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Journey With You (Chinese Series)

By Golu
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...
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God and Gays: Bridging the Gap (Documentary)

By Golu
I am catching up on some of these old documentaries in my hard drive and came across this one. This documentary from back in 2006 is about gay Christians– and the reconciliation of both identities. The documentary brings visibility to a marginalized and at-risk population on the big screen, and despite the content having aged since its original release, this was still an interesting perspective.

A patchwork of interviews comprises this film: self-identifying gay Christians, including seminary students and clergy; family and friends of those lost to suicide, and scholars of the Bible are all included. Major focuses of discussion include scripture related to homosexuality, and how different translations of the Bible over time have impacted its interpreted support or non-support of gay life. All of the subjects have a strong religious background and relationship with God, something that has been severely tested at some point in their lives. The opening section has them talking about discovering their sexuality, coming out and being rejected by those close to them. Also heavily discussed is whether there is a biological basis for sexual orientation– because many Christian groups stress gayness as a choice, interview subjects contribute their own thoughts on this, representing a surprising range of opinions. The film then shifts into the struggle they face finding love and acceptance from God, who many have been told sees them as an abomination.

But while the documentary has many powerful stories, it's not ideally structured--there's a little too much jumping back and forth among contributors, whose stories would have more impact if they weren't interrupted as much. The topics and transitions don't flow as well as they could, and the filmmakers actually insert themselves into the proceedings too much, which proves distracting. The final quarter of the film also spends too much time in "feel good" mode, doling out advice for troubled kids and confused family members when it could spend more time on the meatier topics. You also don't get any dissenting voices or an exploration of some of the opposing arguments. Regardless of its entertainment strength as a documentary, the work is certain to have a profound, positive effect on a group of people that needs it. For that alone, it deserves praise. (5/10)
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