Through a love story between two boys in a coastal town, the LGBTIQ+-themed Chinese short film 'Dance on My Grave' addresses the issue of homosexuality and the issue of death, which is practically presented as a threatening scene to throughout the film, directed by Terrence Hu (Hu Kaixiang).
Based on the novel of the same name by British writer Aidan Chambers, the central hero of the film tries to clarify his memories, after having experienced a fantasy caused by a teenage crush.
Scripted and edited by Terrence Hu himself, the film aims to explore the tortuous search for oneself, as well as the depressing idea of ​​inevitable death that is very closely related to the transgressions of adolescence.
Starring Hu Kaixiang and Tingkai Huang, 'Dance on My Grave' had its world premiere at the Beijing Queer Film Festival 2022, and presents us with death manifested in a metaphorical way.
The protagonist's interest in death is more than an adolescent preoccupation. It is natural that someone on the verge of adulthood, experiencing sexual pleasure and the joy of autonomy, youth and beauty for the first time, would be alarmed by the transience of everything they have just discovered.
Autobiographical in nature, the title of the short film is in itself challenging and surprising, since human beings inescapably associate dance with celebration. On the contrary, we perceive death as something we have to deal with, as a sad and bitter reminder of our mortality. Dancing at a mourning moment would be considered inappropriate at best, more likely offensive and disrespectful.
The viewer is forced to confront the question of death subjectively through the protagonist's concern for "death itself" which he constantly evokes, and also metaphorically through the death of the self in the characters themselves.

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Message to fight homophobia and internalized homophobia

Chai is a lonely young man who recently graduated. Dissatisfied in his courtship, he ends up with the girlfriend with whom his father, a man who continually dictates to him how to live, hopes that he will marry one day and have a happy life according to his criteria of happiness.
One night, fed up with this situation, Chai gets drunk in a bar where he meets Raffe, a friendly stranger who takes care of him.
'Mr. Nice Guy & the Lonely Man! (ราฟกับชาย), is a Thai LGBTIQ+ themed romantic short film, released on December 22, 2023 by Wayufilm Production.
One of the benefits of the film is to introduce us to two new faces in the BL universe: those of the young Euro Pratchakorn Nokaew, the actor who plays Chai, known for taking on the role of Hope in the miniseries 'Her', and Novel Paruntawatt Wittayarutt, who precisely makes his acting debut with the role of Raffe.
Despite being a simple story and, incidentally, we will know very little about our protagonists, the tension and conflict created advance the story and keep the audience interested.
Scripted and directed by filmmaker Nicchi Nitchapoom Chaianun, the film seeks to make us reflect on parents who accept the homosexuality of everyone, except that of their children.
This is evident with Chai's father, a man who lives or works in a space where two clearly visible giant posters that allude to love between boys hang on the wall. One of them is obviously that of the film 'My Bromance' ("พี่ชาย My Bromance", Phi Chai My Bromance), from 2014, directed by Nicchi himself, in which two young people of the same sex can be seen hugging.
However, this character, played by the renowned actor Pug Raywat Peanpojjananarth, despite being inserted in an environment surrounded by homosexual images and symbolism, does not accept his son's homosexuality.
Other topics addressed are internalized homophobia and acceptance. Chai doesn't love his girlfriend and this is why he argues with his father. Thus he ends up in a visibly gay bar. He is approached by a boy who politely asks if he can keep him company. Raffe's interest is evident as he approaches Chai. After drinking with Raffe, that's the boy's name, Chai rejects him because he is gay.
Then, the conflict, organic and arising naturally from the story, is established: the two characters have opposite desires or objectives.
While Raffe seeks to establish a romantic, or at least sexual, bond, Chai, who tries to erase with alcohol the treatment his father gives him every day, hides himself behind not wanting to be linked to homosexuals.
However, being drunk, he ends up allowing himself to be driven to the young man's house, with whom he will establish a deep loving bond. Chai has overcome internalized homophobia.
What does the character still have to do after falling in love with a boy?
Meeting Raffe will also result in Chai gaining courage and confronting his father, in the most dramatic scene of the short film. And not only this, but his father finally accepts his son.
It is interesting that the film is designed to be narrated many of its scenes without the spoken word, with the support of music and moving images, specifically in some moments of interaction between the two protagonists in which they animatedly converse.
And in that, we understand Nicchi, who, from the audiovisual resources of montage and shot, opts for this structure to advance the story.
Telling a story with limited use of dialogue is a rigorous exercise in cinematographic terms. One of the main resources used in cinema is oral narration, almost always descriptive, and serves to complete what cannot be resolved by visual means.
But in the case of 'Mr. Nice Guy & the Lonely Man! There is even more, because it is a film that breaks down each moment shot by shot, in a fluid narrative and without unnecessary editing tricks. It always prevails a conception of space as a place to be explored by the eye, without cuts and with a lot of imagination.
With good performances, commendable production values ​​and fluid narrative and scenery, 'Mr. Nice Guy & the Lonely Man' leaves us with a profound message of fighting against homophobia and internalized homophobia.

