Ina_2021
This review may contain spoilers
Cautious reflections from Thai filmmakers // Diplomatic prequel to Call It What You Want
The documentary offers 20 minutes of intelligent, cautious reflections from several Thai filmmakers, who work with BL projects, apart from directing "normal" series, films, ads. The biggest input is from the director of this documentary, who appears genuinly thinking out loud, without delving into what the BL community would like or expect or hate to hear. Is it intended for the BL fan community at all? Not necessarily. An introduction to the BL genre for everyone else? Not sure. The filmmakers' cautious public reflection on BL series from a subtle, ambivalent, yet somewhat sympathetic viewpoint on the genre, which - it's not stated directly, but palpable - is treated as inferior within the Thai filming industry? Most likely.
If you, like me, prefer to just watch BL, without following the social media backstage of the BL industry with its dramas and gossips, this documentary is not too hot, not too cold: politely and superficially it covers many topics, without uncovering anything disturbing too deeply (occasional BL tendency to romanticize and normalize sexual assault is disturbing even being mentioned briefly).
Some observations from the documentary which were of interest for me as an international (non-Asian) viewer:
1) In the Thai soaps industry, BL series are apparently referred to as yaoi series. I'm not an expert in both yaoi and BL, but I thought they are different. What gives BL a much broader appeal, is a happy end becoming the norm. BL is expected to be a feel good story. It wasn't the case with a gloomy, sad yaoi. Thus, even though Thailand is internationally regarded as the kingdom of BL, the local filming industry apparently prefers to see it as a foreign, yaoi-inspired phenomenon?
2) Some of Thai filming crew could openly express their aversion while filming a kissing scene between male actors in BL. A glimpse into a bitter reality behind an idealized acceptance attitude in the average BL.
3) Thai BL productions experienced a rise in demand after the pandemic. Seems understandable. The director noted BL is all about a highly idealized unrealistic romance between men, often adopted from stories written by women, for women. People must be eager to escape to a perfect fantasy world at the time of the unprecedented pandemic restrictions. Also, Thai BL series reportedly attract many advertisers. Good to know for the international audience, it means the genre is viable and thriving, more BLs to come. For me, it's amazing that BL stories are perceived more or less similar all over the world, while the advertisements they feature seem to be much more representative of the local culture.
4) The documentary's featuring a Thai LGBT group probably makes a case for BL being an ally or representation of the real people with a real cause. But, I wonder, being mostly a straight women's fantasy, aimed for female audience, how could BL be representative of real men's experiences? If I got it right, two of the featured directors actually think it could be eventually possible, either because it doesn't matter what label is applied to the relationship between two people in love (Call It What You Want) or by gradually challenging and changing the unrealistic or dated patriarchal BL tropes and clichés from within (Bad Buddy).
5) The fans who contributed to the documentary created an impression of a more mature, level-headed audience than the vibe from the average BL social media discussion in English.
As for actors, the director expresses his concern for the restrictions these fan-shipped BL actors face in real life. Surely, it puts tonns of extra pressure, but it seems like every social media personality nowadays walks on thin ice when it comes to what they say, post, endorse; or what their fans do. Some of the restrictions, specific for fan-shipped BL actors are mentioned in detail in the director's 2021 series, Call It What You Want. It seems like in the fictional settings Thai BL series and films tend to be more openly reflective, ironical and sarcastic about different questionable aspects of the BL subculture than in a documentary framework.
6) If same-sex marriages were legal in Thailand, BL wouldn't be so popular? I couldn't know, but not sure about this opinion from the documentary. If BL is driven by straight women shipping straight or undisclosed male characters in fiction and in reality, it could be not related to the legal status of same-sex relationships in reality. Is BL not popular in Taiwan or in the West?
At the end of the day, one should be able to sleep well after having watched the documentary (if they are not into reading between the lines). And maybe the filmmaker feels towards the BL genre a little bit more sympathetic than the title implies, and probably out of this good intention the documentary prefers the topic to fly safely under the public scrutiny radar. Or maybe not. The documentary has an open ending, viewers are invited to think on their own.
My takeaway from the documentary and the subsequent series, CIWYW, is that I liked this attempt to look at the BL genre from a wider perspective, as they say in English, to think outside the box. Not being engaged in this (vicious?) circle of passionate shipping fans, blurring lines between fiction and reality; the industry management, tapping into the fans' expectations and flirting with them in order to monetize their addiction; this artificial BL genre, which originally doesn't reflect real men's experience, but mostly catered for straight women fantasy of an ideal romance between mostly straight men who happen to fall in love with each other, out of any realistic proportion, - and this is thought to represent the LGBT people for some reason; clichéd BL plots, depicting innocent romantic nonsense, stereotypical roles, derived from patriarchal experience of the past or sometimes disturbing sexual violence; all acted out by young actors, trying to make it in the industry, whatever it takes.
