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Astoundingly Beautiful
A lustrously gorgeous story, quiet and told in glances and body language and silences as much as it is told in words.The realities upon which this series shines light are all too real, raw and heartbreaking. Each character tells their own part of the story and how decisions of one person weaves into the lives of those around them. We have a story about how the force of one person can impact another and how the mores of society can be a detriment for some.
Mol is someone whose personality is almost like a force of nature. She is loud to cover her loneliness. She is bright and personable so no one notices the cracks leaking her sadness everywhere she goes. However, she is also the epitome of the parent who wants the best for their child without listening to their child. This is the parent who loves you without actually loving you because to love a person is to accept and embrace who they truly are. This is a parent who “does everything for” their child, yet makes everything about themselves.
She is selfish and self-centered. She wanted a man and made him hers, only to refuse to see the truth: that he was closeted and in love with his best friend. She wants to be the center of her son’s world. She will not give him up because she needs him to fill a void in her that a child should not be asked to fill for their parent. She will not listen to what her child actually wants, too busy wanting the happiness she has decided will make him happy. Even at the end of the last episode, she is talking all about herself while he cries quietly in the passenger seat beside her.
Mol is an abusive parent and a narcissist (and I mean this in the clinical sense not the colloquial sense). While there are times she evokes sympathy, she is ultimately the detriment to the happiness of three people. All to center herself and her wants.
In is the heartbreaking illustration of what internalized homophobia does to a person. He avoids, as long as possible, to admit the truth. In fact, even by the end of the last episode he had never voiced his love for either of the men he has loved. He won’t even bring himself to voice the fact that Siam loved him. He skirts around it, speaking of it only to Wang without stating it outright. It is ultimately up to Wang to put words to what In wants to leave in the silence.
We also see the effect others have on someone who has internalized the deep shame of loving someone of the same gender of themselves. He lives with regret, blaming himself indirectly for Siam’s death (though I’d argue he probably should blame himself more directly, as should Mol), but we never hear him state a wish to have done things differently. He clings so hard to the idea that he did what he thought was right, what would make everyone (except himself) happy. Not only could he not accept the love of a man he loved in return, not only could he not give that man the love he had for him, but he cannot admit to himself that their own happiness could have saved Siam’s life.
Watching In open up to Wang as he relays stories of the man he loved is breathtakingly beautiful. You watch his walls thin and lower, though they never disappear. He’s filled with an agonizing, all-consuming fear. But you watch that fear get quieter when it’s just the two men. When the only thing in his world is himself and Wang, who gently but fearlessly moves forward. And you watch it all crumble because of the guilt and shame he carries regarding Siam and Mol when she asserts her will and manipulates his emotions to give her what she wants. It’s clear, to me, that while he was not prepared to declare his love prior to that conversation, he WAS prepared to accept Wang into his life and build something with him as Wang desired.
Wang…beautiful, brave Wang. It’s impossible to not adore this character. He is caught between grief for his father and exhaustion from his mother when we meet him. It is clear he is the emotional caretaker of his mother who has a codependent relationship to him. However it’s also clear he wishes to escape her, to not be responsible for her happiness and be allowed to find his own.
He is relentless in pursuit of answers. You can tell early on what he suspects and knows but isn’t saying. He isn’t pushing people to give him the information he craves but rather gently leads them to disclosing it bit by bit. He’s headstrong and passionate but I don’t think he’s idealistic. He knows the darkness that lurks in the world for someone like him (queer folks). He isn’t ignorant to it but he learns, as he falls in love, to be undaunted by it, to refuse to allow it to steer his life.
We see Wang falling in love before he even realizes himself that’s what is happening. The magnetic draw In has on him is captivating to watch just as much as In captivates him. He is admirable in his willingness to stand and fight for the love he has for In even when In isn’t willing to fight beside him. He is thoughtful and careful in ways he doesn’t even notice.
What is more heartbreaking than In deciding he should leave is Wang seeming to fall back into role of Mol’s protector, caretaker and babysitter. When he tells In that she’s done nothing wrong for wanting him to be happy and it isn’t fair for her to lose (if he decided to refuse to leave so he could win) it feels like the abuse cycle is starting over, the victim of the abuse giving into the path of least resistance. Watching him cry silently as they drive home while his mother centers herself in her one-sided conversation once more was more heartbreaking than the scene with In the night before.
While one could nitpick little things that are not spelled out but generally assumed (i.e. the “coincidence of them ending up there, for example), those things do not make this story any less to me. The soundtrack and cinematography complement the emotions of the story so well. (I’m in love with the color palette.)
