Reviews of Asian BL Series

39 Hi Pogi - A school project that became an international success

This review will be different from all my other reviews in three aspects.

First of all, I need to take this opportunity to send my heartfelt condolences to Paul Cervantes and family and friends of the adorable John Kennedy Nakar who yesterday tragically lost his fight against leukemia. Ken was a gifted actor and filmmaker, a brave warrior for LGBTQ rights, and Paul's beloved life partner. Paul and Ken's courage to share their experiences as an openly gay couple in the Philippines has gained them admiration in the Philippines and internationally alike.

Rest in Peace, hero.

Secondly, I'll spoil the ending of this short film right at the beginning of this review, because although this is a beautiful, positive, and encouraging movie, the ending is the saddest possible, as Clyde (Andrei Boniba), one of the lead characters, commits suicide. The movie as a whole isn't depressive in any respect, but because of its ending it should still bear a trigger warning. Anyone thinking about suicide should know that there's a way out, and that there are people who are ready to help – talk to family, friends, anonymous hotlines, or ask for professional help. As Zero says it in his moving speech, "you are beautiful, no matter what people say."

Thirdly, I will later quote parts of a message sent to me by Zian Christian Lirazan, director, editor, and lead actor (Zero) – something I've never done in a review before.

But let me first summarize the plot. Zero, a gay nursing student, accidentally meets Clyde, a gay architecture student, in front of a lift, and the two boys immediately fall for each other. At their second meeting, in a café, Clyde gives Zero a post-it saying "Hi Pogi" (Hi handsome), and when Zero has to leave, he gives Clyde a note saying "thank you".

Later they meet again outside, but Zero avoids Clyde. But when Zero drives past Clyde who is sitting at the roadside, he stops, and the boys start talking. Clyde is depressed, because he is gay, and his parents are homophobic. Zero listens to him and promises to always be there for him. Zero admits that he is confused as he likes Clyde, and Clyde encourages him and tells him not to listen to other people.

The boys decide to roam around for some time, and the next day they skip school together and have fun in a mall, where someone takes a photo of them and uploads it to social media, causing trouble for both boys. They are scolded, and Zero is even beaten, by their respective fathers, and when Clyde writes Zero that he needs him, Zero doesn't reply, because he is hiding in his room.

After Charms, Zero's friend, cheers him up, he goes live to make a moving (though neither cringy nor too preachy) speech, telling "people like him" that they are valid. Then he goes to Clyde's place to bring him flowers, only to find Clyde dead in his bed after overdosing on sleeping pills.

The scene where Zero meets Clyde's sister at Clyde's grave has been done so perfectly and sensitively that it made me cry, and Zero's wonderful dream sequence at the end of the movie reminded me of the beautiful Thai series "On Cloud Nine".

I think you may have realized that I really love this movie, because it breathes the love and passion the makers have put into it. It comes across as a true labor of love, and it is so true to life that it is easy for viewers to identify with the characters. The acting is better than in many Filipino BL productions, and Andrei and Christian are not only very handsome, but they also have an amazing chemistry and considerable acting talent.

The writing and the technical quality of the short film is also better than in many Pinoy BL series and movies. There are some minor flaws of the sound, but directing and editing are high standard. Some scenes use split screens which conveys the main leads' mood perfectly, increases the speed of the action, and makes the film look very much like 2023.

The good production standard is the more surprising as this movie wasn't meant to be released for the public at all. Let me quote from a message Zian Christian Lirazan, who I want to thank for his kind cooperation from the bottom of my heart, sent to me:

"...for starters, this was NEVER supposed to be out in public...., but due to public demand, we decided to change the privacy for public viewing which resulted to the views skyrocketing from 1,000 views to now 144,000 and counting views.

"Going back, this was made for a final output - a school project through the collaborative effort of 6 stressed NURSING students with an awesome BS BIOLOGY student WITHOUT any sort of professional equipments except smartphones, ring lights, and vision. I am proud to say that this short film was shot entirely on an iphone. Those 'drone' shots from the film were captured by our head cinematographer, Juriel Fernando's amazingly stable hands. ...

"... before the production of this film, one of the goals in my mind was to raise awareness for mental health and to normalize that guys have feelings too and it's perfectly okay to show them. It's okay to be vulnerable.

"With the overflowing reactions, from the bottom of our hearts, thank you. We have never expected this. We made this film with the sole intention of passing since it was shot and produced in the middle of finals month - then it went on to touch and connect to other people. ...

"... in Zero's words: 'you are beautiful. No matter what people say, love is love. Love is for everybody. You deserve to love and to be loved.' kailanma'y hindi naging mali ang pagmamahal. In English, "the world has bigger problems than boys loving boys and girls loving girls."

I had a suspicion that this was a students' project when I noticed that Zero and Clyde's respective fathers weren't any older than their "sons", but the production is so professional and high standard that it's hard to believe that this movie was made by a bunch of students.

This short film is a raw diamond no BL fan should miss, and I'm happy that it has gained 145,000 views on youtube within a month, a figure some professional Filipino BL productions can only dream of. Congrats and kudos to Christian, Andrei and the other guys behind this movie who I sincerely hope will take this as an encouragement to create more movies. They are incredibly talented.

Country: Philippines (2023)

Duration: 27 mins.

Director: Zian Christian Lirazan

Cast: Zian Christian Lirazan, Andrei Boniba et al.