Shy and awkward teen Lau is on an all boys weekend trip to the woods called as "Real Man" camp. Together with two adult counsellors, the weekend s going to be a series of challenges and tasks that will prove that these boys are ready to become men and there will be one winner. Years back, Lau's father who dies when Lau was young won the competition and his friend (one of the counsellors) is motivating Lau to do the same. H even recommend Lau to partner with William who has string chances of winning but William is more than annoyed when Lau tries to do same on more than one occasion. In the bus Lau meets Aksel, a new boy who has just moved from the city and is obvious that he also doesn't fit into the whole toxic masculinity environment. The calmer, more mature Aksel and Lau become friends. Catching a glimpse of a text message on Aksel's phone, Lau thinks that Aksel might be gay. After a few silly and absurd tasks where Lau still tries to "fit" in the group despite repeated warnings from Aksel, one moment Lau finally kisses Aksel, who to his shock tells him that he is not gay. Embarrassed Lau runs away but persistence from Aksel to be friends and the end of competition help Lau comes out of his shell, and see and accept himself for who is. He stops trying to fit into a set mould.
As the camp instructors list all the qualities a “real man” possesses such as “brute strength” and “stamina”, Lau and Aksel deal with bullying and homophobic slurs from their peers. But among the pain, their bond stands strong as they Lau starts to question what it truly means to be “a man”. It’s an important series for young people today and especially young boys, where unfortunately the idea of a real man is quite narrow, especially in smaller towns in any part of the world. It's like an extremely trimmed down version of a series like Heartstopper but with a lot of restraint. There's bullying and humiliation, as well as betrayal and lust, but they're kept to scale and communicated with a minimum of melodrama. The main two leads do a good job and it was interesting to see how there are many small moments where Lau is trying to fit in, to the extent that he also doesn't hesitate to insult his friend Aksel. But deep down Lau knows he is different but is not just ready to accept because of the society around him. The shower scene where Lau gets a hard on and doesn't know what to do was so well done and with sensitivity. I love dit, especially how Aisle handles it. The interactions between these two boys was done with lot of empathy, sensitivity and love and I liked that. It's never easy for teenagers to be true to themselves. We all have probably, at some point in life, tried to fit in the gloves of society knowing very well we are different. But thanks to changing society, and show like this, that can educate kids these days that it's ok to be different. We all do not need to follow the hollow definition of 'masculinity' just to prove something to someone else. We are beautiful and important as anyone else is. I felt that within a short span of jut over an hour, this show says a lot despite its shortcomings and things that it could actually improve on, including more character building. (7/10)
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