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Contrast (Japanese Series)

By Golu
This is basically a high school BL where two guys who have nothing going on in common somehow end up getting really close to each other, and that's kind of the whole point of the title too. There's barely any drama or fluff packed in here, it stays pretty straightforward the whole way through. A little bit of friction pops up here and there, but it's nothing compared to what you'd normally get in this kind of show. Runtime wise you're looking at 8 episodes, each one sitting around 25-30 minutes. The two guys carrying the story are Akira and Kanata, and funny enough they knew each other's faces way before they ever knew each other's names. Kanata's the type everyone likes, always got people around him, popular guy, but there's this distance to him that people can't quite place. Turns out he had an injury that ended his football days, and that's what pushed him into being more withdrawn, and it only got worse once his younger brother got picked...
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Seré breve al momento de morir (Spanish) [Dying Briefly]

By Golu
This gay dance drama from Mexico has a very home-made feel to it, but completely lacks in ints execution of the ambition it probably has. Maybe it takes itself too seriously and in the process leaves audiences wondering what the hell and why there'll are things going on the ay they are. A decent attempt, but how I wish that the characters were more fleshed out so we could really get into the psyche behind the actions that eventually the characters end up taking. A love triangle involving professional jealousy could have been much better.

Sebastian is befriended by fellow dancer Arsenio at ballet auditions. They initially laugh off their obvious mutual attraction, but soon become a fully loved-up couple, pushing each other as performers and even start living together.  When the new choreographer Mikael arrives, demanding obedience and perfection; he starts to push everyone's boundaries and starts to make changes. He also has a reputation for liking young boys. The attention he pays to Sebastian begins to make Arsenio jealous, for good reason. Arsenio's close friend who also secretly liked him was the lead dancer whom Mikael fires. The duo decide to sleep with the teacher in hopes that maybe one of them can get the lead part. But the teacher has his eyes on Sebastian, maybe because of his talent or maybe looks. When Sebastian is announced as the lead dancer, limits are pushed where starting from his boyfriend Arsenio, every male dancer starts to get jealous of Sebastian, leading to badly beating him up just before opening night, so that Arsenio can take his position.

In the beginning, the two main characters play as a cute couple oblivious to the pressures around them and do a reasonable job. But its he arrival of new teacher creates this jealousy between them. As things heat up, Sebastian and Arsenio promise not to let things at work interfere with their relationship. But of course they do, in rather harrowing ways. This is an intriguing exploration of the tension between personal and professional lives, as well as more insidious things like abusive behaviour of people in power. You see how the new teacher totally uses his position of power to exploit young men. As Mikael mistreats Arsenio, and Arsenio alienates the company against Sebastián, Sebastián develops a kind of Stockholm Syndrome with Mikael and gives in into his sexual demands. As actors Sebastian stands out, covering both the innocence and ambition he harbors. He gazes intensely at Arsenio whom he alternately loves and loathes and looks at Mikael with puppy-dog eyes. And of course the dancing, which is true for Arsenio as well. Mikael as the lusty teacher does a good job for making audiences uncomfortable with his presence and gaze. Overall the film had a good subject, but at many places the execution felt amateurish. What this project needed was more depth and more connection of the characters with the audience which was solely missing for me. (4.5/10)
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