Just Friends? (2009)

They say good things come in small packages well, such is the case of this movie. Even though it was brief and, as many other viewers, I would have liked to see more, it was packed with emotion.

CASTING:
I came to watch this movie for Yun Woo Jin but honestly, Lee Je Hoon had my attention throughout. Maybe because the movie starts and ends with him, I found him very endearing.

MUSIC:
The opening song is catchy, I like that it was performed by the actors, it adds a element of closeness and gives the movie an all-rounded feeling. I also liked Yun Woo Jin's short song that explains his feelings to his mother.

CHEMISTRY:
I'm always a bit concerned about the level of chemistry between actors because this can either 'make-or-break' a drama/movie. I'm glad to say that I really felt the characters' feelings for one another. There's a touching moment where Lee Je Hoon reveals his inner thoughts about homosexuality, which I found compelling. The skinship is also believable and well executed.

REWATCH VALUE:
All in all, a very good movie. I recommend it to anyone who likes these actors. Because it is so short, the rewatch value for this movie is very high. The only warning I have is: beware of the cuteness!

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What a gem - great chemistry with an established m/m couple

Overall: I gave this a 9.5/10 because it's from 2009 and it still holds up well twelve years later. Watched on gagaoolala.

Content Warnings: none

What I Liked (very minor spoilers)
- features an established couple
- the kissing/intimate scene was on fire, everyone else needs to take notes - none of this dead fish lip stuff
- that Min Soo doesn't apologize for who he is or who he loves, but is apologizing for the way it was communicated
- there is no ghosting or forced separation due to what a parent wants
- shows a bit about military service which I rarely see in Korean rom coms
- (neutral) the intro song and song towards the end were fine

Room For Improvement
- the discussion with the mom and her chest was weird
- I didn't really understand a scene with Seok Yi waiting outside towards the end, I didn't think Min Soo's mom and him lived in the same city..
- dry crying during the the drinking scene

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This movie was so short but full of so much promise!
It started off kind of dodgy though and the talk of the mom's chest kinds... I have no words for that. That was just weird and, bruh... why? Just why put that in there. Lol
other that that, the storyline was so sweet and I would really love to see this be turned into a series or longer movie! But hopefully without the musical numbers. Those were so cringey. Lol I'm sorry.

I really want to know the end of this. I feel like it ended on a cliffhanger. I know it didn't and I know it ended happy but I want to know how the mom reacted. I want to know about the other mom. Did she come to terms and everyone be fine? Did they part ways? I just have a lot of questions. Lol
It's weird. Usually when movies/shows end with a lot of questions and awkward moments, I tend to not like it... but their chemistry was just so cute together!

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More than friends in a homophobic country whose army punishes homosexuals with triple humiliation

