Part 2 of my Asian Gay Films post.

4. Eternal Summer

Dir. : Leste Chen
Cast: Joseph Chang, Bryant Chang, Kate Yeung

I have to be honest. Before I watched Eternal Summer, I expected it to be as bad as those ghei Japanese movies, which star the talents from D-Boys. Don’t get me wrong, Japan produces the best gay porn in the world (don’t ask me why I know and don’t judge me) but it has yet to come up with a substantial homosexual film that would not make me roll my eyes and yell “fan service!”. Even Grains of Sand and A Touch of Fever didn’t impress me that much. Oh, wait. There’s Funeral Parade.

Anyway going back, this Taiwanese movie reminded me a lot of Dawson’s Creek- only more somber and of course, gay. The acting was just top-notched! Bryant Chang was so superb in his role, I almost wanted to reach out to my screen and let him rest his head on my shoulder as he cries. And I have to mention, too, that their bed scene, albeit short, was just holy fucking awesome (in a very artistic sort of way, okay?).

Though the film had a lot of moments, I can say I was more impressed with what it had done to me at the end. I was on the verge of crying but there were no tears so I was left with a heavy heart and both my hands covering my mouth. Also, props to the writer for that dreary yet hopeful open-ending.
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If there is one thing you should know about me, it’s that I LOVE THE GAYS. So much so that I sometimes honestly believe I am a gay guy trapped in a woman’s body. But that’s for another more personal blog post…

Today, I’m in the mood to share with you guys my top favorite gay films because uhm, I LOVE GLBTQ cinema like no other and I have seen a tad too much of ‘em for my own good why, hallo tharr Hikaru, Nagi and Sho of COAT WEST if you know them and understand what he hell I’m talking about OMG gimme a high-five In fact, when “regular” people learn about my knowledge/collection of queer cinema, they kinda step back a bit, feign a smile and have involuntary eye-twitching.

I do, however have a preference for Asian gay films because… I dunno, I love the twinks Orientals like that . Sorry but none of the Pinoy variety here as there’s shitloads of them that they require a different entry altogether.

ps: These are just recommendations and random comments. And because I deem this post special, it would be in 2 parts. Yebbah!

1. NO REGRET
Dir. : Lee SongHee-Il
Cast: Lee Yeong-Hun, Lee Han, Kim Dong-Wuk

This is truly one of the best homosexual-themed movies ever- Asian or otherwise. It’s no secret that I love Koryan cinema with a passion and have so much respect for their directors, and this is but another one of those that made me go “WHY THE HELL DID I NOT MAKE THAT MOOBEH!?”. Btw, Lee SongHee-Il is the first openly-gay director in their country. Uhm. I can’t even count the number of gay directors in MY country.

Anyway, No Regret is considered an Indie film in Korea (but I bet the budget’s more than a feature film’s budget here, marketing included). It’s not your typical “guy-falls-in-love-with-the-childhood-bestfriend” story and the premise does seem very realistic. Koreans are not very forgiving with their gays and a lot of them are forced into marriage to avoid being ostracized. Many of those who come out end up committing suicide because of the hostility towards them. No, that was not the plot.

There’s nothing really extraordinary about the film but it was very well-written. I mean, it will take you to different highs and lows throughout the whole movie that by the time the credits roll, you’d be emotionally… exercised. You’d probably also root for the couple and hate everyone and everything that gets in their way (and there’s a lot) as the story has the tendency to get the viewers attached. Yanno, like a soap opera. Only gayer. And better.

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If you know Mr. Ninomiya Kazunari, please tell him that I love him. I may not be “in love” with him but I love him. So bad. I’m aware that there are a hundred million other fangirls around the world who probably say the same thing, who proclaim their undying love for him by flashing their boobies screaming their lungs out during concerts and buying every single version of their albums… In the greater scheme of things, I know that am but a nobody.

Please tell him, however that despite the fact that I haven’t met him in person and that there’s clearly a huge language barrier between us (the only Japanese phrases I’ve perfected are “Hai. Sou desu.” and “Ganbarimasu! Fight-o!”), he had affected me in ways a lot of people won’t even understand. I fell for him hard the first time I watched his performace of Konseki. I think I died that night when I realized he wrote that song himself. And the more I listened to his self-made music, the more I found myself getting lost in his awesomeness.

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