Movie Reviews -
Gay Themed

Gay film lovers are definitely familiar with the name Scud, a filmmaker who makes weird eccentric films and who's somehow still keeps getting money to make these films. IMO these are nicely packaged soft porn films, which are so not my type, but here I am again, watching his film and continuing to wonder, how do I find myself every time in this situation. I can just take solace in the fact that this film has been announced as a the final feature by Scud. Clips from previous works, mainly Adonis (2017), enter the story and blur the ever-so-fragile line between documentary and fiction, the actors and their roles. The premise of the film itself is odd. The ghost of a young soldier who gets raped multiple times in a single night by men whom he loved, bids farewell to his mother and travels the world to see his transgender sister. By possessing living bodies, he meddles with the romances of unfaithful lovers along the way in Taiwan, Japan, Spain and Thailand. He meets a soul mate amid t...

With only 5 episodes of about 15-20 minutes each, the very first episode is so dman confusing. Characters are introduced, some relevant and some not and most things just don't make any sense. Eventually this series is like 2 parallel stories that have absolutely no bearing to one another. The way it is directed feel over garam tic lie a soap opera and even though the show has received good reviews, I think a school project would have been better. This is essentially two separate subjects just made into one series for no rhyme or reason. Hayden, who has just moved to a new place, coincidentally helps Damien's grandmother and meets Damien in the process. The two individuals, who had no connection before, start a complicated relationship after an unexpected kiss. They both have burdens form the past. After the grandma's unexpected death, Hayden helps Damien a lot and eventually love grows between them. The other story is of Kelvin and Archie, high school lovers who got separat...

So, I did not know this until after watching the film. Apparently, before losing his battle with cancer, cultural icon Julian Lee left behind an autobiographical screenplay based on his experience of the disease. Director Kit Hung brings the script to life seven years after Lee’s tragic death. So, as much as it is a tribute to the writer's semi-autobiographical story, it is a story of loneliness and a toxic love story. Also, for information, "Stoma" is an artificial surgically created opening in the abdomen to replace the anus. Alex is a young gay photographer who lives in Hong Kong, When he is diagnosed with peritoneal cancer, he starts doing his due diligence on how and where to get best treated and he decides on Switzerland. Alex has also had an on again-off again Swiss banker, who conveniently comes in and out of Alex's life as he pleases. He does care for Alex but also wants to stay independent and sleep around. Alex comes to Switzerland stays with his brother wh...

If you have been following gay films for as long as I have, I bet you have come across the name SCUD before. He is an experimental film maker from Hong Kong. His films are very experimental and weird (for lack of a better word), and I have personally never enjoyed his work. Sadly, not much has changed even with this film. Look, I am all up for experimentation and film makers getting freedom to express their thoughts and ideas in a manner that speaks to them, but if there is no audience fo sit and no one understands what you are trying to say, then is it worth it? In “Apostles,” a scholar claiming to be an apostle to Socrates and Plato, finds it hard to face his end. With the help of his wife and his ex-partner’s family, he recruits 12 young men to come to his secluded manor to pursue the exploration of death. Philosophical discussions aside, the practices encompass climbing the volcanic summit of Mt. Fuji, bondage, sexual activities, and even living sacrifice. Throughout it all, these ...

This short six-episode series chronicles the relationship between the main characters, from their student days to their workplace experiences. When I say short, they are really short like 2-6 minutes each. So I was in two minds about posting this as a separate post, but then why not? I haven't seen a slice of life drama from Hong Kong in a while and this was a perfect addition. Stories of silent love and unspoken feelings are very few and this one in particular, uses silence and minimal words and brings the impact very effectively. We never get to know the names but our two leads are known as 'The cafe Owner' and 'The Boy'. The two boys met years ago in university when they ended up sharing the same flat. Over that period, they became really close friends and shared this easy going comfort feeling with one another. The Cafe owner doesn't get good marks in university so his friend encourages his decision to open a cafe. The Boy, who now has a high profile job but...

