place where all physical contact is forbidden. And before you know it, a relationship blossoms, awakening new, disruptive desires in Joe. They spend late nights listening to the radio and knocking against the connecting wall of their side-by-side bedrooms. We see a different kind of passion with both the boy's vulnerability completely on display. When William finds out that Joe is to be released, his reaction is exactly how you expect, but sadly Joe's remand is increased by another 3 months, owing to his attempt to run away form he facility. Joe and William again try to run away and this time they are put in a prison. Maybe the prison will allow them the freedom to be together which the juvenile center did not.
Talking about feelings can be a struggle for a teenage boy at the best of times. But when those feelings are taboo and the stirring of a romantic connection between two boys, that too in juvenile center could present its own challenges. My salute to the makers to think of such an out of box story. The thing that stays with you even after the film ends is the absolutely wonderful display of acting y the actor playing Joe and also to a certain extent William. Both of them amply showing their desire and vulnerability in the tiny space at full display for the audience. There is real compassion evident when, separated by bricks, the masculine lovers listen to the radio together or press their bodies – adjacent but split by cell partitions – together but on either side of a divide. The film is a queer drama rendered through the eyes of a young man who’s an outcast among outcasts. But it also tries to show the cruelty of the justice system from the inside out. It shows Joe as a teen lost to the looping cycle of the criminal system in which he is trapped, and a time like that when he also finds love. I appreciated the scenes where the people running the center genuinely try to help the kids and teach them and support them but then with a system like it is, there is only so much they can do. You see the desperation amongst other kids when they see there there is no easy way out of that place. Its heartbreaking. It's a simple film with an ending that leaves you with mixed feelings. It's harsh but also lovely at the same time. It is a beautiful film that I would strongly recommend for a tender story, some brilliant acting and a very sensitive direction. (8.5/10)
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