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Apostles (Mandarin / Cantonese)

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 thrilling experiences are filmed, leaving everyone involved facing life changing revelations.

This film, like most of his previous work, feels like an excuse to show these men, for much of the film, in the nude. There are sex scenes in gyms and restaurants. There is an opening masturbation scene. Later there is an actual death sacrifice. But all of these look and feel dull. They lack elegance and has no art to it, something I would like to think that the director was going for. Sure, there are some brief discussions about reincarnation, the existence of ghosts, and the possibility of immortality but these aren’t given serious contemplation (but then no one really cared about that, especially anyone watching this film). Perhaps anyone that feels an affinity for nudist colonies might appreciate this but it seems a bit unnecessary to what Scud is apparently trying to express. The only so called positive thing is a lot and lot of naked ripped male bodies. (1.5/10)

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