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...
There are probably only a handful LGBTQ films that have come out of Guatemala. A tragedy of unfulfilled aspirations as a result of widespread homophobia and emotional blackmail, this film feels very real, like as if you are prying on someone's private life. You feel sad for José, but you can also connect with his dilemma. José lives with his mother at a poor area. Both him and his mother are working hard to make ends meet. In between his work, José makes time to live out his sexuality in secret through gay hook-up apps. He knows its not acceptable by society and he tries to keep it as alienated as possible. Things change when he meets Luis. There is connection at all levels. Straight acting, poor, hard working guys, leading a double life. Love starts forming because they understand each other and its only together that they can heal each other scars. They are happy when they are together, but when Luis proposes that José leave the city to come with him to start a life together...