2023 has given us a huge number of BL series and movies – Thailand alone has produced over 50 series. Unfortunately, quantity doesn't necessarily mean quality, although there have been some outstanding series (see the list of my 15 favourites, with synopses, short reviews, and links in my "Book of BL Lists" ).
But as they saying goes, (one of) the best has been saved for the last. MindTrio, the Thai company that always produces high quality series like "On Cloud Nine" and the wonderful "Once in Memory" movies, have waited until the last two days of the year to give us a precious little gem of a short film entitled "You And My Stars".
The short film, which aired in two parts on Dec 30 and 31, tells the story of three boys – Win (Poom Jittipat Suwannaluck) has a secret crush on Time (BM Chanatip Aumpu), who has fallen for Win's best friend Hunter (Photo Patawee Klamudom). Win has low self-esteem and thus doesn't dare to confess his love to Time, whereas Time asks Win to help him confess to Hunter by giving him 999 paper stars he has folded. Win does help Time, and he is heartbroken as he sees Time and Hunter together.
Hunter, however, later rejects Time in a brutal way, because he knows about Win's secret crush, and he doesn't want to hurt him. The way Hunter speaks of Time earns him a beating from Win. As Win and Hunter reconcile later, Hunter offers Win his support for his flirt with Time. Finally, Win gives Time 999 paper stars, and the two boys have a very frank conversation about their feelings. Time not only accepts Win's proposal, but tells him that he wants him to be next to him forever.
The plot of this movie doesn't sound too unique – after all, it's just the story most young people experience when they fall in love for the first time. There are, however, several elements that make this short film so heartwarming and lovely.
First and foremost, it is the sensitive way the author makes us see what's going on through Win's eyes. His inner monologues, but also his shy actions make the viewer feel his fears and inhibitions, and his comparisons of himself and his two friends with the stars are pure poetry. And the movie does without any of the annoying BL tropes like accidental kisses, artificial drama based on misunderstanding, or evil exes, to name just a few. So kudos to the scriptwriter!
The next element is the focus on the three main characters. There are no unnecessary side couples or yaoi fangirls. This allows for a profound characterization of the three boys which some long series don't accomplish. For example, Hunter appears as a superficial casanova at first, but turns out to be a thoughtful and selfless best friend. Time comes across quite dominant and disrespectful at first, but then is a nice guy who is shy, too, when he sends Win to Hunter for his confession.
And then there are the actors! MindTrio has once again succeeded in casting three boys who aren't only very handsome, but at the same time have huge acting talent. Whereas Poom has already had a main role in the beautiful "Move to Heaven" movie, BM (who I find breathtakingly beautiful) and Photo are obviously rookies, but I'll bet we'll see all the three of them more often in future.
As we have seen time and again in BL series, actors can only act as good as the director makes them act, and Keereeboon Siridol, who also directed "Move to Heaven", appears to know how to make young actors shine.
The cinematography is nice, especially the scenes with the night sky and at the pier, and the background music is never intrusive and matches the story. There are some minor flaws of the sound, especially toward the end of part two, but they aren't so bad that they disturb the overall wonderful atmosphere of the movie.
What I love about MindTrio's short films is that they are able to tell a story and make the characters come to life in half an hour. So I say thank you to cast and crew of this wonderful movie for saving (almost) the best of this BL year for the last.
Country: Thailand
Duration: 28 mins. (in 2 parts)
Director: Keereeboon Siridol
Cast: Poom Jittipat Suwannaluck, BM Chanatip Aumpu, Photo Patawee Klamudom
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Reviews of Asian BL Series
Non-FictionThis is a collection of reviews of BL-series and movies from Thailand, South Korea, the Philippines, Myanmar, Singapore, Japan, Cambodia, and Vietnam, some of which I have already published on mydramalist.com. The series I am reviewing here are not...
