This a quiet, tragic portrait of personal grief. But also a story that is incontrovertibly tied into issues of rights and equality for same-sex couples. 7.3/10
Tag: <span>language: cantonese</span>
The First Girl I Loved (2019) is not the most groundbreaking or ambitious film, especially in its visual choices. But this small-scale tragedy is tender enough to generate some emotion. 6.1/10
This is a low budget film but it’s really high on creativity, realism and focused commentary. Very few films with such limited means achieve those three things. 5.6/10
Having the bisexual, butch Sister Thirteen as protagonist is extremely progressive and ultimately, a big win in the field of representation. But because this film was made in 1998, this representation is not without its problematic aspects. 5.6/10
Despite some very dated attitudes towards gender and sexuality, I’m happy to welcome Invincible Asia to the canon of queer cinematic badasses. I love queer villains and I love powerful queer characters. Asia is both. 6.7/10
The problem with me writing this review is the only word in my head after watching it was TENDER in all caps. 7.8/10
I loved All About Love. I was indeed, all about it. 7.2/10
An Amorous Woman of Tang Dynasty absolutely exceeded my expectations in terms of its visual quality. Does that make up for its basic story, slut-shaming and overly casual, somewhat sexualized rape scenes? No, but it’s something at least. 5.8/10
utterfly is a simple, gorgeous and effective drama. It is not only a heart-wrenching depiction of what it is like to be gay in Hong Kong but has universal truths about being gay regardless of country. 8.3/10
I’m reminded of that quote, “never half-ass two things, full-ass one thing.” Most genre-blending movies, including today’s movie, So Close, fall into the first category of half-assing two things. 4.9/10