I think Mol could be genuinely triggering for people who have suffered from a narcissistic parent or similar types of emotional abuse from a parent. Her reaction to Wang disclosing he’s in love with In could also be triggering. But I think the series is more than worth watching even so.
The typed out messages on the screen at the nd just made me cry more.
I wouldn’t change anything about this series. Not a single thing.
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A story just for me, but not for me
This show seem to have been made just for me..The acting is everything I have ever wanted, when you put three people in a house and just scream action and they manage to pull through then you know that's perfection...
Character driven plots is why I watch jdramas, people sitting standing, screaming crying out long dialogues as the go through life and all you can do is sit there and watch them go through these emotions because that's all you can do for them...
The way this drama was directed the music this drama used is why I go hunting for dramas like this it gives you a nostalgic longing feeling of something you can't remember something you can't have but yet you still want... That slice of life sombre feeling that you get knowing that this story could be happening next door to you...
You see this drama was made in perfection, my lecture lr use to say everyone starts off with 10 out of 10 and then from there we minus, so let's go into something I feel played an even bigger role in how I rated this show...
That child is barely out of his teenage years, and that man is his uncle, as a mother when I introduce an uncle to you, he remains an uncle to you THAT IS A NIN NEGOTIABLE.... there is a +-20 Yr gap that will never sit well with me and made this show impossible for me to watch I had this sinking unsettling feeling as the show went on and even more so when no-one else seem to feel the same... Fiction or not I stand by a fact 5 yrs age gap max as long as we are both above 20 and from the age of 30 we can argue the numbers... I would never let my girl child in such a relationship, not to talk of my boy child (even the casting department had to cast actors with 9 yrs difference in real life to sell this story, how about trying the actual 20??) this I give a - 5... I wonder if the gender played a role in this acceptance??
My next big no is the relationship In shared with his parents... I know the universal message is love conquers all, I know "love is patient, love is kind, it does not boast, it does not envy and it most definitely does not happen to father and son who share some similarities"
Me being wangs' mother or wangs' father and the type of past I shared with In as a lover (s*x or no s*x) ?? Or a best friend I could never comprehend this relationship, if I put you in my child's life early in or later on its not for you to screw them, the role I expect you to play has nothing to do with you screwing them... I could have looked past the age gap in the name of fiction if this man was a stranger, but the messiness that is the parents and In's relationship makes it impossible for me to lol past this relationship for what it was ... So - 5 (I have more to say on this topic but am trying to make this short)
So my three points go as follows
Wang, In, mol +1
The story and how some issues where looked into to the pint that despite my dropping skills and reservations I watched to the end... +2
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A MASTERPIECE! JUST BRILLIANT!
Let me call this series what it is. A complete and total masterpiece. It is brilliant from beginning to end. Riveting, soul-searching, and a classical intellectual metaphorical representation of life. It displays truth, obsession, pain, illusion, weakness, strength, and heaps of sadness.It is the best BL drama certainly this year and perhaps ever. Brilliantly acted with a sharp, crisp screenplay. Outstanding.
Thailand's version of "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?"
This is not your formulaic BL series at all. It is, in all honestly, one of the finest acting series I have EVER watched. I was riveted, absorbed, and found it so utterly unique and one of a kind.
This is worth your time. I would rate this higher than 10 if I could.
You can read my full review of this series at BLBliss.com.
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This review may contain spoilers
A Gem
You will experience a range of emotions while watching this series. I said spoilers are contained, but not exactly. As it relates to spoilers, all I'll say is the "mother" never grew on me and although I did understand her plight, the sheer realness of her character made it hard to watch and accept during the series. I hoped that once her son confided that she was smothering him - she would back off. not the case. he illness only worsened.Who could I identify with the most - the son. The son did everything for his mother and an independent life was not to be had. Which i think was the greatest tragedy. In the end, I hope there would be a happy ending. Still not to be had. Well I guess depending on who you ask, it could have been a happy ending. For me it was not a happy ending. For me I felt joy during the the short courtship, but mostly sorrow.
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Give me my lungs back
I demand my lungs back. I'm sat here unable to breathe, think, and march forward because I'm longing just as hard as they were for each other for another episode or season. I don't like the unfinished ending I want them to be happy but this show works so well that I'm scared that another episode or season will ruin it. I'm in shambles please send help. 10/10Was this review helpful to you?
almost perfect !
....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................its almost perfect for me , i love the characters , the whole story and specially the script superb !!! the series taught me about life ..
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This review may contain spoilers
????
