This film is the highest-grossing LGBTQ theatrical release in the history of Taiwan, according to
Time magazine. It's also one of the highest-grossing domestic films in Taiwan for 2020. It was nominated for five Golden Horse Awards, which are Taiwan's equivalent to the Oscars. It won Best Cinematography and Best Original Song. It focuses on a school-age boy discovering and dealing with his same-sex attraction and burgeoning homosexuality. As such, this could be considered Taiwan's answer to
Moonlight (2016) and
Call Me By Your Name (2017), particularly the latter and not just because both films have "Your Name" in the title.
Call Me By Your Name is set in the 1980's in a lush countryside villa. This film also is set in the 1980's but trades the lush countryside with a more urban landscape.
It opens by announcing that the time period is specifically 1987, after martial law was ended in Taiwan. Having no real knowledge of Taiwanese history, this post-martial law status doesn't really resonate. I don't get from a cultural standpoint what not having martial law ultimately means for the characters here, if anything. Maybe martial law being ended doesn't really mean anything and the people in Taiwan or certain people in Taiwan might still feel oppressed or suppressed. This might be the case for LGBTQ people of that time and place. This film might want to underline that oppression and repression of LGBTQ people, while also giving us the heated passions that's bubbling underneath the skin of the two boys in love.
Edward Chen stars as Jia-Han Chang, a teenager in the 12th grade, preparing for college. It seems like though he's already in college, given that he apparently stays in a dormitory with other boys, so maybe he's in a boarding school. We see him in class and mainly he has extracurricular activities. He's a swimmer and he's in a band. However, when his fellow classmates sneak out the dorm and make-out with girls, Jia-Han isn't interested and obviously has no attraction to girls.
Jing-Hua Tseng co-stars as Po-Te Wang aka "Birdy," a fellow classmate. Birdy is a more artistic person. He aspires to be a filmmaker, but he is mostly into all the same things as Jia-Han. They also seem to share the fact that they're not interested in girls. Birdy is more apt to break the rules than Jia-Han. Because he defends a boy who is bullied for being gay, people begin to suspect that Birdy is gay also. He notices Jia-Han and takes a liking to him, as Jia-Han also takes a liking.
Unfortunately, Birdy gives in to peer pressure. Actually, he resists peer pressure for most of the time. He even bucks against the system for the most part. However, when Birdy's father comes down on him and physically assaults him for causing trouble at school, Birdy regresses and refuses to come out the closet. The majority of the film is the two boys trying to contain their passion for each other but not doing a good job of it. The film therefore depicts the two of them spending time together, doing various things, traveling from here to there, sneaking moments to cuddle or lie next to one another, occasionally squeezing a kiss now and then.
Yet, it's just as lush. With a very hot scene in a shower, this film could definitely be described as steamy. The actors bring a lot of the heat that generates a lot of that steam. One feels the passion between the two of them, the visceral attraction. It doesn't skimp on the homoeroticism. It's not like Director Scud's films, but it is bold and sexy.
Not Rated but contains nudity, sexual situations, language and some violence.
Running Time: 1 hr. and 54 mins.Available on Netflix.
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