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'Rebirth' (重生君颜) is a Chinese LGBTIQ+ themed romantic drama that follows in the footsteps of so many other films that have portrayed homosexuality in China, such as 'River Knows Fish Heart', 'East Palace, West Palace', 'Spring Fever', 'For Love, We Can', 'Looking for Rohmer', 'Wu Yan – Speechless', 'Shangai Panic', 'Kinematic Theory', 'The Raccoon', 'The Ambiguous Focus', among many others.
Mixing romance, fantasy and yaoi, 'Legend of Long Yang', as it is also known, presents Ji Yu as the central axis of the plot, a young prince who is preparing to take the reins of a kingdom enveloped in war conflicts with neighboring nations and internal struggles for power.
Directed by Fei Yu and scripted by Yi Hua Yao, the film takes us to the meeting, ten years before the narrated historical present, between Ji Yu and Long Yang, a commoner who, knowing that the heir to the throne does not wish to murder a group of peasants accused of treason, steals his bow and tries to flee.
When Long Yang is caught by the guards, Ji Yu forgives him upon discovering the boy's motivations for stopping the prince from committing a crime. Moved and impressed by the young boy's actions, Ji Yu gives him a token so he can exchange it for money, but Long Yang decides to keep it as a souvenir of the day of his meeting with the future sovereign.
In the present, Long Yang has been serving as a guard in the royal palace for five years without Ji Yu knowing of his presence. One day, when the prince returns from a battle, he is attacked by assassins and Long Yang is mortally wounded while trying to protect him. Just before he loses consciousness, he watches as an enemy archer fires an arrow at Ji Yu, possibly killing him as well.
However, upon waking up, Long Yang discovers that he has traveled back in time and now, a year behind the tragic events, he has the opportunity to change the future. Then, he reveals his identity to Ji Yu, who recognizes him thanks to the token he gave to the boy.
The growing emotional and physical connection between the prince and his newly appointed personal guard will allow them to develop deep feelings, causing love to blossom between the two.
The actors Dou Qi Chen, who we know for his role in the Taiwanese film 'The Rooftop' (2013), and Eric Wang (Wang Hao Yu), known for his participation in the series 'Dream Detective' (2021) and the films 'Robot iGirl' (2016) and 'Battlefield Love' (2012), play the leading roles: Ji Yu and Long Yan, respectively. Along with them we see Wang Peng as General Shen Yi, Jin Zhao as the King, Mu Yan as the Queen Mother, Xin Wei as Ming Yu, Bao Yi Ran as Ji Yu (young) and Shen Han Yang as Long Yang (young).
The then debutant director, known for later directing the films 'The Three Body Problem' and 'Where to Go', as well as for writing the script for this last feature film, effectively uses many of the codes of action and Wuxia cinema with spectacular fight scenes with very visual choreographies, where there is no shortage of chases and suspense.
Although it covers various contents (political intrigues, power struggles, jealousy, ambitions, time travel), the film simply addresses a love story.
Most scenes take place in closed, dimly lit environments, such as the throne room, the royal quarters, or the torture room and dungeons of the imperial palace.
The always necessary female figure as a sign of evil does not take long to appear, this time assumed by the character of Princess Chang Qin, played by actress Hou Meng (Hu Po in 'Mutant Tiger', 2022, and Priest Chun in ' The Monkey King 3'.
We find the typical intelligent and ambitious woman, who uses her beauty and her status as the prince's fiancée to manipulate others, including the kings and other members of the imperial court, and obtain the benefits she desires, including becoming queen after marry the future king, so she will see in Long Yang a potential enemy who could ruin her plans.
The sinister character also appears who fulfills the orders of this beautiful woman and participates in her web of crimes and manipulations to please his mistress. This is the case of Min Er, Chang Qin's maid, a role assumed by actress Zhang Ding Ding, known for her role as Mei Li Er in 'Mr. Express & Miss Concubine', from 2017, among others.
The princess's maid is not only responsible for spreading rumors about the romance of the prince and his bodyguard, but will also accuse the latter of being a traitor and devise a plan to separate him from Ji Yu.
Fei Yu manages to make visible in his film the long history of Chinese dynastic homosexuality, and reformulates the romantic love between the nobleman and his subject of the same sex to place it on a plane of greater equality and dedication, since both characters are willing to give their lives or his throne by being in each other's arms.

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Titled "Anti Reset is my law", 'Anti Reset Special' follows in the footsteps of the special episodes of the Taiwanese LGBTIQ+-themed romantic drama series 'Stay by My Side' (2023), 'VIP Only' (2023) and 'You Are Mine' (2023), which each have the objective of reflecting the progress of the love relationship of their protagonists.
Produced by Vidol, the Taiwanese streaming platform that has made the aforementioned BL series, the special episode brings us back to Chu Yi Ping, the emotionless university professor with few social skills who learns what it means to be human when he meets Huang Li Feng, an android caretaker who inadvertently steals her heart.
Full of romantic scenes, the special episode will take us, along with the two young people, on a trip to a playground in Taipei, the capital of Taiwan, a place where lovers will visit to enjoy a tender and warm day of walking and romance.
Starring Wu Ping Chen ('Stay by My Side', 'One Afternoon', 'Komorebi'), as Yi Ping, and Huang Li Feng ('Stay by My Side', 'The Ambiguous Focus', 'Kinematics' Theory', 'The End of Our Youth') embodying Ever 9, the episode will confirm to viewers that the couple is happy and plan the future in the company of each other.
The audiovisual in turn will allow the viewer to appreciate the resumption of family ties between Yi Ping and his uncle and creator of Ever 9, after the events narrated in the series.
Directed by Lian Yu Zhe, who is also in charge of directing 'VIP Only', the episode, which lasts just over 24 minutes, also returns to Jiang Chi (Isaac Yang) and Gu Bu Xia (Hong Wei Zhe ), the protagonists of 'Stay by My Side' and 'Stay by My Side Special, who on this occasion will coincide with the main couple at the amusement park.
Based on the script written by Cai Fei Qiao, Kao Ru Ping and Nikki Hsieh, 'Anti Reset Special' has another important mission: to close the special episodes of the four Vidol BL series broadcast until today.
I only have one question: Vidol, what do you have in store for us right now?

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Love conquers homophobia and internalized homophobia

