Drama Festival 2014: The Diary of Heong Yeong Dang (2014)

Decently good, but probably not every BL fan's cup of tea

The story is told reasonably well. For those who are curious about whether this is just bromance: no, it's not (but this may not mean much). The story goes that a man is in love with his his adoptive brother, but he has to get married. He is unable to consummate his marriage, but is his love even reciprocated? The story doesn't seem altogether original and may remind one of older movies like A Frozen Flower, but it does keep one guessing how the adoptive brother feels. I wish the ending had been clearer about the brother's actions though, for the revelations don't necessarily cohere with his actions.

The story is tragic and rather moving, but sometimes the camerawork seems a little amateurish. It is around an hour and it feels as though some parts of the story have been cut short for no good reason. The back stories of the wife and adoptive brother are alluded to, but more could have been revealed.

The production is fairly good overall, but it may not go down too well with BL fans today who often prefer happy endings and more show of passion to depictions of angsty, repressed homosexual desire.

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