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...
Gabriel, an adult now is reminded of his childhood when he hears a catholic school's now famous choir cd. Through flashbacks we are told how he was admitted in the school run by Father Vincey. He was mesmerized by Gabriel's voice and soon he became close to the priest. A couple of students are a bit abusive to him but Gabriel soon realizes that something is off between another student and a priest. That student died in a car accident. We see how systematically, Father Vincey brings Gabriel on his side at just age 12, in the name of god , get him to accept their special friendship and never to tell anyone their secret otherwise God will get angry. We see how in the name of religion, the parents turn blind eye and have no idea on what's happening with their kid. Back to present (15 years after the incident), Gabriel buys a gun thinking of killing the priest and when they come face to face, he reminds of all the awful thing the priest did. He finds no support from church or bishop and eventually he files a case against the Father in court who gets 15 years imprisonment for his abuse of many young kids.
This well-made French film is not shy about showing all the shame and degradation of the victim, with the sanctioned cover-up for the priest, the bishop, and the whole hierarchy of the Catholic Church in its complicity of this horrific scandal. Sadly, this is still the truth that most catholic communities face worldwide, yet instead of shame for its behavior, and little or no attention paid to victims, who are now getting "paid" for years of secrecy and their own sad and undeserved shame. As far as the film goes, it is a bit slow in places, but still constantly reminds us to look out for our near and dear ones. The actors all do a good job a both leads Gabriel and Father Vincey. The father comes off as scary but the actor should be commended for taking up a difficult part. The last 10 minutes feels very rushed and how I wish there were more details shown about the case in the court and how eventually church and bishop is put responsible. Sadly, that did not happen. Still, this film is very important addition. (5.5/10)
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