Its not even been a year since I saw the original Japanese series. I knew about Hong Kong version, but I wanted to take a break in between before I saw this. I am glad I took the break, but despite that the memories of the original show were quite intact. Surprisingly, this faithful remake of the very popular show stays faithful to the original, keeps the zany humor alive and keeps for a fun watching experience even for folks who have seen it before. Having said that, this is a Lot of time investment at 15 episodes of almost 45 minutes each. Tin,  friendly real estate agent, is a mess in personal and professional life. He is very disorganized and as a result always at the bottom of scoreboard in office. When a new employee Muk joins the company, the friendly and nice Tin and him becomes friends. Since Muk is looking for. Place to live, Tin offers him his spare room in exchange for Muk doing all household chores, cooking , cleaning etc. Their boss at work is KK, who is a calmed and ...

OMG! This film made absolutely no sense to me at all. It was slow and very hard to follow. Half the time, I had to really focus heard to understand what was it that the makers are even trying to say. The film too forever to come to the point. A Manhattan-based filmmaker returns to Hong Kong for the purpose of documenting the opening of a new Disney theme park in Hong Kong, but instead finds himself mining his own displacement as a queer expatriate. In the process he meets a deceptively controlled gay dancer and an isolated shop girl who are drawn to his questioning nostalgia for a country that may never have been. Eventually, the trio goes on an expedition to Macau to find out whether the filmmaker's father helped launder Nazi gold during World War II.  There are so many issues being covered in the film, without making them explicit that I am not even sure which one WAS the main plot. There are lots of freeze frame and slow motion and random bath house visits. Had the film only foc...

The film is set in the red light districts of Thailand focusing on the problems, issues and things that sex workers face on a day to day basis. Unfortunately, a shoddy direction combined with bad acting makes this film an unbearable watch. Ahh Fat is a “shemale” sex worker at a bar owned by terrible owners who only cares about profits and gangs. She is going through some psychological turmoil and is looking for redemption. She ends up making friends with 2 other co-workers: a sex worker who simply chores through life after a mysterious event that turned her from being the boss of the bar to being used as for sex and a male gay gigolo Pumpkin. Ah Fat finds a strange, unique sort of happiness in friendship that had evaded her for a long time. Then comes a turn of events that changes everything; Ah Fat will have to choose between saving his friends by killing the evil shop owner, and standing idly by. This is the final straw; Ah Fat is pushed to the brink, all hell breaks loose. After try...

I know very few film maker names in queer cinema, but for some reason the name Scud has stayed with me. People either love or hate his films. Hence I had my apprehensions when I started watching this film. The film has a LOT of full nudity, so be aware of what you are getting into to watch. Young college student Hins lives with his single mom and has a steady Catholic girlfriend Joey for three years now. When a new philosophy professor Antonio comes to teach the class, the very introductory lecture about homosexuality stirs something in Hins. He wants to get close enough to Antonio to understand him, who is more than happy to take him under his wing. Mysterious appearance of Swan, Antonio's research assistant adds to the intrigue since she promotes both Hins and his girlfriend separately to let their feelings go and believe in all kinds of sexuality and love. Finally Hins gives into Antonio's advances and they have sex but Antonio gets arrested for having sex with underage boy....

We really havent seen many gay films that focus on a love story of elderly folks, forget 2 elderly closeted gay men. You can probably literally count such shows/films on hand. To that, this film gives us an insight into lives of gay men, that we don't really focus on. And to top it, when you handle such subject with the respect and sensitivity it deserves, you know you are doing the right thing and you probably have a winner on hand. Thinking that anyone even close to retirement age would possibly feel physical or emotional desire, unless it’s for comedic purposes; is a bold choice for a film. Pak, a man in his 70s, close to retirement is a taxi driver. His son is married with a young daughter and his daughter is engaged to be married. His wife is very homely, the sort who always thinks of everyone else before themselves. Acknowledging to himself, that he is probably gay, Pak starts cruising in a public bathroom. Finding no takers, he chances upon Hoi, another older guy sittin...