'Just Friends?' (친구사이? / Chingu sai?), a South Korean short film that follows two young people who are not just friends, but something more.
Starring Lee Je-Hoon and Yeon Woo-jin (sometimes credited by his former stage name, Seo Ji-hoo), the short film follows the secret romance between Seok Yi, a college student who works part-time at a restaurant and faces the dilemma of whether to leave school to focus on his culinary aspirations or fulfill his mandatory military service, and Min Soo, a young soldier who is serving in the armed forces.
For some time they have planned to enjoy a romantic weekend, and Seok Yi travels to the city near the South Korean capital where the military base is located to meet Min Soo again and be able to carry out his plans, but they will not go as planned. While they are enjoying their meeting, Min Soo's mother appears, who has also gone to visit her son and is unaware of the bond between the young people.
When the mother (Lee Seon-joo) asks him about their relationship, so as not to reveal the truth, Min Soo replies, "...we are just friends."
With his mother, Min Soo has a close relationship. We'll see how she playfully makes fun of him, asking him if he's not going to sleep on her chest, and reminds him that he used to call her "boob mom," and he responds that's how he acted when he was little, and then confesses to Seok Yi , who sleeps next to him after missing the last train, who as a child used to sleep on his mother's chest to cheer himself up.
In this way, Kim Jho Gwang-soo, as writer and director, is weaving a story in this short film of the youth romantic comedy-drama genre with an LGBT+ theme that, released in 2009, aims, in addition to telling us about another cycle of release coming out of the closet, showing, with naturalness and simplicity, the relationship between gay men and their families in a conservative society where parents consider any homosexual act a crime.
It is also proposed to denounce homophobia within the Army and South Korean society in general, as well as to make visible the risks, including criminal ones, to which homosexuals are exposed in the military forces of said country.
The denunciation of institutionalized homophobia in the army is shown in a very subtle way. After arriving at the military base in Cheorwon to meet her boyfriend, after traveling from Seoul, Seok Yi has to fill out a contact form in which she must state, among other details, what relationship she has with the person she is contacting what a visit
Elated to be able to see Min Soo after a while, when answering this question in the official document he writes the word "lover". Realizing the risks that his mistake entails for both him and the soldier, he tries to obtain a new form to write "friend" and thus circumvent any suspicion about the type of relationship that both maintain, but when he fails to obtain it, he is forced to carefully cross out what is written and in its place draw the other word.
Homophobia will haunt them throughout the short film, which lasts about 30 minutes. The fear of suffering from it if they are exposed as homosexuals is shown in various ways, and the two lovers will have the urgent need to hide their homosexuality to comply with what a conservative country with strong patriarchal and heteronormative traditions demands of them.
For example, Seok Yi strikes up a conversation with Chae Eun (Lee Chae Eun), a girl on the bus in which he makes the trip and with whom he will be very careful to avoid pronouns when referring to her boyfriend. He will show her a homemade cherry candy he made himself to share with her boyfriend. However, at the moment he delivers the gift to Min Soo, he notices the presence of the girl, who is watching the lovers from a nearby table. Seok Yi's hasty reaction is to snatch the dessert from Min Soo's hands and put it back in a bag, as he had assured the young woman moments before on the road that it was a gift for her partner.
Internalized homophobia as an accompaniment to homophobia is also reflected. Seok Yi will reject Min Soo when he approaches him to kiss him in public and will not shake his hand in the street so as not to be a victim of hatred and intolerance, and will tell the girl who returns with him to Seoul: " Today I also hate being a man!" This is how he expresses feeling harassed and excluded by his loved ones and society.
In its second part, 'Just Friends?' It is filled with joy, enthusiasm and hope. While Min Soo sings a sad but hopeful song to her mother that reflects the feeling that despite liking men she will become happy with the person she loves, we will see the two lovers reunited again, after Min Soo obtains a period of leave from military service.
He will go to look for Seok Yi at work and both will walk the streets of Seoul showing their love in public.
Min Soo has found the exact words to describe the person he will introduce to his mother: "I want you to meet my boyfriend."
The lovers are ready to combat the discrimination that awaits them, after acquiring a mutual, shared feeling that allows them to overcome the feeling of shame and self-exclusion.
'Just Friends?' It has a happy ending that proudly celebrates the love, identity and struggle of homosexuals for their freedom and happiness, and it is something to celebrate doubly, since the short film is a pioneer in South Korea by reflecting a homosexual relationship in a country where Today, in the 21st century, there is resistance to recognizing equal marriage, and even more so against the backdrop of that country's army.
South Korea is a conservative society and the only developed economy in the world in which consensual sexual relations between two men are a crime under military law, and if discovered and charged, every officer or soldier potentially faces a triple humiliation: a sentence penal, an exclusion from the army for unworthiness and a forced coming out of the closet in the face of society and his parents, who describe themselves as "conservative and devout Christians", as the short film clearly reflects on Min Soo's mother.
Intentionally and intelligently, Kim Jho Gwang-soo places one of his protagonists involved in the army of a nation in which, according to article 92.6 of its Military Penal Code, soldiers who have homosexual relations face two years in prison and forced labor if convicted by a court-martial.
Based on his own personal experiences as a gay man, the director and screenwriter expressed, "I wanted to create a real gay film with 99.9% purity, after observing that many Korean films in the past contained misleading depictions of homosexuals." Kim also stated that after completing her 2009 short, 'Boy Meets Boy', which focuses on a first romantic encounter of two teenagers, she wanted to create a successor that involved more mature themes.
Produced by the company Generation Blue Films, in collaboration with Korean Gay Men's Human Rights Group Chingusai, which shares the same name as the film's Korean title, 'Just Friends'? It had its world premiere at the 14th Pusan ​​International Film Festival on October 10, 2009. Before its theatrical release on December 17 of the same year, it was screened at the 35th Seoul Independent Film Festival. The following year, the work was screened at film festivals in Italy, the United States, Japan and Hong Kong.
With music by Kim Dong-wook, photography by Kim Myeong-Joon and editing by Nam Na-yeong, the film, due to its subject matter, has been involved in a rating and censorship controversy.
Before its release, the Korean Media Rating Board (KMRB) called the film's trailer "harmful to youth." In November 2009, KMRB gave the film a "restricted to teens" (19+) rating, citing "sexual situations" and "risk of imitation."
This decision generated criticism from artists, intellectuals, and politicians, who argued that the KMRB was reviewing homosexual-themed films with different criteria than heterosexual-themed films.
In September 2010, the film's producers, Generation Blue Films and Chingusai, filed an administrative contentious lawsuit against the KMRB, asking the Seoul Administrative Court to cancel the film's classification. The court ruled in favor of the plaintiffs on September 9, stating that the film "provides understanding and education about minorities." Despite this, 'Just Friends?', 15 years after its release, continues to be condemned by the most conservative members of a society who still claim that the film contains scenes that "would provoke sexual curiosity in young people."
'Just Friends?' has other values, being Kim Jho Kwang-soo's second film work as director and screenwriter, the second collaboration between this filmmaker and screenwriter Min Yong Keun, and presenting for the second time Min Soo and Seok Yi, two characters that the The previous year he introduced them to form the protagonist couple of the short film 'Boy Meets Boy', also following up Min Soo in 'Love 100°', another short film he authored, from 2010.

