A character study. I wouldn't call it a rom-com or BL.

Really good casting. The acting was strong too, especially Jameson Blake. Natural and realistic dialogue. This movie is not giving fan service, romance, or comedy, so you'll be disappointed if that's your main interest. It's a super-angsty character study throughout, making it often hard to watch and frustrating. That's just the nature of a story about a risk-averse and repressed main character. I could relate. Actually hit very close to home for me. Anyone in an asynchronous relationship feels foolish and wonders at some point whether they are being used. And who hasn't been ghosted? Many are saying now that they are tired of lockdown stories and characters communicating exclusively through video and texts, and I get that. This is not groundbreaking work, but it is effective, touching, and believable. This was my first time seeing a fairly bad COVID case portrayed to any real extent. This seemed to get it right, except in real life the recovery wouldn't be quick or as complete, I think. This movie was definitely worth watching and maybe a rewatch as well. The song at the end ("Still") wasn't written for the movie but it fits perfectly and it's just a really good song and performance.

Leia Mais

The cutest 'odd couple', and also a lovely slice of life

A good show makes it easy to suspend all disbelief. The dancing was mostly cringey and underwhelming, but I didn't care one bit because I was so invested in the characters. I lost count of how many times that old man choked me up. The young male lead didn't have as much to do, but he was well cast and very appealing. Good chemistry.

I had only a couple of difficulties with this.

(1) In early episodes, the dynamics between the old man, his wife, and eldest son were difficult to understand. Small-mindedness and arrogance were given as superficial explanations for the extreme behavior initially. The deeper issues seemed to involve a cultural specificity that I couldn't grasp entirely. Later on, the wife's and son's transformations felt rather sudden and not entirely credible.

(2) The show's pacing was mostly excellent, but some of the later episodes felt so, so draggy. Nothing much was happening and there were too many montages, testing my patience severely. The story was predictable, but that was OK. I was glad the writers didn't distract from the main story by adding unnecessary romance.

Overall, I'd recommend this highly.

Leia Mais