I understand when film makers think they know every thing about art and they wanna use a new medium to show us what their version if art is, ultimately becomes very exhaustive for audiences. And when you take a gay theme subject on top of that, the line between soft-core porn and pompous art-house cinema grows ever finer. This film is nothing but a sensational film making. The story is pretty thin. An aspiring gay actor Adonis has blind trust in his agent. He has an ailing mother and he is also supposed to take care of her. Keeping faith in agent, he agrees to work as a nude model a few gay art films which ultimately gets sold as porn films. He eventually joins porn and prostitution as well since he has to make money. We see various "artistic" scenes including Adonis getting raped by some 30 odd men for a film. Once his mother dies, he opens a bar with his agent to serve gay clientele and he also meets a caucasian man and falls in love. A tragic end awaits for Adonis whe...

This film was surprisingly a very pleasant watch. I wasn't sure what to expect. Even though at time the film felt a bit stretched, but wonderful performances by its two lead actors made sure as an audience you are never bored. The story is a little all over the place and too many issues have been tried to be dealt with, instead it would have been better to continue to focus on the core couple. Law, a 40-ish man, and a counsellor is in stable relationship for 8 years with his younger boyfriend Sonny. But due to a very unhappy incident in his childhood, he has deep buried the secret of his sexuality and no one except his boyfriend knows. On the contrast, Sonny is happy and proud to be who he is and is deeply in love with Law. Law has a childhood sweetheart and they are very close but he is even afraid to tell her the truth. His father's pressure to get married is always looming over him. When one of his clients force to go with her to mainland, he is approached by a hustler ...

This was surprisingly a very interesting film. It was mainstream, it was emotional, touching and a story of obsession and love. Interestingly, the topic if depression has become quite mainstream all over the world, and seeing a queer film handle the topic interwoven with a gay love story makes it even more interesting and something very novel. It is slow, but a film of this subject needs that focus as it was given. The story is about Kevin and Jamie. Kevin is the kind of boy who gets bullied in school all the time. His only close friend is Jamie, but even Jamie does not acknowledge their friendship in front of rest of the classmates. When Kevin tells Jamie that his mother has decided to move to Australia, the two boys finally give in to their feelings and kiss each other. Their passion is broken by local cops after which Jamie decides to play it safe. Years later, Kevin is now in a group home dealing with depression in Australia. Jamie makes a surprise visit. The two old friends r...

This film has been on my watchlist for a long time but then I kept on postponing this viewing for some reason or the other. No specific reason, it someone didn’t seem interesting enough to watch it. I mean it was set in late 90s, so I just had to be a in a different mindset before I saw this film. Thankfully its a rainy day and I thought, maybe today is the day. Touted as the ill-fated romance where the past of a few individuals connect with each other in the present makes the crux of the film. Jet is an extremely charming and handsome hustler who knows his strengths and plays by it. One day he notices a young couple Sam & Kana and somehow their closeness gives him a sense of warmth and he takes a liking for Sam. When Jet tells about this to his closest friend Ching, he tries to help him by putting an ad in newspaper. A chance encounter again with Sam changes things. It turns out Sam is a police officer and they both instantly hit it off. They become extremely close friends an...

The story of this film is interesting yet dumb at the same time. The characters seemed a bit unbelievable and awkward. The story is told via some flashback sequences , which just add a bit to the confusion. Thankfully the movie is not too long and ends after a decent time. A foreigner is found naked by the police by the side of river. Unable to extract any information out of him, he is sent to the hospital. The male nurse, Jiang, forms a bond with this foreigner (Luke). When hospital decides to send this guy to mental asylum since he refuses to speak anything, Jiang decides to take matters in his own hands and smuggles him to his uncle’s village. When the foreigner one night calls a random number on Jiang phone, he tracks the number and meets a girl Ning, who is not helpful at all. But later Jiang finds out the real truth. It turns out that Luke had met Ning and her boyfriend Han at the college campus and they strike a friendship. Unaware to Ning, Han and Luke start an affair. Whe...

