BLISS RATING: ★★★★★
“The theater of my mind has a seating capacity of just one, and its sold out for all performances.” – Henry Winkler
This is a short movie that is simply astonishing. It starts out as another BL ‘cooking-themed’ series which seems to be the latest trend in Bls as opposed to college settings. The story line is not necessarily unique but because of great character development, excellent acting, and an immersed story, this series has become an early favorite of mine for 2022.
It is a very endearing story about a brother and sister. The brother Thien Hy (Gia Huy) is by profession a cook at a Western restaurant. Because of the pandemic, he has been furloughed. The sister, Ngan (Trunh Tu Trung) is attending college and Thien is helping her get through college.
Because of Covid, their lives have been disrupted but now seems to be getting back on track. As a way of making extra money, they make cakes at home to sell. One day, a neighbor of theirs from their hometown, comes to stay with them. His name is Chien Thang (Hoang Duy). The relationship between Thang and Hy as children was not good, since Thang used to bully and pick on Hy. He now is looking for a job.
Unbeknownst, Hy was terminated from his employment because his manager became jealous and threatened by Hy’s ability to cook and create better recipes than him.
Unemployed and now having to fend for themselves, the three embark on a venture making their cakes and selling them online with significant success. So much so that they become a real rival to where Hy used to work. In this need to becoming a functionally working unit, Hy and Thang become close and realize that what they did to each other as children was their poor and inept way of showing that they liked each other. As they now spend more time together, they become closer, and slowly realize that they like each other more than just mere friends.
Thang’s mother comes to visit in the hopes of convincing him to come back home to be with her. Unfortunately, she inadvertently sees and hears the two of them exchanging more than pleasantries in the bedroom. The manager of the restaurant succeeds in contacting her and proposes that if she gets the recipes from her son that was given to him by Hy, he will pay her handsomely. Which of course, she does, primarily for the money but also as a way to create a wedge between her son and Hy.
As a result of this deception, the manager proclaims these recipes as his own before Hy and Thang have an opportunity to do so. Thang is outraged that his mother would do such a thing and Hy is devastated and despondent that such trickery and back-stabbing would occur from a family friend and neighbor. But Thang schemes and executes a plan to thwart the manager of the restaurant and exposes him for who and what he really is.
Describing the story like this sounds, well, ordinary. Perhaps so. But this series shows how you can take an ordinary story and make it extraordinary. Its execution is a real work of art. The acting is just superb by all of them. They took this mundane story and made it work and made it their own. Sheer force of constitution brought these characters to life! They made them real, genuine, and honest. Their love for each other was soft, yet intensely sincere.
This is a beautifully quiet love story that seems to develop so naturally and sincerely that you hardly notice it evolving. They are not afraid to show their love for each other but not bombastically, but as normal couples do. Having to initially resolve their bitterness towards each other as children helps them to put things in perspective and to see each other as, for all intense and purpose, soulmates. When the issue with the manager is finally resolved, Thang comes back, stands in the kitchen and says, “I’m home”. What better way to show their deep connection to each other?
Who really S.T.O.L.E. this movie? The two main actors are worthy of this distinction. Huong Duy and Gia Huy are two of the handsomest men on this planet and honestly it is difficult to not want their characters to be together. But more importantly, is that they have an astonishingly quiet connection to each other rarely seen. Neither outshines the other and subsequently they both shine. Their chemistry together is exceptional. Although there is not a lot of emotions here, there is an intensity that is felt between them shown in their eyes, faces, and the way they glowed when they were together. I hate to say that it was magical because that implies something shocking happens. But it does not. It is just that they have an inherent talent of showing connection that is rarely scene in BLs. They know they are playing parts where two guys are falling in love with each other, and they are not fearful or anxious about it. That knowledge brings a new dimension to connection that the audience not only sees but feel that. These two actors are very powerful in their performances in the most subtle and quiet ways.
One note about the music. Normally, I do not pay much attention to the background music which is often registered by me as noise. Sometimes, if it is during emotional scenes, I notice it especially when it heightens the emotional overtones of the scene. But, for reasons I still am not entirely sure about, their background music was “Away in the Manger” played beautifully on the harp. I was thunderstruck! I could not figure out why that particular song was chosen, but it worked. I found it felicitous even if it seems a bit incongruous for the surroundings. Keep this up! I love surprises and uniqueness and this short gem has both!
To say that I liked this series is not quite accurate. It made me feel good about living and also made me feel good about being gay. They developed a gay relationship into a shinning beautiful celebration of life.
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