When a movie touches me, the images continue rolling in my mind after the lights go out, the frames stop.
In a natural setting illuminated by sunlight, on any given school day, anywhere in the suburban geography of Chiang Mai, Thailand, a teenager is determined to accept his own homosexuality in front of others, even knowing that this step can represent for him the hatred, discrimination and intolerance of those who hate, reject and fear homosexuals.
Motor, which is the name of the young man, played by actor Jo Ronaporn Vipataputi, known for his performances in 'My Streamer', 2023, 'Boy Scouts', 2022, 'My Star' and My Star: Uncut Version', both the 2024, he has lost his fear of making himself visible, and is ready to leave behind his heterosexual image with which he has always intended to "be cool in front of others."
He has been involuntarily led to this decision by Gentle, the boy he loves, played by Fongfong Pathomporn Panfa ('My Star' and 'My Star: Uncut Version' 2024), a teenager who is clear about his sexual orientation and lives it without fear, guilt or shame, who, feeling despised by Motor, has chosen to distance himself.
Questioned by Gentle about his attitude, Motor will respond that his behavior consists simply of trying to please others. And Gentle responds: "Being cool isn't about who sits on your bike. It's up to you if you treat people differently."
Motor will not know the meaning of this answer. Motor is unaware of his internalized homophobia and denies it. Motor goes to great lengths to hide the shame and guilt of living his sexual orientation. Not wanting to make others uncomfortable, not wanting to change the image that others have of him, has led him to deny something that is part of him, something that is himself.
However, Gentle's message is clear. Nobody likes to feel stigmatized and rejected. But isn't Motor more afraid of his self-rejection? Isn't it worse to feel shame, disgust, anxiety, and even have behaviors of avoidance or denial of everything related to homosexual orientation due to fear of being rejected?
If in 'My Biker' it is Gentle who pulls the strings of dramatic tension by recognizing that he loves another man, Motor, the heterosexual teenager who in that 2023 film receives the confession of love from his friend, today expresses the conscience of those who are going to fight for their place in the world, even if this means that they have to suffer the hatred and discrimination of homophobes.
The short film, scripted and directed by Nitchapoom Chaianun (Nicchi), delves into the romantic story begun in 'เราและนาย My Biker', between a high school student who falls in love with his heterosexual best friend.
Produced by Wayufilm Production, in association with Pigeon Pictures, 'My Biker 2' contributes to changing the way society views members of the LGBTIQ+ community, especially in countries that, like Thailand, still refuse to recognize equal marriage and where discrimination against gays, lesbians, bisexuals and other members of that human community persists.
'My Biker 2' reminds us that not everything is always "so pretty", as many BL fans seem to believe, and that there is still a long fight ahead.
Works like this should appear from time to time on the screens of many lovers of the genre, so in need of shaking off so much emptiness.
After watching the series 'To Be Continued' I asked myself: "When will BL series come to reflect the real diversity of the LGBT+ community in Thai society? While dozens of BL series are produced and broadcast every year, the stigma and discrimination against LGBT+ people continue to occur. When will creators and directors of television channels understand that making homoaffective representations in BL series more nuanced and political could bring important and positive changes in a society that begins to observe its diversity through television creations?"
From 'My Biker 2' I could say that I would have liked a little more romantic interaction between the two protagonists, such as a kiss, holding hands or resting their head on the other's shoulder. I could express my dissatisfaction with the way in which the existence of a romance between them is evident before the final scene. I could state that I am not entirely pleased with the way in which the pain is shown in young people when they perceive that their romantic relationship is at mortal risk, but I prefer to remain with the conviction that 'My Biker' contributes to the struggle of LGBTIQ+ people.
It is not just the sunlight that illuminates the stage at any point in the suburban geography of Chiang Mai, on any given school day. Together with the Astro Sun, the light of hope also shines. This is its main message.

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It invites us to reflect on homophobia, equality and non-discrimination

'Faded' (淡淡/ Dan Dan) tells the moving story of Tian Yu, a Chinese high school student who lives a secret love relationship with Jun Zhi (Arthur Tan / Jun Yi Tan), a boy with whom he discovered his sexual orientation.
Tian Yu, played by Soo Xu Zhe, a Chinese actor known for his participation in the films 'Do You Love Me as I Love You' (2020) and 'Dear Ex' (2018), is struggling with his sexual identity and finds himself caught between fulfilling his filial duty as an only child and the desire to be honest with himself and his mother (Seck Fook Yee).
Tian Yu's internal conflict worsens when the mother discovers her son's homosexuality, through a photograph that someone secretly sent to her cell phone, and confronts Jun Zhi about the relationship.
However, the mother does not act in a homophobic manner, as she is actually afraid of the repercussions of her son coming out of the closet.
Through his relationship with his mother, Tian Yu will have the courage to face his fears and insecurities, and finally admit to her his homosexuality, in addition to asking her for understanding about his desire to maintain the relationship with the boy he loves.
'Faded' is a small, amateur short film that intimately and emotionally addresses universal themes such as the search for authenticity, personal acceptance and coming of age.
With the message "Love is the same for all genders", it also invites us to reflect on homophobia, equality and non-discrimination.
Released on October 23, 2017 in China, the 15-minute film is written, directed, starring and produced by Arthur Tan Jun Yi Tan, who is also the performer and composer of the eponymous musical theme that serves as the soundtrack. to the short film.

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Film version of 'In a Relationship'

