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...
Lourenço is from Brazil in Provincetown on a tourist visa who came to US with his then lover Joe who has since disappeared and fallen out of love. Lourenço still pines for him and continues to do house cleaning jobs to keep afloat. His landlord/neighbor is an older gay single guy, who genuinely cares for him and looks out for him. As he waits for Joe, Lourenço eventually meets Maurice, an attractive, soft-spoken Black nurse from Queens on his way to a residency in Angola, who is in Provincetown for a few days. They’re drawn together, spending time on beach and become briefly entangled; it’s a powerful physical attraction that might turn into something more were it not for both men’s anxieties. Their sex is steamy and elegantly shot, but how will they have a happy ending? Lourenço finds out that his ex has moved on and is in fact getting married which makes Lourenço spiral out partying on the last night before Maurice has to leave. An imminent breakup of sorts eventually follows (which actually could have been a good relationship in another universe). The film doesn't end on a happy note and we still do not know what will become of Lourenço in this country but towards the end we do see that he has become comfortable enough to tell his mom back at home that he will not be returning.
By the time the film ends, the one thing that stays with you is the very heart warming performance by the lead actor playing Lourenço. He truly understands acting for the audience, letting us feel whatever the character is feeling, confident that the information will be transmitted if he inhabits his character fully, and not feeling that he has to “help” the scene by doing a lot more. His beautiful yet haunted face tries to sort through conflicted, often unsettled feelings while failing to hide the struggle from onlookers. Maurice's character is a bit half baked but adds a nice happy dimension to otherwise gloomy daily routine that Lourenço follows. Then there are a few side characters that add a good mix, especially Maurice's friends and Lourenço's guardian angel landlord. At some places the film does feel disconnected, more like a series of anecdotes than a fully satisfying narrative. But given that this film makers debut, it's truly a commendable job. It feels appropriate that a gay in search of self-actualisation and freedom of expression finds himself in a notorious gaybourhood, after being dumped by his American boyfriend. We need more films that highlights the immigrant queer experiences. This film is emotional, real, melancholic and visually beautiful despite its shortcomings. (7.5/10)
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