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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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Nunca Vas a Estar Solo (Spanish) [You'll Never Be Alone]

By Golu

I think the idea behind this movie was really interesting and different. It tells the story of a brutal attack on a gay man in Chile, which is a very serious subject, similar to the Matthew Shepard case in the US. However, it feels like the people who made the film weren't quite sure how to tell the story. The movie wanders around a lot, and many scenes are confusing because it's hard to tell what point the director is trying to make. The first part of the movie was actually quite good and I was excited to see where it went, but then it completely changes. It spends way too much time showing the dad being sad and frustrated, and the most annoying part is that the movie doesn't really have an ending or any answers.

The story is about a teenager named Pablo who is around 17 or 18. He lives with his dad, Juan, who is a single father and always busy with work. Pablo loves to dance, hangs out with his best friend who is a lesbian, and is practicing for a drag show audition. When it comes to Pablo being gay, he and his dad have a "don't ask, don't tell" relationship. Pablo has also been seeing his neighbor, Felix, for a while. Felix is totally in the closet and tries to act "macho" by hanging out with local thugs who bully and harass Pablo every day. One day, these thugs catch Pablo alone and beat him up so badly he ends up in the hospital. Felix is right there when it happens, but instead of helping his friend, he actually kicks Pablo too. This scene is really hard to watch. After this, the movie stops focusing on Pablo and starts focusing entirely on his dad. While Pablo is in a coma, Juan struggles to pay the hospital bills and argues with his lawyer because the case against the attackers isn't going well. He even talks to Felix, who doesn't seem sorry at all. Juan realizes he didn't really know his son very well. The ending is very confusing because the dad just gives some money to the doctor and then leaves town. We never find out if Pablo wakes up or if the bullies ever get in trouble.

This movie is based on a real-life attack that happened in Chile in 2012, where a group of neo-Nazis attacked a gay man. What we see in the film is very close to that terrible true story. I don't know much about how people in Chile feel about being gay, especially since this movie is about ten years old now, but it tries to show how these things can still happen. Sadly, the film doesn't really make a strong point about homophobia or why people don't seem to care. There is a boring side story about Juan's business that doesn't make sense, and I wondered if he had any friends at all. There are also random scenes that pop up for no reason, like a sex scene playing while a lawyer is talking about the legal case. The movie spends way too much time on the father's pain. I was hoping he would go out and get justice for his son, but the film just leaves everything unfinished. Even at the very end, Pablo's friend tells him he won't be alone, but we still don't know what happens to him. It really makes me mad that there is no closure at all.

This is a movie that starts with a very important story but gets lost along the way by focusing too much on the father's sadness. It is a frustrating experience because it leaves you with so many questions and no real ending. (4.5/10)

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