Lost to Shame (2016)

I got a general feeling of what I was getting myself into from the synopsis alone but still had no idea what I was in for.

The title alone ought to be enough warning but as much as I hate to say it I actually enjoyed the movie. It riled me up, it had me on the edge of my seat, it made me mad, furious, it made me sad and emotional. It accomplished the goal all movies ought to - it provoked a reaction and emotional response in the viewer.

That said, however, this is not a light movie to enjoy between your favorite BL drama hiatus or while you're waiting for a new episode or series or even a movie with that general vibe.

"Lost to Shame" will make you upset, especially if you're part of the LGBTQ+ community. If you're heterosexual and a cisgender person you might still enjoy it and even relate to any of the characters or the plot and maybe, hopefully, get some new insight on how this community feels, but I doubt that's the case and if the movie was even aiming to do that in the first place, which it isn't, the parallels between the movie and real life would be ironic to say the least.

The movie's lead is a straight man, an actor, who's playing a transgender woman on a play - his first big role and his first breakthrough in the business. We follow this man through this journey, while he discovers a newfound acceptance for the LGBTQ+ community and in the end... it's up to you to decide how to feel about it.

I'd say this movie follows the structure of a tragedy but that might be me trying to reach too far. I felt honestly upset at the ending, not because it was bad but because it was too real...

This movie appeared as a recommendation when I wanted to follow up "Method", a movie with a similar vibe which I enjoyed a lot. Maybe because I watched "Method" first my analysis of "Lost to Shame" is a bit biased since I'd actually recommend "Method" to people and I even rewatched it, but "Lost to Shame" is a one time experience.

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