Eclipse (2016)

Really excellent, both as a mystery thriller of high school boys becoming involved in the lurid criminal underworld and in the unfolding of the characters of the protagonists. It's also a classic tale of how an innocent acting for good motives (helping his mother) gets caught up in crime. I also feel the BL theme is absolutely central to this movie. All the events that happened would simply not have developed the way they did but for the initial attraction between Se Joon and Yoon Jae. It's brought out when the pair meet at the end when the truth seems clear even if still unspoken. There's also the irony that the "strong" character Se Joon is revealed as vulnerable exactly where his deepest feelings lie - if he'd been strong enough to express his feelings to Yoon Jae I'm sure the triangle between him, Yoon Jae and Eun Yeong would have been shown as unreal and events would not have ended up as they did. I get the feeling Se Joon realised his attraction but could not express it, whereas Yoon Jae was too innocent and suppressed his feelings but may have finally realised the truth too late. Depends how you interpret the ending. I felt sorry for poor Eun Yeong - well played by the lovely Moon Ga Young - who was really caught in the middle between two boys unable to fully express their love for each other. The treatment of her character's part was for me the most objectionable aspect of the movie - if maybe justified by the plot. The ending was also very well thought out and acted, even if - for those of us with a romantic outlook - a real bummer. Re-watch value high because even when you know the story, it's a pleasure to appreciate the finer details of how the characters develop and the plot is acted out.

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TL:DR It's a good DRAMA movie, but it's not a thriller.

Just a little note that I watched it raw and I am not a fluent Korean speaker, so I may be wrong on certain occasions.

The things I loved:
- Character portrayal. I loved how this movie took its time to show what the characters thought of each other using actions and glances rather than just words. I believe that it creates a certain tension of the viewer thinking whether the characters mean what they do, or whether it is simple over analyzation. This gives credit to the amazing casts and storyline.
- The suspense. Yes I said that this is not a thriller, and I mean it, but there is some level of suspense (or tension) throughout the movie, and I credit the music for that. It's not your dramatic movie suspense but those everyday suspense that normal people feel because of human relations.

The things I didn't quite like:
- The trailer vs the movie. I came for a thriller movie and so I had certain expectations when I started watching. Therefore I am not going to lie. I was a bit disappointed when I watched it (but that added the element of surprise, which is always nice) Don't get me wrong though. I thoroughly enjoyed and was indulged in this movie.
- The last scene of the movie. No spoilers, I know. But when you finish watching, tell me that if I am wrong when I say that the crew/director kind of miss the point of something and maybe thought we didn't notice something. Idk, might just have been me.

Anyway, Choi Taejoon is in here and I love him, so this movie is borderline BOMB.

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