After airing the 17 episodes of 'In a Relationship', between June 10 and July 24, 2022, its 17 episodes (the first fifteen of approximately three to five minutes each, and the last two, lasting between twelve and fourteen minutes), are taken, with the same title, to a film version in an 87-minute format.
This is the result.
Review:
With the speed of survival we have insisted on forgetting the pandemic, focused on the new challenges that life imposes, day by day.
And there is the art to bear witness to how Covid-19 changed the world as we knew it until then, and among these changes stands out the way in which human beings manage to communicate and establish diverse relationships, including romantic ones, amid limitations of not being able to interact face to face with others.
'In a Relationship', the romantic series with an LGBTIQ+ theme, directed and produced by Napat Worakitpunya, allows us to appreciate the emergence of a love relationship between two teenagers, against the backdrop of social networks and the period of incidence of the pandemic in our lives.
This is one of the BL series produced by Jinloe Media Work, the studio that has also made 'Hit Bite Love' (2023), 'What the Duck' (2018) and its sequel 'What the Duck 2: Final Call' (2019 ).
Starring Nine Trin Summasub, as Tono, and Pea Pearanut Athicomnanta, in the role of Boss, the 2022 Thai drama takes us into characters whose existences are affected by the circumstances of a pandemic that disrupts everything in its path. However, in an indistinct manner, but at the same time in close union, each of them manages to recognize in the sad event the possibility of loving each other, growing as people, the power of forgiveness and second chances.
With a script by Chim Sedthawut Inboon, Tono, a teenager with a growing reputation among online video game players, is presented as the central axis of the plot. One day, while he is live streaming and recording one of his videos, a user he later identifies as Boss criticizes his gaming skills in a chat room. Annoyed, Tono confronts him and they both agree to participate in a video game competition to see who is the best.
After losing the game, Tono must fulfill the winner's three demands: The last request is that Tono become her boyfriend! Reluctant to comply with this demand, Tono will be forced to listen to the constant flirting of the person who claims to have been in love with him for some time.
Will Boss manage to change his social media status to "in a relationship"? Will love arise between these two teenagers? Will they manage to nurture a loving bond beyond any screen? Will they be aware that the true essence of a relationship lies in the mutual understanding, support and love that is built day by day, surpassing virtual scenarios?
The truth is that this is how Boss and Tono begin a relationship, friendly first, romantic later, thanks to cultivating meaningful conversations every day, like those of any teenager of our days, building memories and strengthening emotional bonds.
Boss is a well-defined character. For some time now he has been aware of his sexual identity, and he finds himself caught between the desire to be honest with himself and with the boy he loves, as he fears suffering a new love rejection for having his face marked by youthful acne. That is why he has communicated through a filter and hides his true identity from Tono.
But despite this dark side, the character created by Pea Pearanut Athicomnanta turns out to be more than the simple playboy he can seem every time he flirts. He understands when Tono needs space and backs away, but he still shows his love and sends constant signals of support to the teenager in difficult times, such as during Tono's illness, or when he is upset because his friend Jade has decided not to play with him.
Knowing and loving Tono will make him grow as a person and trust in himself.
For his part, Tono is a boy without major conflicts in his life. Busy with video games and virtual classes due to the pandemic, he has only suffered from his parents' divorce. His character goes through several very different moments throughout the series. She experiences intense feelings when Boss confesses his love for her, and emotional stress when she suspects that the young man she loves has been playing with her feelings.
Tono shows maturity when he forgives Boss and by encouraging him to be himself and grow as a person. Through her relationship with Boss, Tono will discover not only her sexual identity, but also her true feelings and first love.
At first, I find his performance a little uncomfortable, but as the episodes progress, we can see an actor who takes on the role of a typical teenager of our days, giving it his own interpretation and meaning, as he focuses on his goal and fight for what he wants.
Isolated from everything and everyone, even his family members, who are never shown on screen nor are there any references to them, Tono navigates between doubts and insecurities, while trying to understand his own feelings. Can a boy fall in love with another boy?
Although sometimes a certain lack of rhythm is felt in the progression, the best moments of 'In a Relationship' are reserved for the final episodes, when the story gains in maturity and complexity by deepening the plot in the themes addressed, managing to enrich the dynamics of the love relationship and add a fascinating growing tension between the characters.
Intimately and emotionally, 'In a Relationship' addresses universal themes such as the search for authenticity, discovery, personal acceptance, second chances, identity, friendship and love, with a refreshing and sensitive narrative. Along the way, both young people discover much more about themselves and what love and friendship really mean.
The two boys will begin a journey that will change their lives forever. During it, Boss and Tono develop an unexpected and deep connection as they share their personal stories, fears, preferences and dreams.
The music of TheMoonwillalwaysbewithme, Foam and Boxx Music Team helps capture the beauty of first love and self-discovery in adolescence, with totally recognizable boys, but at the same time with the pain of lying.
With evocative cinematography limited by the pandemic scenario, the series immerses us in a crucial moment in the lives of its protagonists where emotions are on the surface.
The series explores many of the challenges that we can encounter every day on social networks and messaging applications, such as the possibility of someone lying or hiding their true identity because they feel ashamed of their own life or body, the prospect of closing distances with people who are far from us; the way to understand, approach and expose our personal life and our relationships, or suffer from the FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) syndrome caused by dependence on social networks.
Likewise, 'In a Relationship' portrays other of the daily challenges faced by people on social networks, who may feel that they are constantly in contact, but the quality and depth of their conversations may decrease. Or what is related to the emotional tone, which is often misinterpreted in texts and messages, which can generate unnecessary conflicts, due to the lack of eye contact and body language, essential for effective communication.
That is the reason why Tono frequently demands the need to complement digital communication through real, in-person connection. That is, being able to see yourself outside of virtual spaces, to be able to openly communicate your feelings, concerns, doubts and insecurities... in short, give free rein to love.
For this reason, I applaud that final scene in which the empty chairs that have always been occupied by our two protagonists prevail, because finally both, after the dangers of the pandemic have disappeared, have met outside the screens of their digital devices.
The review of the series published in MDL can be found at: https://mydramalist.com/731171-in-a-relationship/reviews

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An exciting and sexy story that portrays sexual awakening in adolescence

Yang Yong Ning enjoys the last days of summer alone before returning to classes for the upcoming new school year. Suddenly, he best friend Ji Yijie, who has not seen him for a long time, calls him and invites him to have fun and walk through the streets of Taipei at midnight, the only witness of the love and sexual awakening of the two teenagers.
From the dramatic and youth genre with LGBTIQ+ themes, 'Beats Per Minute' (午夜節拍 / Wu Ye Jie Pai, Wu Yeh Chieh Pai) asks us a question: can romantic love arise from friendship?
In his second short film, screenwriter, director and editor Lin Guan Chen portrays the queer perspective, the main trait that identifies today's youth.
As he did in 'Shift Gear' (2022), the Taiwanese filmmaker focuses on the LGBTQ+ community and how Generation Z can face their confusion in this chaotic world, in the effort to contribute to overcoming the heteronormative paradigm, leaving a priori behind binary according to which one is by default a boy or a girl, homosexual or heterosexual; in short, to understand sexuality as a broad spectrum.
'Beats Per Minute' tries to capture these new ways of conceiving identities and transmitting the processes that the protagonists experience when assuming, expressing and experiencing them.
In its almost 20 minutes, the short film exposes the obvious physical attraction between the two young men, while they talk about girls and making love with them, perhaps in an attempt to deny their true feelings.
Yang Yong Ning makes it very clear right away: he is in love with Ma Ji Yijie. That's why he secretly steals photos of him while he pretends to take snapshots of the stars, dances for him, plays constant pranks on him and suffers in silence when he discovers that they could separate when his friend has to leave to live in Canada, as is his mother's wish.
On the other hand, for the young man who, from his words, appears to be heterosexual, this feeling towards his friend is a new and unexpected experience. However, he does not hesitate to be the first to kiss him.
And yes, the attraction between the two protagonists will end up crystallizing when Yang Yong Ming also kisses his friend.
Tung Wang's cinematography helps to successfully portray the charming sparks between the two young actors and the beauty of the Taiwanese capital.
Although at the beginning of the century, queer fiction was defined by transgression and reaffirmation, as a form of resistance in a very hostile environment, this short film reclaims adolescence as the period of doubts and fears. Instead of associating it with transgression, the queer attitude is associated with vulnerability, tenderness and the willingness to get closer to the other.
Without ignoring fears, insecurities and vulnerabilities, the short film builds from fiction a warm, optimistic and luminous universe to embrace the queer experience of the two protagonists.
Produced by Yi Juyng Lin, 'Beats Per Minute' is a film that manages to portray what it is like to live in the closet during adolescence and that reminds us that LGBT+ people also deserve to live a love story. It is, in short, an exciting and sexy story that portrays the sexual awakening in that period of a person's life that lies between childhood and adulthood.

