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 story follows Taffeta, a stage manager for a small theater putting on a show about Lincoln. Every day is a drag because the audience ignores them and the actors treat them like a maid. Things get really awkward when Taffeta walks in on one of the male leads hooking up with a guy Taffeta had just seen on a dating app. To make it worse, the actor playing Lincoln actually tries to sexually assault Taffeta later on. After fighting him off, Taffeta goes out onto the empty stage and starts imagining a version of history where a young Lincoln has a gay affair with Elmer. In this fantasy, the two guys Taffeta caught earlier play the leads, while Taffeta plays everyone else, including Lincoln’s wife, Mary. Taffeta feels like a kindred spirit to Mary because they've both been lied to and treated like they're ugly by men. Between these scenes, Taffeta talks about their own life—like how being called fat led to an eating disorder and how hard it is to find someone who actually wants to date them. They even talk about a guy who seemed interested but then just said Taffeta wasn't his "type."
On one hand, the movie tries to be a historical drama, but on the other, it’s looking at the racism and body-shaming that non-binary people of color face today in the LGBTQ world. Taffeta calls out Lincoln for white supremacy, but they’re also calling out how white-focused dating apps and gay bars can be. I liked Taffeta because they just seem like a regular person who wants to be loved. Sadly, the movie has some big problems. The love story between Lincoln and Elmer takes forever to get going because Taffeta keeps interrupting with their own thoughts. The whole film feels a bit messy—it’s not quite funny enough or clever enough to stay interesting for how long it lasts. I really think this would have worked way better as a short film. The filmmakers have some cool ideas, but they don't really know how to make them land. I’m sure critics will love it just because it’s different, but for a regular person like me, it just didn't hit the mark. By the time it was over, I wasn't even sure what the point was. The movie is way too long—you could cut out a good chunk of it and it would be better—and some of the dialogue is just unnecessarily gross.
You don't really learn anything new about Lincoln; you mostly just feel bad for Taffeta and the rough time they're having. You definitely care about what they're going through, but the movie itself is just a bit of a slog. (4/10)
Comments