This Vietnamese show isn't exactly groundbreaking, but it definitely keeps you hooked. It’s a quick watch with 10 episodes that only last about 15 to 20 minutes each, and even though it uses all the usual BL tropes, it really works because you can't help but root for the underdog. The romance actually takes its time to show up and then wraps up pretty fast, but the characters still feel way more relatable than in a lot of other shows like this. The story follows Phuc, who moves from Hanoi to Saigon to open his dream bar and live with his girlfriend. Things go sideways immediately when he arrives a day early to surprise her and catches her cheating, so he breaks up with her and leaves. He ends up reaching out to his old childhood neighbors, Cong and his sister Han, who he hasn't seen in years. The siblings are struggling on their own with a massive debt and Han’s poor health. Han thinks her brother works at a convenience store, but Cong is actually a heavy for a criminal gro...
Loud mouthed producer Jo of the station has just announced that she will be quitting the show in two weeks. The race for new role is between Mark and Paul, two best friends. Mark is just coming to one year anniversary of his boyfriend's death from AIDS. He has been sulky and moody ever since, but his best friendJeremy, who is a writer on the show tries to keep his spirits up. We also meet Bill, the straight guy who has just broken up with his girlfriend and who also flirts with both Mark and Jeremy. Mark tells Jeremy that he thinks Bill is interest din him, unaware of the fact that Bill and Jeremy have been secretly having an affair and sleeping together fo ra few weeks now. In between this, Bill has also kissed Mark. When the secret is revealed, a momentary rift occurs between the friends but eventually they all stand for each other. How these relationships that combine work and friendship play out is the movie's subject.
The movie is quite simple actually. You can say not much is happening but a whole lot is going on. Primarily we get to see lot of insecurities that everyone is dealing through in their life. Be it love or career or aspirations, at some point we will all be able to relate to one or the other character. These kind of topics usually work better in a comic setting, but this was drama (trying to be a comedy). With a decent story in hand and a good chemistry between the primary cast, this could have been a good film, but clearly something big is missing here. There is no logical conclusion to Bill's two timing his gay friends or his sexuality. It feels campy and amateurish, which trust me, its not! The film is filled with scenes from some of the TV shows that they are producing that try to bring laughter to the audience but in my opinion, all of that falls flat. It is strictly an alright film where is just adds to the list of many queer films out there. It may have been something when it came out, but almost 30 years later, not so much. (3.5/10)
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