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The loss of innocence

In a confusing way, 'My Dream' explores the loss of innocence, as it follows the lives and relationships of five young people who are united by friendship, love and blood: Runway (Best, Cholsawas Tiewwanichkul), the main narrator; his friends Guide (Fame, Chawinroj Likitchareonsakul) and Yim (Ellfa, Chollatee Bampen), Doctor Good (Boom, Jiratpisit Jaravijit), Guide's brother, and Tanai (Taro, Shatree Suwanvalaikor), Runway's athletic, slightly older neighbor than him, who is in love with the young protagonist.
Directed by Job Piyawat Chaithiangthum, at the time of its premiere in 2018, the series 'My Dream' meant a pleasant change within the BL universe with the mixture of youth themes, romance, fantasy and supernatural.
Runway is a brilliant high school student marked by nightmares since the death of his father. Thanks to her father's old dream catcher placed near her bed, Runway manages to fall asleep, in which a mysterious man named Dream (Fluke, Pongsapat Kankam) appears to her.
However, Runway, who lives alone with his mother, has not created an imaginary friend in his mind, but rather an imaginary lover who makes the teenager not only fantasize and invent various conversations and situations, but also leads him to confuse fantasy and reality.
Instead of helping Runway find an escape from the situation, Dream, who has been present in Runway's dreams since he was a baby, will help immerse him further and further into an imaginary world that will be difficult, if not impossible to escape.
Dream won't stop the teen from interacting with other humans, but he will be upset when Runway comes into contact with Tanai, the boy who has a crush on him. This is how Runway will ignore Tanai's declarations of love and her constant worries about him.
I don't like Tanai that she loves Runaway because "she sees him as a girl."
Runway's personality is wonderful, being the good son and good friend of his friends, always attentive to the feelings of others.
At the end of the series we will see a meeting between Runway and Dream in the real world, and thus we will have new elements about the relationship that exists between Dream and Elle and the bond between both of them with the dreamcatcher, since Elle will be Dream's companion on that occasion.
Another of the main characters is Guide. This intelligent high school student tries to help Runwai deal with both the imaginary relationship and the real world, but everything changes when he suspects that his girlfriend Yaimai (Noon, Pitchatorn Santinatornkul), has been unfaithful, and decides to separate from her afterward of three years of courtship.
At the same time, Guide begins to feel attracted to Tanai.
Regarding the character played by Noon, I don't like that she doesn't mind sharing Guide with as many men as he wants to be with, as long as she allows her to be the only girl. I don't understand these types of female characters obsessed with boys who have lost interest in girls, among other reasons because they are homosexual. Instead of accepting to be her friend, Yaimai will try again and again to get Guide to return to her side, causing tensions between the two and their family and friends.
For his part, Yim, who has lived his adolescence without complications, will suffer a sexual violation and will find supportive arms in Runway and Tanai, to whom he confesses what happened.
I don't like how Yim's rape story is handled.
Not even Tanai, because he is of legal age, suggests that he seek justice and report the sexual assault, after Yim demonstrates that he feels affected by the events. On the contrary, we see the boy being driven home by the rapist in the same car with which he was previously taken to the place of the rape, which would mean greater stress and suffering for a person after suffering a tragedy like this.
Other scenes, such as the "farewell" kiss when the rapist finally recognizes his mistake and asks for forgiveness, also make it seem like Yim suffers from Stockholm Syndrome.
It is true that Tanai hits the aggressor, but this seems insufficient punishment to me, since the possibility of the rapist acting in the same way in the future remains latent.
These events contribute to the loss of innocence of adolescents.
At the same time, the young doctor Good will be trapped in a strange supernatural relationship with a mysterious girl who turns out to have the appearance of Kafe (Anna Glucks), his old girlfriend who died in an accident five years ago, but in truth is a strange being who He changes gender depending on whether he comes into contact with the water, because when he is dry he transforms his appearance and becomes a boy named Elle (Choot, Cherdchanin Vitapinan), who is somehow connected to the dreamcatcher and the tragic outcome that cost him life to the woman that Good still has not been able to forget.
The three teenagers will lose their innocence when each one knows pain, evil, and deception. As the series progresses, Runwai, Guide and Yim will realize that things in real life are different from how they saw them.
The series also tells us about coming of age and that, coupled with the loss of trust in the world, human beings can activate their capacity for resilience based on affectivity. The more love and understanding the characters receive, the greater their ability to overcome obstacles.
After the dreamcatcher is burned, Runway wakes up from a coma and asks for Tanai. He is worried about him, but not only in the sense of knowing his state of health after the accident.
Upon arriving home and left alone with Tanai, Runway laughs at Tanai's jokes for the first time. He has lost his innocence. And Tanai asks him again the question of whether he can take care of him, in the sense of whether he can be his partner. And if until that moment he had rejected it, Runway asks him for time to think about it, a response that makes Tanai happy.
In the next dream, for the first time Runway finds Dream and her father in the same vision. Call the father. But when you look at the place where Dream was, it is no longer there. It seems that Dream has recognized that Runway has chosen to be with her father.
However, instead of moving forward, the series goes backwards, keeping Runway lost between fantasy and reality. Apparently, the creators thought to resolve this situation in a second season that never arrived, leaving all the stories unfinished.
Some viewers will point out that the series is slow in the sense of the action of the actors' and actresses' movements being slow, but I consider that the long shots and wide spaces for reflection do not make 'My Dream' boring. On the contrary, the slow rhythm has been used with precision in the Thai series, and the music and other arts related to television easily adapt to the feeling that the musical themes and the story have wanted to express.
Likewise, the static camera and silences contribute to telling the story and recreating the general feeling of the series. What is interesting is how 'My Dream' takes its time to build the stories and characters step by step.
What I enjoy most about the series is the slow and wonderful relationship that Guide and Tanais have been weaving. Fame achieves a good performance by showing how his cute character falls in love with Tanai, who in turn has been in love with Runway, but he remains obsessed with Dream.
The moments of interaction between Guide and Tanai are wonderful. Among these, the kiss on the beach or the one that the two enjoy in front of the door of Guide's house when Tanai takes him on his motorcycle and says goodbye to him at night before Yaimai's prying eyes. Or when Tanai places food on his plate while the three teenagers and Tanai's friends celebrate the latter's birthday.
It is extraordinary how the characters show the relationship that they have been developing in silence, even with their backs turned to themselves, and how they transmit anxiety, restlessness, nervousness... all those common symptoms that can surprise people in love.
I must also highlight how striking it is that the characters do not react with surprise to the supernatural phenomena they are forced to face. Accepting the supernatural without drama contributes to the development of the story, since it is evident that all the mysterious supernatural events and characters have the dreamcatcher in common.
We will be looking forward to seeing Yim and Asawin (Beer Rapeewish Sangiamwong) interact, since we only got to see it for a few minutes in the final episode. The chemistry between the two characters is undeniable. In case of a second season, I would be interested in seeing the evolution of this couple and that of Tanai and Guide.