Its always good to see when organizations come together to promote to message of healthy sex, specially in gay community. Something that is meaningful, entertaining, touching and most importantly send out a clear message on why it i important to be very safe with your life. In view of the record high number of newly reported HIV infection in 2013, the Red Ribbon Centre collaborated with the Hong Kong Lesbian and Gay Film Festival to explore an innovative and gay friendly means to promote HIV prevention and hence this beautiful piece of a short film. Jun is a reckless, rebellious young man. His now deceased father, threw him out of house when he found out that Jun was gay. Now he lives with his mother, who works very hard but is also struggling to accept his homosexuality and hence they barely communicate with each other. Michael is an honest, stable young man who works in a bank. Michael meets Jun and two lonely souls fall deeply in love. Jun’s mother initially disapproves their r...

This film is one of those which encompasses several short films and somehow show some connection between them an drake a full length feature film out of it. The stories in this film were interconnected very briefly and could have very feel kept separated. This film, in my opinion, was not directed very well and even from acting perspective was not successful in holding on my attention. In 199, after a railroad accident, a few passengers get stranded or are waiting for their loved ones to show up. All this happens on a lonely night in Hong Kong. A tourist guide misses his flight from China and is now waiting for a train. His cell phone gets stolen and now he cannot reach his girlfriend, who is visiting during a hiatus in her studies in London. He goes for a meal at a restaurant where adult film actress Ding Li is shooting her latest movie, under prison like conditions. She takes up fancy for him, makes him do a scene in her adult film and they hook up in the night. On the other hand, hi...

I had heard a lot of good things about this movie. A lot of people who saw it at the Qfest said nice things about it. I purposely did not see it in the festival since I wanted to watch it on dvd. For some reason this film looked to me like a more homo-erotic film rather than a one with stories and emotions. The film kept going in and out of being good to bad to doesn't make sense. But it still was an interesting view into the Hong Kong gay life. Daniel, an openly gay banker can't decide whether to stay in Hong Kong or return back to Australia until he meets Kafka. Kafka is a straight swimming instructor. Somehow the 2 men develop a bond of friendship, admiration and even love for each other but Kafka cannot get physically intimate with Daniel which he doesn't mind because he is in search of true love. Kafka is a rebel and has a troubled past which we later find out that when he was trying to save a girl, he was raped by 4 men and left to die and this is the reason he can...

This is actually an 8 part gay drama series that was telecast in Hong Kong produced by GayRadioHK in partnership with HongKong Aids Foundation. The serial revolves around the lives of 8 gay guys and cover topics like coming out, safe sex and the important of regular HIV testing. The drama is amateurish but maybe reminiscent to some of the people in the country. The story revolves around the gay community in Hong Kong. It depicts the dilemma and problem faced by most queer during their adolescent or when they started to enter the gay circle before settled down. There are stories involving gay being bullied, isolated by family, unable to find stable relationship, too attach to previous relationships, and many more. Ben is a matured guy who is still in grief on the death of his boyfriend, Zac. After Zac's death, he opened a blog entitled 99 Days. Mike has failed in his previous relationships, he ought to fun instead of love. Jerry is deeply in love with Mike, despite being very famou...

This film is a mish mash of reality and illusion. There’s a lot going on beneath Soundless Wind Chime’s stylish, deliberately arty surface. Unfortunately, it’s the filmmaker who’ll probably get the most out of Soundless Wind Chime, and not his audience due to the fact that his intentions are too unfocused, and aren’t bridged to the audience effectively. The main aspect that might draw you away is an attempt to blur the boundaries of reality, memories and imagination. Ricky works at a local restaurant and delivers food. One day he meets a swiss guy Pascal who was being abused by his gay partner. Pascal is now on street with no money left. Ricky brings him home with him. Things are fine and they move out and start living together. The speed with which their relationship was going strong, it comes down with the same speed. The film clearly does not show the reasons for why this happens but there is clearly a rift. One day Pascal does in an accident. Ricky leaves Hong Kong for Switzerland ...