Hum Bhi Akele, Tum Bhi Akele (Hindi) [I am Alone, So Are You...]

It's good to see that a lot of Indian film makers are trying to tackle subjects with LGBTQ+ themes but I think they still have a long way t o go before something substantial can be made which make a statement and eventual difference in the way people think. An interesting subject on paper is marred by average acting and sub par direction.

Veer and Mansi meet at a low key LGBT party. Veer left his fiancé realizing that he can't go on lying about his sexuality. He is in love with his best friend who lives in Delhi (who also happens to be married to a woman because of social pressure). Mansi has also run away form home because of marriage pressure. Her lover lives in Delhi and she decides to go live with her, but turns out she is on a family trip to McLeodgunj. Mansi decides to take a road trip to surprise her and Veer also joins in as her chauffeur, but also since he desperately needs a break after his lover decided that he can't be out socially to be with him. Here starts a road trip of self discovery and revelations. They both realize they enjoy each other's company. When Mansi finally meets her girlfriend, she also cannot make a move because of her parents pressure. Dejected Mansi and Veer decide that this society will not let them be who they really are and maybe they can live together. In a twist of events, Mansi's girlfriend comes around but Veer's future is not that bright.

The story of a lonely and single gay man and a lesbian girl going on a road trip could have been filled with lot of fun elements but here the film's biggest flaw is the pace. It moves very slowly, clearly beach there isn't much to say. The actor south their dialogues so slowly that no one in normal life talks like it. It's like they have all the time in the world and they are enunciating every single word. It started to get on my nerves. The film is also filled with stereotypes. Mansi's parents tell their friend she always wore pants as a child, she is shown to be carefree and messy. Veer on the other hand is quiet, shy guy who happens to be a cleanliness freak. The climax also comes out of nowhere and just doesn't go well with the overall theme of the film. The characters have a back story but its very one-dimensional. Also the way Veer just blurts out the truth about his lover to his wife, was just not done. That was very insensitive and cold. Equally, Mansi’s reconciliation with her parents feels sudden and unearned. On a bright side, the film is shot beautifully in some very calm natural surroundings. It explores notions of self-assertion, platonic love and charting one’s own destiny, a subject that is not very common in Indian films.

Overall, the film ends up being dull and boring and lethargic after a point. You want to play it at double the speed, because trust me you won't miss out on anything. (3.5/10)

Comments

The Shortest Distance is Round 3: Fallen Flowers

Continuing with the weird trilogy of "The Shortest Distance", I am so glad that finally I am done with part 3 and won't have to deal with this again in future. Thankfully, as of now the makers have not announced any further parts; which will save all of us on this earth from the embarrassment of watching this in near future. After the first 10 minutes are used in sort of recapping bits of first two parts, the story moves forward. Haruto is now starting to have feelings for Ruka, the mysterious pole dancer from second part. In a fit of rage, Ruka ends up killing the goat man and to save him and Haruto, Shibahara asks them to go underground. Meanwhile Shibahara continues the search for Seiya (the guy who had cut off Haruto's penis). It turns out Seiya is now also taking care of the original club owner from part 1. Both of them were released after they had informed Shibahara of Aoyama's secret location. Shibahara tortures Seiya's boyfriend leading to Seiya killin...

Sei no Gekiyaku (Japanese) [Dangerous Drugs of Sex]

Every person has their own unique way of dealing with loss. This film is as much a psychological thriller as it is a soft porn BDSM portrayal of two young men that makes the film overall horrifying as well as humane. It is really hard to describe the genre of this film in one word. Its important not that the film has some really disturbing scenes so if you go into seeing this film, please proceed with caution. Although any sexual non-consensual activity is not ok, this film has its won strange way of showing that suicide is not the only solution to all life's problems. Makoto is a regular office goer, who just finds out that his girlfriend is probably cheating on him. ON top of it, his parents sudden death coming back from a trip that he forced them to take, he gets completely dejected and decides to commit suicide. Unknown to him, he is saved by mysterious man Yoda Ryoji, and he wakes up finding himself tied up in leather and belts in a very BDSM setting. This mysterious saver soo...

One Summer Night (Korean)

I really wanted to like this film but for non native speakers, these movie leaves a lot to be understood and the way scenes were unfolding in front of me, I wasn't sure many times what was really going on. The story had potential button getting any back story on any of the characters limited my ability to empathize with any of these actors. Film starts with two North Korea military guys Yong Joon and Jae Sung having sex and they are caught red handed and they run. Three years later we see Yong Joon in Seoul leading a very mundane and poor life. He has a boyfriend Tae-Kyu, who is a weird guy. He is carefree, doesn't do any work and is completely emotional and financially dependent on Young Joon. In fact, even Yong Joon will go to any lengths to protect him , fend for him and taking care of him to the extent of even taking up prostitution. Suddenly one day Jae Sung appears in their life again. His motivation is not clear but it is obvious he wants Yong Joon back in his life, who ...

Movie Reviews -
Gay Themed

Search This Blog