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Cute And Mostly Realistic.

29min and enjoyable. Believable attraction and love, lots of cuteness, and an amazingly realistic heavy make-out scene. Also realistic hyper-awareness of interactions and pda around others.

FYI there is a tiny scene after the credits.

General Spoilers below.
There was one spot where the cinematography was very memorable; the mom and the boys along the fence after she finds out about their true relationship. Very striking and emotional.

What didn't work for me:
-The disturbly weird thing the mom says about her chest and her son. Just, why??? What parent would say that?
-What was the point of the guy sleeping outside his boyfriend's home if he wasn't going to stick around to talk to the mom?
-Seok Yi didn't cry at all believably in the scene with the girl drinking. But it's a very short moment.
-Cuts between scenes were always abrupt.
-The song montage at the end. Apart from the fact that the version I found didn't have subtitles for the song, it was still weird; it felt like a completely different film all of a sudden. It went from a realistic slice-of-life feel to a surreal symbolic feel.

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It was sweet but also short and confusing

The movie is quite short, so everything seems a bit rushed at times. I know it’s supposed to cover events that mostly happen over the span of a bit more than 24h with some extra scenes later on, but it still a lot of things that they tried to squeeze in. There have a been quite a few scenes that left me confused on what is happening exactly or what do they mean.

I found the couple, Min Soo and Seok Yi, absolutely adorable. I really liked their interactions, the little touches and looks. They were hiding who they truly are to one another, but you could tell if you looked closely. I also liked the fact that the two are an already established couple who has joint plans for the future. Ones that they have previously discussed and have also discussed during the movie. Their conversations actually had meaning to them. And their chemistry is amazing! For an older Korean BL, I was quite surprised how passionate the two were with one another and how much they showed on screen.

The side characters, side “couple”, left me mostly confused. I don’t really think they brough much to the story. Things wouldn’t be much different if they left the two out.

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Too short but still worth it for the interesting context and the cast

Disclaimer, this review only relates to the 29 minutes short film, not to the additional bonus making of / behind-the-scene which lacked subtitles.

In a nutshell, I found the premise very interesting and quite subversive (especially given the fact it was released in 2009) as it features the romantic relationship between two guys separated while one is doing his mandatory military service. In a very short time, I found the movie made some very compelling points, with scenes showcasing how somewhat taboo their relationship is seen by Korean society. Unfortunately, the film is too short to really get to the bottom of the conflict and remain relatively superficial on the turmoil faced by the characters.

The acting was good and it is quite pleasant to watch some familiar actors that I had seen in other works, here at the very beginning of their career, in an indie movie. The production value is quite limited, you feel the budget constraint. Even though it felt very strange because of the shift of tone, I enjoyed the opening and ending generic. It was quite fun to watch with some joyful folk music that I appreciated.

I would recommend this movie to people looking for an indie BL short movie. It approaches love between men within the mandatory military context in Korea, which is not a very common topic. It felt unfortunately a bit short in terms of storyline and what it is trying to say, mainly because of its short length format. Still, given its short duration, it is worth giving it a shot, especially if you want to see performances of Yeon Woo Jin and Lee Je Hoon at the beginning of their career.

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Poderia ser bem maior.

Já começo dizendo que o filme em si é curto mas é bom. Acredito que esse filme era para ser tipo os short-filmes que assistimos no youtube e não me arrependo de assistir.

Eu assisti até os making of que é o resto do filme por que foi bem interessante.

Foi ótimo ver dois atores enormes como os principais trabalhando em um short filme LGBTQIA+, mesmo que seja antigo foi algo que é bom para representividade da comunidade do meio dos doramas.
Eu por exemplo fiquei sabendo agora, como fã do Je Hoon que ele fez um filme BL e corri para vê, é gostei bastante.

E vamos falar, né? Que beijos, hein!  Normalmente, quando assisto dramas ou filmes BLs coreanos, os beijos são mais "fracos" e secos. Esses foram espetaculares.

Não sei se é um filme independente, mas acredito que seja por isso é curto e não tão bem desenvolvido.
Eu iria adorar assistir mais sobre como a mãe deles reagiram a saber sobre a sexualidade deles, por que a primeira, me desculpem, foi engraçada o modo que aconteceu.

É um curto romance BL bem leve e com humor que eu aproveitei bastante assistindo.

Achei bem fofo, na verdade.

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Currently, out of all the BL films that I've watched. This one is the best and realest of them all. I don't know but maybe it's rather a Gay film than BL cause it's seriously just about the struggles of gay relationship that is closeted then gaining confidence to go out. It's a simple film theme but the MLs performance were so *chefs kiss* good that it made it better, the interactions and passionate scenes felt so real, like a gay couple is doing things on their daily life and I get to watch it.
It also touches on relationships clashing with sexuality :( like if you're late into finding out about it and you're in a relationship, that's gotta hurt for the other one. So lesson learned, don't be in a relationship until you find out about your sexuality.

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