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 begins with a woman giving birth to a child and leaves her when she hears the baby has Down's syndrome. A kind nurse gives her the name Alba. When Luca, founder of a home for children and adults with developmental disabilities, finds out about Alba in 2017, he applies to serve as her foster parent, a two-year commitment. A former seminary student, he has the requisite experience, but the rules favor couples. Luca doesn't hide that he is gay, which is also likely a factor in his application's rejection. His partner Lorenzo, also prefers to have his of their own and not adoption. Luca meets a lawyer Teresa who gives him hope and suggests a temporary custody for a month (since it is summer and holiday time). At minimum it will give him time to create an emotional bond. Luca's partner leaves and he brings Alba home. WIth support of his family and Teresa, he takes good care of Alba for a month and returns the kid to nursing home and is told that a couple has been granted custody. Having proven himself a good parent, Teresa encourages him to apply for full custody, but the idea of becoming the public face of a movement makes him uncomfortable. When 6 months pass, Luca is told that the couple gave Alba back and she will now likely have to go somewhere else since nursing home cannot keep kids more than 6 months. With help of Teresa, Luca files application again and after brief fight manages to win the custody.
Throughout the runtime of the film, we see flashbacks of Luca's youthful friendship with Rocco, which starts out as something light and fun and likely love between two boys; until Rocco gets sick, and it becomes clear that he won't be getting better. It is an important piece which somehow shows us how and what kind of person Luca eventually becomes. Set in Naples and Turin, the film showcases Italian culture, family traditions, and the legal landscape around adoption. It shows us a rare, real-life example of a single gay man overcoming legal and societal barriers to adopt a child with Down syndrome. This is not over the top drama, it stays very grounded and doesn't give big speeches about parenthood for gay couples. In fact, at one point Teresa says “no-one should have to justify their desire to be a parent” and this is so true. The fact that Luca is gay, single and religious and the child has Down syndrome; all this gives us lot of fodder in the form of a story which is ultimately about love. This was likely not an easy film to make in the sense that you have to make sure to not sensationalize anything. It just shows the real struggle of adoption by a single gay man and could be very reliable to anyone in any part of the world in a similar situation. All the actors do a wonderful job. Thankfully the film doesn't make a villain out of the judge either who was apparently doing her job. I highly recommend this film for a very emotional story and must see. (8/10)
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