Awkward Love (2023)

Diamond in the rough....

Everything you need to know about this short movie is actually written in comments.

It is a story about three high school best friends, two boys and a girl, discovering their sexuality. Awkwardly. One boy and a girl are dating while the other boy is quietly pining. Until one day the couple fights and are comforted by the other boy. Separately. It is also evident that the three of them are in love with each other.

The story is nothing new but it fits the short movie format perfectly. Under the burning summer sun, the three are feeling hormones raging and emotions that are difficult to put in words. The editing is choppy: it goes back and forth, second half of the movie being actually the first one but with extended scenes. It is a bit difficult to follow the timeline but thanks to the wardrobe changes it is pretty quickly clear what the director is doing. The cinematography is nice, all the warm tones of reds and maroon.

The actors are for once human looking. Very young but real and not the polished sort of usual thai bls and therefore making the story even more impactful and poignant. The scene that I found the most amazing was the wordless confession between two boys: everything was said through looks, intense gazes. Just beautiful.

The ending is a cliffhanger, open. The three of them realize they'd betrayed each other and now they have to decide where to go from there. I like to imagine them staying together, all three of them and not only as friends. That would be a perfect solution....

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