#my watchlist of queer films is SO LONG and so many of them are just not available to me

[lazzarella]

This is kind of a pointless post, but I've been watching Asian BLs for just over nine months, now, and it's just been so nice? And it's still so nice! I don't know. I've spent at least two decades seeking out whatever queer media I could find (I'm still kinda mad at myself that I never stumbled across these shows earlier) and it's been great and there are so many wonderful films and a handful of shows I've enjoyed but I was getting burnt out on not being able to find what I was looking for or of yet another wrong person, wrong place kind of romance. Which are nice! But sometimes I just wanted more fluff. And now I've stumbled into an abundance of it, along with so much more.

It's just... the variety and the accessibility and the sheer number of happy endings!! And they're shows so I can really sink into the stories, which is lovely. It's just... So nice, you know? I'm still having the time of my life and I'm so excited for everything I still haven't seen and all the shows yet to come!! I wanted to write a longer post, but I don't really have anything to say. Guess I just wanted to let everyone know it’s been nice! 😂

[charlesdesvoeux]

The Great White Silence (1924)-- A Review

Every artistic work is also a document of the time in which it was produced and the people who produced it. The Great White Silence, comprising footage shot during the ill-fated Terra Nova Expedition (1910-1913) was released a little over 10 years after its tragedy unfolded. It was also directed by Herbert Ponting, himself a member of the expedition-- their designated "camera artist". The fact that this features images taken during the expedition before the episode that came to define it in public imagination makes it particularly intriguing. And the fact that all of this footage was both taken and then later organized into a documentary by a man who was intimately connected with the events lends it particular poignancy.

The Great White Silence is a flawed film. Sure, it is laden with striking imagery from very early on-- the bergs and ice grottos are a thing to behold, and the images of the Terra Nova forcing her way through the ice are downright sensual. The restoration was quite lovely-- the tinting and toning was beautifully done, and it brings some desperately needed color into overwhelmingly white landscapes. However, the film is also burdened with excessive titles, many of which are explaining things which we're already seeing on the screen. I wonder if they were put in to pad out the runtime. There are also extended sequences showing off the fauna of Antartica-- seals and penguins and gulls and whales all make appearances. I found it interesting how the animals were anthropomorphized by the humans that came into contact with them-- we get titles like "Now, watch baby learning to walk, when Mama says 'come along!'" for a baby seal and its mother. But while the footage of the animals is certainly an important historical document, their length drags down the film.

Meanwhile, I found the sequences showing the men of the expedition quite intriguing, and some even touching. This movie has been on my watchlist for a long time, but I'm glad I only watched it now-- although I'm quite early into my "polar history nerd" era, I think that having some idea of these men as individuals before watching this made for a much more emotionally stimulating experience. Had I watched this before, I would have seen most of them as mere faces in the crowd. But now I see Cherry, and Atch, and Birdie, and Titus. I don't see just figures, but people. Individuals who either died or were left grieving their fallen friends long after their return to "civilization".

Now, speaking of "civilization"-- I said in the opening paragraph that every artistic work is the product of the time, place and people who made it. Often we see people calling things "a product of its time" as a way to acknowledge in passing racism, sexism and classism and then quickly move on with it. I myself don't like this approach; I think it is a rather surface-level way of engaging with the past. It suggests that such prejudices were some sort of point which had to be reached and overcomed and that we, oh-so-advanced people of the 21st Century, have moved past such things. It also conveniently forgets that even during the "before times" there were marginalized people-- non-white folks, queer people, women-- who struggled against that oppressive order (as people struggle now). It does not engage with the larger context which fuels racism as an ideology, which when we talk about this film is particularly important.