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Bryan and Alex experience a strong emotional connection in the short time they have shared during their stay on the beach, as part of a group that organizes group tours that includes dogs with their owners. However, what could have been the beginning of a beautiful romance will be broken by a tragic accident.
The viewer will be able to enjoy the intimacy that arises between the two young people in a visually beautiful way, despite both deciding to take the nascent relationship calmly.
I find the format of the show interesting, in which Miss Becky (Ameer Sanchez) presents real-life stories from members of the LGBTQ+ community each week.
I also feel that it has been beneficial to start the program with a story in which we have Hiro Shimoji as the protagonist, due to the connection that this young Filipino actor has achieved with the audience in the series 'Our Story' and 'My Story', both from 2023.
The first episode of 'Dear Miss Becky', a web series produced and directed by Xion Lim, explores the idea that true intimacy can be found in the simplicity of sleeping next to someone, transcending the physical act of sex, while alerting us about the fragility of human life.
Likewise, it gives us a message that love is more than a physical attraction and lovers must give value to the time they shared with the loved one, allowing them to keep alive the connection they were building before the occurrence of an event beyond their control will that separated them.
The episode focuses on the characters of Bryan and Alex, played by Hiro Shimoji and Thirdy Galvin, respectively. The chemistry between the actors is palpable, allowing the viewer to appreciate how the relationship deepens on screen. As the story unfolds, their interactions are conveyed through silence, abstract soundscapes, and textured cuts, creating a captivating visual experience that immerses the audience in an emotional journey.
In the same way that the character of Miss Becky fails to convince me, Xion Lim as a producer and director still fails to capture me with any of his stories. I still remember how it ruined the relationship between Zeke and Fifth, preventing this ship from being one of the most popular within the LGBT+ genre, not just in the Philippines.
If, on the one hand, the weak script fails to develop the characters, their conflicts and events well, the possibility of improvising allows genuine and authentic moments to emerge, especially in Hiro's performance.
With impressive daytime and nighttime images of the Philippine beaches, I think it is positive that Hiro has a new partner, since this actor can perform well in roles as a young homosexual in LGBT+ themed series, while Jericho Del Rosario, his co-star in 'Our Story' and 'My Story', he never seems to have been comfortable with his partner or the fanservice, which is very regrettable due to the visual attraction that the couple did not know or could not exploit.

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The loneliness of a young man who has found freedom in a room occupied only by him is altered with the materialization of an improbable dream that comes true.
The young man is not forced to invent the boy of his dreams (the film does not, therefore, resort to fantastical elements), but suddenly the dream boy comes true in the form of an irresistible neighbor who has just moved into the next room, and whom he just met in the building's elevator while returning home from the market with purchases.
This film starts with a certain feeling of "déjà vu", since the young protagonist seems to be experiencing over and over again the new situation of meeting the other boy upon returning from the market, but which in reality has never happened.
In its 22 minutes divided into two parts, 'Me and Us' manages to stand on the presentation of its protagonist and his neighbor, who to make matters worse will make him feel uncomfortable in his own home, but he will not mind losing the freedom and solitude he longs for. because he does not regret having the person he loves by his side.

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Two young heterosexuals, a kiss that has the power to change lives and a rooftop

When we try to answer the question "what is the reason to love?", we will always be surprised to realize that there really is no reason at all. Through images, music, words and silences, 'Heart... Not a Reason', the 2020 Thai short film, describes this situation, while immersing us in the passionate and secret love relationship between two young heterosexuals, who fall in love after kissing as part of a card game in which they participate.
Toey and Puth, which is the name of our narrative heroes, are two strangers who meet for the first time after their respective girlfriends, May and Ploy, meet again after some time, and decide to introduce their current partners and go on dates double.
During the course of the evening, between plates of food and drinks of alcohol, the four young people agree to participate in a card game, in which the losers must comply with the punishment imposed by the winner.
With the chemical universe behind a kiss, Toey, played by Scott Pannachai Keatkaew, an actor we know for his role as Pent in the LGBT+ themed romantic series 'What the Duck' and 'What the Duck Season 2: Final Call ', and Puth, played by Book Sikaphat, an actor and singer known for appearing in the drama 'Risk Lust Love', also experienced a very deep exchange of sensations and emotions that gave way to love. In other words: knowing each other allowed them to know themselves.
The character played by Scott conveys the image of a person with a confused heart and no confidence. In truth, Toey searches for true love, and what he has searched for so long he finally finds in Puth. He likes how Puth cares about him, pays attention to him, with specific actions such as preparing dinner for him or surprising him on his birthday with a cake. And all this causes Toey to fall in love with him even more.
For his part, Puth is one of the people who gives himself over to love completely. He can't help but fall in love with Toey. While your brain asks you to get away from him, your heart takes you once again to meet him. Puth doesn't want to hurt Ploy, and that's why he hesitates whether or not to continue his secret relationship with Toey, but he can't resist the feeling that has arisen in the center of his chest. It will be very difficult for you to end the relationship with the person you love. While your mouth says one thing, your feelings say the opposite.
However, Puth's girlfriend has also fallen in love with her friend's boyfriend.
Both actors well convey anxiety, restlessness, nervousness, euphoria... all those common and frequent symptoms in people who feel in love. While I see the characters looking at their cell phones, confident that the message is from the other, or how, shyly, they avoid each other's gaze when they meet in public at the shopping center or at the door of one of their houses, I seem to see fluttering the famous butterflies in the stomach, feeling the sweat soak their hands or listening to the beating of their hearts.
The rooftop scene is memorable, as both characters are able to express their feelings and show the incredible chemistry between the two.
The viewer will be able to see how the power of an unexpected and involuntary kiss provokes in the two young people not only that desire to kiss that has a scientific name: filemamania.
The story will surprise us by discovering that nothing is what it seems: while one thinks that they have just started a flirtation, that they feel nervous being close to each other, suddenly we will understand that between the two there is already a deep loving relationship and both they have reached the point where they debate whether it would be right to continue the romance or break up.
The good production, beautiful images, delicate editing, structured script, and a credible well-told story would only be missing a tender and melancholic song. And we have that too, because the short film, in addition to provoking reflection on how no one should be blamed when you fall in love, since no one can control your feelings and your heart, seeks to convey the real story that happened and allowed Book Sikaphat to compose the song "Hua Jai", from the Sikpat Book, which tells the story of two friends who fall in love and how the feeling that arises between them causes the change of their friendly relationship into a romantic one.

