Beautiful, Artistic Drama

Slice-of-life indie film and BL Drama collide in this series. The story itself is fairly simple, but the mastery of the production team has made it something artful and unique. The series dives unashamedly into a realistic portrayal of Jae Won’s depression and prolonged grief disorder. The development of the relationship between Ji Hyun and Jae Won is organic and subtle. Beautifully acted by Ji sub and Jun Taek.

There is nothing campy about this drama. There are no repetitive flashbacks or corny uses of maudlin soundtracks typical to the BL drama genre. The Eighth Sense treats the audience with intelligence. Every indication of attraction, every piece of character development relies on nuanced acting and cinematic elements rather than over-the-top cartoon sound effects or repeating short shots. There are artsy mood colors and blurred images, shallow focus, high and low key lighting, but for the most part the series is shot at eye level and over-the-shoulder with simulated movement to make it seem that we are immersed in the story. It’s as if the audience is there, sneaking a video on our smart phones. We are spying on this cautious couple.

There are so many standout scenes, but one that I especially love includes Hyun’s clunky but lovable childhood friend. His reaction to Ji Hyun being gay is adorable. And as much as I loath the jealousy and pettiness of Jae Won’s best friend Tae Hyung and ex girlfriend Eun Ji, the actors play their roles perfectly.

One of my favorite characters is Yoon Won. She is delightful and warm, a talented singer and perfect friend. Her genuine, open reactions to everything is charming. Every actor in the series is brilliantly cast and exemplary. I hope to see more from this production team and these actors in the future.

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Beautiful Art House Mini-Series

I love the angst and ambiguity of this mini-series. The directing and editing choices are so fascinating. It’s very indie arthouse, aimed at a niche audience rather than typical BL fans. At first the messy jump transitions that skipped randomly through time and space felt like a mistake, but as it proceeded I realized that this is an emotion/character-driven series, and not at all focused on a plot line. The broken movement and unsettling feeling of being jerked throughout the story are definitely intentional.

This little art piece is about two broken men who have come from painfully unstable situations. Soon Hyuk tries to fight the chaos by assuming the role of caretaker for everyone around him, grinding himself into the ground with the burden of responsibility. Yoon Dae succumbs to the chaos by shutting down and becoming dysfunctional so that everyone has to care for him.

The men are drawn to each other by a strong sexual attraction and even stronger need for a stable family. But neither of them have a template for a stable relationship.

SPOILER⚠️

In the end, Soon Hyuk realizes that Yoon Dae has to be independent of his ambiguous (gray) “shelter” before they can even begin to develop a healthy relationship.

I think the cryptic ending will piss off some people, but I LOVE it. It’s perfect. Not only is it realistic and mature, but it leaves the series open for extension (or imagination). I adore that. A tight ending wouldn’t have fit the mood of the series at all.

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