Imperialism didn't have to happen; it was a choice made by the governments of the imperial bases in order to exploit the people and resources of its colonies, and it was ideologically buoyed by racism which positioned white people as the moral and intellectual superiors of non-white people. From what I've read (which is admittedly not so much), quite a few men of the Terra Nova expedition believed in the colonial project in broad terms, and indeed participated in it (many of them were, of course, serving in the military which was a key instrument to ensure British hegemony and therefore exploitation in its colonies). I don't say this as a way to dismiss their humanity; I have empathy for them as human beings whose lives ended in tragedy, but it is still important to engage meaningfully with this particular aspect of their existence. I don't think you can fully understand The Great White Silence without understanding British imperialism and where it stood both during the time of the expedition and by the time the film was released.

(Their ship's cat name was the n-word. I couldn't fit this bit of information anywhere else in the review but it felt too important not to mention).

Twice there are references to "our Race"-- it being white britons, of course. Scott and the others in the Polar Party perished in March 1912, when the idea of there being some great honor in "dying for the glory of the nation" still gripped the imagination of the public. Hell, it's even in one of the titles: "[...] and happy in the knowledge that they died for the honour of their country". The horrors of World War One, of men torn from limb to limb, of machine guns and mustard gas, would eat away at the foundations of this ideology-- dying for King and Country seemed less like a gallant sacrifice and more like being cattle led into slaughter. In some way, the insistence displayed in The Great White Silence that Scott's death had meaning because it was "for the honour of their country" feels like a desperate throwback to pre-War times. It was a way of assuring the public that their deaths were not in vain, no, they had meaning because it was an important thing it was for honour it was for King and Country and therefore the deaths of millions of soldiers in the Great War also had meaning.

Of course, the way I view it, their deaths had meaning because their lives had meaning, as every single life has. As the tragedy is set into motion (by the departure of the parties from Cape Evans towards the pole), the film picks up the pace, and it manages to strike a chord in terms of emotional engagement which I felt had been missing until then. I love the way the polar journey was represented-- we see four little black dots moving through the massive white landscape, and one by one they turn back, leaving only the one dot charging through. And as each member of the Polar Party dies, we hold on a still image of them. We've seen each one of them so delightfully alive earlier-- hauling, tending to the dogs and the ponies, playing football. To live is to be in motion, to die is to be eternally still. It is quite poignant. It's also a way of turning them from mere figures into actual individuals, of giving their deaths more emotional power. Considering most of the people watching probably weren't polar exploration nerds who already saw them as such because of their reading and research, I found it a very effective way to impact their humanity to the general public.

Overall, I think I found this a mixed bag. Although it does feature many incredible images and is fascinating to analyse from a socio-historical point of view, the excess of intertitles and somewhat extraneous sequences hold it back from being unequivocally great. But it is certainly very interesting, and as someone interested in polar exploration history more specifically, the opportunity of seeing these people I've read so much about in motion as opposed to having only photos and writings is invaluable. It truly brings them to life.

[lazzarella]

It's now been six months since I started my journey into Asian BL series*, and there's nothing I like more than making lists and procrastinating (with a dash of navel gazing), so I'm here to ramble a bit haha (okay this got really long 😅)

*I did realise later that I had watched the movie cut of Wish You some time back, but I'm not counting it :P

I posted an overall top 10 when I hit 40, I think, but here's my updated version:

1. My Personal Weatherman and Moonlight Chicken tied for first place :P

2. KinnPorsche

3. Cherry Magic (Thailand)

4. Wandee Goodday

5. Boys Be Brave!

6. Old Fashion Cupcake

7. A Tale Of Thousand Stars

8. Cherry Magic (Japan)

9. We Are

10. Only Friends and Jack O' Frost tied for 10th place because I can't decide

Now for the navel gazing:

So, I had heard of some of these shows for a while, but I was dumb and couldn't figure out how to watch them XD then, someone on Reddit asked for recs for gay period dramas, and another person recommended I Feel You Linger in the Air to them (I still haven't finished this) and that sent me down a rabbit hole, which eventually led to me watching Moonlight Chicken at the end of January. I was super anxious and depressed at the time (compared to my usual levels of depression and anxiety) and it was exactly the balm I needed! And then I proceeded to watch 49 more shows in the following six months lmao