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The classic relationship: one of the members of the couple dominates and the other is dominated

Produced by Lu Po Wen and Li Yun Ming, the director and producer of the three parts of 'Ghost Boyfriend', 'River Knows Fish Heart' revolves around the romance of two high school students Situ Xiao Yu (Chinese name that translates such as "Little Fish"), a rich young man who runs away from home and pursues his dream of being a musician, and An He (literally "River"), a musical genius who is experiencing composer's block.
Written and directed by Lv Bowen, the romantic, musical and youth drama with an LGBT+ theme addresses topics such as campus life, coexistence, coming of age, obsession and the power difference in a relationship in which one of one member of the couple dominates and the other is dominated.
The two enthusiastic music lovers with parental problems, played by Zhen Jia Jian and Meng Yue Chen, respectively, decide to live together after meeting at the school to which Xiao Yu has transferred after leaving his parents' home.
As they organize their lives to participate in the musical competition, a subtle and elusive feeling arises between the two of them. However, the day before the event, Xiao Yu disappears, leaving An He in an embarrassing situation, not knowing how to deal with this situation.
Despite their different personalities, between the athletic Xiao Yu with a cold smile, mysterious eyes and bad boy vibe, and the bright student with a tender, innocent and childish look An He, love arises. When Xiao Yu sees their relationship threatened, he explains his actions as follows: "I'm just a little fish in the river. It's just my human nature to protect my habitat from being invaded."
Needing to move after disagreements with his father, Xiao Yi enters the house and, above all, An He's life. Soon the visitor will leave the living room couch and take up space on the shy teenager's bed, despite the fact that he repeatedly rejects his seductive but dominant roommate.
Using old school kinky and problematic tropes such as dominant boy and dominated boy, 'River Knows Fish Heart' touches on themes of communication, consent and self-acceptance.
The film enters 'Addicted' territory, only this time with the muscular, seme athlete who falls madly in love with the tender, nerdy uke and decides to take charge of his life and protect him even from his mother, who has never heard his son sing or play. the piano or the guitar.
The character of Zheng Jia Jian is not innocent at all: with his 185 centimeters of height, an athletic and slightly bossy body, on the other hand he has plenty of inspiring vibes that find resonance in a contemporary youth who feels identified by making them dream. Furthermore, his dominant traits and the way he penetrates An He's life until he breaks him really makes the viewer want to be in the position of the dominated boy.
Lovers of the genre will enjoy the most daring scene in 'River Knows Fish Heart', in which we can see how Xiao Yu forces his roommate to kiss him in the bathroom, erotically whispering: "I want to possess every inch of your skin." Even more sensual is that the film offers us scenes of hot kisses and tender and very well-done sexual interactions.
An He's cold, reserved, and even hostile demeanor soon transforms into that of someone warm, sensitive, and friendly. He is a tsundere in all the rules. For his part, the seme Xiao Yu is very aggressive; so the dynamic between the two directly enters another territory, dubcon or "dubious consent", since consent on An He's part is not completely absent, but the situation has certain elements that in real life could be interpreted as a rape.
The relationship between An He and Xiao Yu is the classic blouse and pants combination. Or put another way, it exposes the nature of 'yin and yang' style. When the two energies complement and balance each other is when they achieve a harmonious and happy relationship.
In order to bring to life this cliché story of a bad boy who overpowers the innocent high school student, the director summons two idols admired by the younger generation in China: Meng Yue Chen and Zhen Jia Jian.
Both actors were born to play this type of cute young men who make up the ideal couple for fans who enjoy gay romance.
The first is a musician, Dai dance dancer and actor who in the world of acting became known precisely with this film, but has subsequently participated in the dramas 'Capture Love', 'In Your Heart', the documentary ' Capture Love Special', always playing queer characters, and the film 'Yin Yuan', among other works.
'River Knows Fish Heart' is a film in which Men Yue Chen can, in addition to demonstrating his histrionic qualities, expose his skills as a singer and musician: he plays the acoustic guitar and lets us hear his beautiful and well-pitched voice.
After the premiere of 'River Knows Fish Heart', Meng Yue Chen becomes an Internet phenomenon and is considered by the public to be China's new (gay) girlfriend for his tender look, his fair skin and his beautiful features.
The passionate and moving acting skills of Zhen Jia Jian, who among the youth audience of his country has earned the title of being the personification of attractive and sexy, allows us to remember him for playing Cheng Yue in 'Love Is Not Easy to Have' or Xiao Jie in the drama 'French Love', both with LGBT+ themes.
Audiences will find it difficult to forget two other lines said by his character: "I feel like my dream is not important because I found someone more important than my dream," referring to having left behind his passion for music after finding the love of his life in Little An He, or "This river doesn't need that fish, but without it there isn't much fun."
At the same time, the film also marks the debut of Han Jing Cheng in the role of Wang Zheng. The viewer will remember him for being the protagonist of the films 'Ghost Boyfriend 2' and 'Love Is Not Easy to Have', and the drama series 'Capture Lover', all with LGBT+ themes.
Due to the success of the film, after playing Xiao Yi, Zheng Jia Jian then manages to play another homosexual character in 'Love is not Easy to Have', another famous Chinese film, in which these last two actors will join. Along with Han Jing Cheng, Zheng Jia Jian plays another gay couple with a lot of chemistry and visual beauty that steals sighs from Chinese and international audiences.
According to the director, to represent this story much more clearly, he tried to demonstrate the connection between love and dreams by making the protagonists experience the contradictory mentality of their characters, expecting them to carry out the shyness of teenage romance.