*This is my first review on this site and I’ve been watching BL’s for 2 years, while using this site to record my watchings. I haven’t been this determined to give feedback on a series until now..*While every episode kept me on the edge of my seat… by the ending of the series, I realized that some of the messages that were trying to be conveyed were controversial to say the least. Wang’s character may have been written and portrayed in a good light, but he obviously didn’t get his happy ending. So in conjunction with the hidden messages and the story’s ending, it left a bitter taste in my mouth. I can’t deny that the acting was amazing, but the plot as a whole is tearing down its value, in my opinion.
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Impressive and Beautifully Executed
I am very thankful for this contribution to the genre and am glad I chose to watch it.I feel it is cerebral and poses deep questions. Although the topic is taboo, a lot of great works are and it really depends on what and how it is executed. 180 degrees is a superb example. It's beautiful, simple and complicated at the same time, true to life, full of action and inaction, demonstrates bravery and fear, and differences in dealing with significant decisions. I especially loved the mature way it incorporates diverse ideas, feelings, and decisions of both MLs, while trying to be respectful of opinions/actions that may not be satisfying to others. On top of that, it offers what I felt was compassionate insight as well as clever and amusing banter.
I agree with many that I don't understand why it has such a low rating.
Pond and Nike were simply amazing in their roles. It was very well written. I loved the monologue. Cinemtography was great. I highly recommend it.
** Although the actors are very attractive, this isn't an eye candy or skinship show.
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Es una historia increíble y realista que vale la pena mirar
Es una historia increíble y realista que vale la pena mirar, solo le puse 9.5 estrellas porque todavía tengo el nudo en mí garganta después de ver el final.La línea de la historia es increíble, y como Wang va contando ciertos puntos en voz en off, como si en realidad estuviera leyendo un diario, recordando el pasado, o cintándole la historia a alguien más (cosa que nunca vamos a saber); el modo en que los actores llevan su papel a otro nivel, haciéndote creer todo lo que estás viendo y manteniéndote a la expectativa de qué es lo siguiente que va a pasar.
Cómo expectadores estamos acostumbrados a finales felices, o finales abiertos que llevan a una segunda temporada donde el final será feliz. Esta serie rompe ese esquema y te grita en la cara "la vida no es siempre linda, no siempre tenemos lo que queremos, y a veces el final feliz no es el que esperabas porque esta es la realidad de muchos".
Realmente quería que se quedarán juntos, pero acepto el final porque es uno que ambos se merecen. In no está listo, y nunca estará listo, para enfrentarse a sus sentimientos y el 'no herir a los demás', va a seguir en su cueva... Y Wang, como dijo, tiene el tiempo de su lado y pronto el dolor de un amor no correspondido será curado con el tiempo (que, por lo visto, así sucedió). Todos merecían un final feliz, pero no importa qué decisión se tomara, uno de ellos saldría herido al final.
Vale la pena verla, y lo volvería a hacer aún sabiendo el final que tienen.
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DRAMA EM SUA FORMA MAIS PURA
Juro que quando eu comecei essa série eu não esperava tudo que vinha a seguir, eu estava esperando um romance dramático e cai no maior drama da história sem um pingo de romance. É uma história de dor e perda.A relação mãe e filho é extremamente tóxica e até mesmo romantizada.
A atração entre Wang e In é intensa e interessantíssima (eu shippo muito).
Esse é um drama bem ambientado, cheio de diálogos fortes e profundos e com um final arrebatador.
Não faz o meu tipo, eu gosto de histórias pautadas em um romance com final feliz mas sei apreciar uma boa história quando vejo uma.
Não é pra mim, mas com certeza é algo que agradará muitas pessoas.
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Incrivelmente belo
Vamos esclarecer primeiro que não se trata de uma produção BL, e sim LGBTQIAP+, e são gêneros diferentes.Se vc sonha com um BL fofinho, cheio de clichês e um final feliz, definitivamente não perca seu tempo. Essa série é focada em dois pontos principais: Primeiro, os fatores psicológicos que levam cada personagem a agir como age, e segundo, na cinematografia perfeita, que por muitas vezes nos faz perdoar atitudes que não gostamos sem que nem percebamos. A série utiliza muitas figuras de linguagem e simbologia para explicar os sentimentos dos personagens, como a ponte, o medo de atravessá-la, o colar com o mapa mundi de Wang, a analogia da baleia, entre outras coisas.
O roteiro conta a história dos 4 personagens (4 incluindo o morto) de forma interligada e ao mesmo tempo separadamente. Foi genial as técnicas usadas para que o fator psicológico fosse privilegiado, mesmo que ao final as coisas não tenham saído como a maioria queria. Aparentemente, In e o pai de Wang eram melhores amigos no passado, até que Sasiwimol, que também era amiga de In se apaixonou perdidamente pelo pai de Wang, e conseguiu se casar com ele. Tiveram um filho, Wang, que não chegou a conhecer o pai, já que ele morreu num acidente. Essa é a história dita...