Also, as much as I sometimes love a sad love story, I was getting frustrated that so many queer romance movies were ending with the main couple apart—maybe everyone wants to make their own version of Weekend, I don’t know haha (Sidenote: I swear there were more HEA in 90s/00s queer films but maybe that was selection bias) Like, don't get me wrong, they're basically all made by queer creators, and I don't want to police what they make (I have a whole rant about this, but I'll save it for another day...or my drafts lol) But as a rom-com lover I was getting bored of watching the same 10 movies/shows over and over for my HEA lmao so, delving into Asian BL series where the majority seem to have happy endings??? Omg, it's been HEAVEN!

As far as adjusting, there wasn't really much to do. I only note this, because a few people I've chatted to elsewhere seemed to treat it like I was delving into completely new territory or something??

Anything that isn't just your standard rom-com or romance trope, I was probably familiar with due to many years in transformative fandom. And the things I wasn't familiar with were mostly cultural things (which I'm still learning about) or different stylistic choices (like the sound effects, which I love). The fandom culture, though, has been a little more of an adjustment, especially the fan service and fixed couples (I think this is a super cute idea, tbh—it feels like watching the gay Fred and Ginger or Myrna Loy and William Powell et al, you know? By the by, Loy and Powell made 13 films together!)

I think overall I'm more drawn to Thai series, but the Japanese ones, when they hit emotionally, they hit like nothing else. Like nothing I've ever watched really. I think it's the way they do longing and yearning combined with feelings of low self worth that's just sooooooo good and delicious to me. But, yeah, there's something about the Thai series that I'm really drawn to! I've started watching more Thai movies in general and listening to Thai music and, I don't know, I enjoy it all. I still need to delve into Taiwan and other countries, though

I've had so much fun with the series I've watched and learning little bits of different cultures and I'm excited to keep going and make my way through my intimidatingly long watchlist lol It's been hard not to let other people's opinions get me down, though—I've felt less embarrassed about enjoying rom coms on Letterboxd than I have since poking my head into BL spaces, but... I don't think I'll dwell on that XD

Anyway, here are all of the series I've watched ranked by country under the cut(an idea I borrowed from @/dramalets)

Thailand (average rating: 8.4)

1. Moonlight Chicken

2. KinnPorsche

3. Cherry Magic

4. Wandee Goodday

5. A Tale of Thousand Stars

6. Only Friends

7. We Are

8. Cupid's Last Wish

9. Manner of Death

10. Laws of Attraction

11. Vice Versa

12. Last Twilight

13. Enchanté

14. A Boss and a Babe

15. Lovely Writer

16. The Sign

17. Hidden Agenda

18. Bad Buddy

19. Not Me

20. Theory of Love

21. To Be Continued

22. Sky In Your Heart

Japan (average rating: 8.2)

(Using the English titles)

1. My Personal Weatherman

2. Old Fashion Cupcake

3. What Did You Eat Yesterday?

4. Jack O' Frost

5. Cherry Magic etc

6. My Beautiful Man

7. Love is Better the Second Time Around

8. Ossan's Love

9. Perfect Propose

10. My Love Mix-Up

11. Candy Color Paradox

12. I Cannot Reach You

13. Mr Unlucky Has No Choice But to Kiss

South Korea (average rating: 7.6)

1. Boys Be Brave

2. Blueming

3. Semantic Error

4. Love for Love's Sake

5. Choco Milk Shake

6. The New Employee

7. Love Tractor

8. Our Dating Sim

9. Bon Appetit

10. Roommates of Poongduck 304

11. The Director Who Buys Me Dinner

12. Love Class

13. Cherry Blossoms After Winter

14. Kissable Lips

And I'm currently watching:

Love Sea; Meet You at the Blossom; Only Boo!; The Trainee; This Love Doesn't Have Long Beans