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A film that tells us about unrequited love

Jhih Wei and Yi De are two best friends who dream of always being close to each other. While the first studies at the university, the second plans to follow in his footsteps and enter the same house of higher education the following year to become his junior.
One weekend night, Jhih Wei sleeps in Yi De's bed. The next morning, as Yi De prepares to go out to meet his girlfriend, Jhih Wei thinks that he would really like not to go home yet. .
And everything could be as young people dream, but a secret comes between the two: Jhih Wei is in love with his friend who is not only heterosexual, but also has a girlfriend named Yu Wen (Andrey Fong) whom he loves madly. , causing him to choose to hide his feelings.
Starring Mike Lee as Jhih Wei and Li-Hsin Chien as Yi De, 'Not Going Home Yet' (晚歸), also known as 'WAn Gui, Wan Kuei' (晚归), is a drama romantic Taiwanese LGBT+ theme that tells us about unrequited love.
Here the trick is played by our heads... In love, Jhih Wei's brain instinctively looks for any sign of reciprocity in the other person to keep the flame alive... and he is able to see authentic declarations of love where there is only companionship, kindness and politeness, such as giving you a body massage, asking you to give you the towel you forgot to take with you to the bathroom, or inviting you to spend a night out in your company.
Produced, edited, written and directed by Alan Chen, the film, which is only 15 minutes long, exposes Jhih Wei's suffering over his unrequited crush. Sharing time and doing things with Yi De is making Jhih Wei suffer. Have you finally accepted the situation that your friend is straight and he is gay and nothing will ever happen between the two? Have you understood that it makes no sense to continue feeding and fantasizing about that impossible love?
Alan Chen also manages with his work as a set designer to convey to the viewer the sadness and pessimism that surrounds the main protagonist towards the end of the short film. After Jhih Wei accepts his friend's invitation to go to dinner at a restaurant after meeting his girlfriend, Jhih Wei will reject the dinner when he finds out that Yu Wen will join them, and alone, on his scooter, he will travel the streets. streets of Taipei on the way home. Belle Cheng, the director of photography, delivers beautiful interior and exterior images, both day and night.
The film does not reveal to us if Jhih Wei wants to maintain the friendship or, as happens with breakups, he needs some time to manage to be able to see Yi De as a friend again.

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An exploration of the growing drag culture within Taiwan's queer landscape

The 2021 short film 'Best Sisters Forever' revolves around the elegant Xue Rong / "Snow" (Heng-Chi Kuo) and the fun and frivolous A Du / "Cavon" (Soda Voyu), two gay "sisters" best friends, who after having a heated discussion about issues of promiscuity, end up distancing themselves from each other.
A tragic event allows the reunion of the two "sisters" a decade later. Knowing that their days together are numbered, the couple embarks on an adventure in hopes of recapturing lost opportunities and creating happy memories. Along the way, they make important discoveries about life, love, friendship, and family. Promises are kept and a long lost dream comes true.
The year after releasing 'Your Name Engraved Herein', a film shortlisted for four awards at the 57th Golden Horse Awards 2020, Liu Kuang Hui (Patrick Liu) offers in 'Best Sisters Forever' an authentic vision of the drag sisterhood in that Asian island.
Associated with GagaOOLala, the Taiwanese director explores the growing drag culture within Taiwan's queer landscape, and reflects on questions of identity, empowerment, bonds and brotherhood within the flamboyant Taiwanese community.
To this end, the film features original performances by some of Taiwan's most famous drag queens at Taipei's most iconic LGBT venue, the historic Red House in Ximending District.
"What has always fascinated me is this special sense of bond or brotherhood that exists between members of the gay community but is rarely talked about or discussed in the mainstream. "So, this is where I wanted to play with this idea of ​​'sisterhood' and create a story around it specifically in the context of drag," Liu says when premiering the work.
With the intention of visualizing 'drag' and brotherhood within the community, Liu calls on two of the most important actors in the Taiwanese entertainment industry: Heng-Chi Kuo and Soda Voyu.
The first is a singer, director and composer who makes his official screen debut as an actor in this film. In addition to acting, Heng-Chi Kuo performs the main theme of the film: "Don't Rub Salt on the Wound", a song composed in 1999 for A-Mei, the singer considered a gay icon and defender of Taiwanese indigenous and LGBT+ rights throughout the Mandarin-speaking world.
For his part, Soda Voyu is an outstanding actor, winner of the Golden Bell Award, with an extensive filmography, which includes the film 'Tale of the Lost Boys', from 2017, the drama 'Magic Showdown', from that same year, 'iHero 2' and 'Your Name Engraved Herein'.
Thanks to 'Best Friends Forever', both actors play drag characters in a film for the first time, an experience that both together describe as "very entertaining but challenging, a special project that was worth pursuing, especially for its deep cause and the "so necessary drag defense."
Best Sisters Forever is the third installment of GagaOOLala's 2021 anthology 'Queer Up The Volume', a collection of original queer stories, each with their own title track and music video, aiming to portray the different facets of the community. contemporary queer.
The Queer Up The Volume project also includes other titles, such as the second season of GagaOOLala's successful Thai-Taiwanese BL co-production series, 'Call It What You Want 2', by Anusorn Soisa-ngim (Aam); 'Light', from director Adiamond Lee and starring Jed Chung, Max Liu and Ding Ning; the Taiwanese BL drama 'Dark Blue and Moonlight', and 'Fragrance of the First Flower', the lesbian miniseries by director Angel Teng (Bao Bao), winner of the first prize of the GagaOOLala Pitching Sessions 2020.

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