A história subentendida é que o pai de Wang amava In, e era recíproco. Em algum momento ele não suportou mais viver uma mentira e foi ao encontro de In, morrendo num acidente antes de chegar ao seu destino. Em seu íntimo, Sasiwimol sabe de tudo isso, mas opta por fingir não saber, opta por um bom relacionamento com In para camuflar seus sentimentos de revolta e solidão, que ela busca preencher com seu trabalho e com um filho "troféu", pra quem ela não tem tempo, mas também não o deixa seguir seus sonhos.
No meio disso tudo está Wang, apaixonado pelo homem que amava seu pai, mesmo sabendo da diferença de idade entre eles, e sem saber o real motivo de tudo que aconteceu no passado. Wang tem seus sonhos, quer descobrir o mundo, tem sede de infinito... mas a mãe o ancora e não o deixa voar.
Muitas coisas não são ditas, muitas ficam apenas subentendidas, muitas decepcionam. Não é possível dizer com certeza se In e Wang tiveram uma noite de amor quando dormiram juntos (eu penso que sim). Não é possível dizer com certeza se In ama realmente Wang ou projeta nele seu falecido pai, não é possível dizer os sentimentos exatos de Sasiwimol por In, se é raiva, desprezo, rancor... também não posso definir se o problema dela é homofobia ou medo da solidão, ou perder o filho pra quem ela acha que lhe tirou o marido.
Com certeza o final dessa série foi o mais inusitado de todos... eu realmente não esperava ver In desistir de Wang e voltar à sua vida reclusa, agora com mais uma dor em seu coração. Não esperava que Wang simplesmente desistisse de tudo e voltasse com sua mãe, e ela fingindo que nada tinha acontecido... talvez seja a deixa para uma segunda temporada que vai chegar de surpresa como a primeira chegou, oremos!!!
Em reação à atuação, é inacreditável que uma série com basicamente 3 atores e vários monólogos e diálogos psicológicos tenha atingido um nível de atuação tão perfeito. A ost da série é maravilhosa, especialmente os instrumentais melancólicos, que combinam perfeitamente com a história e a fotografia perfeita da série.
Enfim, essa série é um hino, impossível não indicar.
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душераздирающий и мощный психологически
Посмотрела на себя и многих клиентов со стороны. Лакорн однозначно в любимые. С первой минуты и до последней, я вскрыла все свои раны, которые кажется залечила. Я не буду рассказывать свою историю, одно скажу - с некоторых пор я сирота при живой био женщине. Такой как показана здесь. Я ставлю себя на место Вана и на место Ина я ставлю тех, кого я искала как "спасательный круг" чтобы просто начать дышать самостоятельно. Лакорн сильно ударил по эмоциям. Это была не просто игра сложной истории, а осознание болезненного момента со зависимых людей и манипуляторов отравляющих жизнь "в благих соображениях". У меня такая же био контролирующая, заставляющая всех чувствовать себя виноватыми (особенно меня) за все вещи происходящие в мире, а не только в нашей жизни. Я сама мама и вот, что скажу: уважаемые родители, когда вы становитесь "друзьями" своим детям - это прекрасно, но... Но лучший друг это поддержка, "свободные уши" и отношения без выгоды, своей чертовой выгоды. Вы можете направлять, а не указывать. Когда говорите, смотрите в глаза и чувствуйте, как и где откликается информация которую вы даете. Актрисой прекрасно сыграно эти моменты. Если она не видела "щенячьего отклика" на ее команды и манипуляции, моментально появлялась реакция "я жертва, мне плохо" при этом гипнотически смотря в глаза и четко вкладывая информацию которая нужна и выгодна только ей. Ван. Этот ребенок слишком рано повзрослел. Смотрела игру Понда и как в зеркало смотрела. Ребенок, которых превзошел взрослых, т.к. взрослый Ин так и не вырос. Этот взрослый мужчина, начитанный и образованный, на самом деле ребенок который боится всего и прячется от мира, ибо однажды понял, что отличается. Он постоянно просит прощения, просто не умеет брать ответственность. Режиссура, операторская работа, локация, цветовое решение, саундтрек также восхитительны. Завершение меня добило окончательно. Трындящая маман, которая совсем не заметила боль, тоску и слезы "любимого" сына. Дети будут счастливы, а следовательно и вы, если поддержка, умение выслушать и любовь не на словах, а в внимании. Концовка обращение ко всем:Was this review helpful to you?