With all this mess in mind, known even without this documentary or the subsequent series, I like the simple reminder that there's a life besides BL. And will probably stay divided on BL as before watching it. Deep down, I would like to believe that BL is a feel good idealistic story, giving voice and public support to the universal idea of a more inclusive society, but this genre brings in its own inherent restrictions and divisions, capable of exploitation and misrepresentation of real people. All in all, I second one the previous reviewers, respect to the documentary for starting a public discussion on this subject, which many people all over the world are passionate about.
If you, like me, prefer to just watch BL, without following the social media backstage of the BL industry with its dramas and gossips, this documentary is not too hot, not too cold: politely and superficially it covers many topics, without uncovering anything disturbing too deeply (occasional BL tendency to romanticize and normalize sexual assault is disturbing even being mentioned briefly).
Some observations from the documentary which were of interest for me as an international (non-Asian) viewer:
1) In the Thai soaps industry, BL series are apparently referred to as yaoi series. I'm not an expert in both yaoi and BL, but I thought they are different. What gives BL a much broader appeal, is a happy end becoming the norm. BL is expected to be a feel good story. It wasn't the case with a gloomy, sad yaoi. Thus, even though Thailand is internationally regarded as the kingdom of BL, the local filming industry apparently prefers to see it as a foreign, yaoi-inspired phenomenon?
2) Some of Thai filming crew could openly express their aversion while filming a kissing scene between male actors in BL. A glimpse into a bitter reality behind an idealized acceptance attitude in the average BL.
3) Thai BL productions experienced a rise in demand after the pandemic. Seems understandable. The director noted BL is all about a highly idealized unrealistic romance between men, often adopted from stories written by women, for women. People must be eager to escape to a perfect fantasy world at the time of the unprecedented pandemic restrictions. Also, Thai BL series reportedly attract many advertisers. Good to know for the international audience, it means the genre is viable and thriving, more BLs to come. For me, it's amazing that BL stories are perceived more or less similar all over the world, while the advertisements they feature seem to be much more representative of the local culture.
4) The documentary's featuring a Thai LGBT group probably makes a case for BL being an ally or representation of the real people with a real cause. But, I wonder, being mostly a straight women's fantasy, aimed for female audience, how could BL be representative of real men's experiences? If I got it right, two of the featured directors actually think it could be eventually possible, either because it doesn't matter what label is applied to the relationship between two people in love (Call It What You Want) or by gradually challenging and changing the unrealistic or dated patriarchal BL tropes and clichés from within (Bad Buddy).
5) The fans who contributed to the documentary created an impression of a more mature, level-headed audience than the vibe from the average BL social media discussion in English.
As for actors, the director expresses his concern for the restrictions these fan-shipped BL actors face in real life. Surely, it puts tonns of extra pressure, but it seems like every social media personality nowadays walks on thin ice when it comes to what they say, post, endorse; or what their fans do. Some of the restrictions, specific for fan-shipped BL actors are mentioned in detail in the director's 2021 series, Call It What You Want. It seems like in the fictional settings Thai BL series and films tend to be more openly reflective, ironical and sarcastic about different questionable aspects of the BL subculture than in a documentary framework.
6) If same-sex marriages were legal in Thailand, BL wouldn't be so popular? I couldn't know, but not sure about this opinion from the documentary. If BL is driven by straight women shipping straight or undisclosed male characters in fiction and in reality, it could be not related to the legal status of same-sex relationships in reality. Is BL not popular in Taiwan or in the West?
At the end of the day, one should be able to sleep well after having watched the documentary (if they are not into reading between the lines). And maybe the filmmaker feels towards the BL genre a little bit more sympathetic than the title implies, and probably out of this good intention the documentary prefers the topic to fly safely under the public scrutiny radar. Or maybe not. The documentary has an open ending, viewers are invited to think on their own.
My takeaway from the documentary and the subsequent series, CIWYW, is that I liked this attempt to look at the BL genre from a wider perspective, as they say in English, to think outside the box. Not being engaged in this (vicious?) circle of passionate shipping fans, blurring lines between fiction and reality; the industry management, tapping into the fans' expectations and flirting with them in order to monetize their addiction; this artificial BL genre, which originally doesn't reflect real men's experience, but mostly catered for straight women fantasy of an ideal romance between mostly straight men who happen to fall in love with each other, out of any realistic proportion, - and this is thought to represent the LGBT people for some reason; clichéd BL plots, depicting innocent romantic nonsense, stereotypical roles, derived from patriarchal experience of the past or sometimes disturbing sexual violence; all acted out by young actors, trying to make it in the industry, whatever it takes.
With all this mess in mind, known even without this documentary or the subsequent series, I like the simple reminder that there's a life besides BL. And will probably stay divided on BL as before watching it. Deep down, I would like to believe that BL is a feel good idealistic story, giving voice and public support to the universal idea of a more inclusive society, but this genre brings in its own inherent restrictions and divisions, capable of exploitation and misrepresentation of real people. All in all, I second one the previous reviewers, respect to the documentary for starting a public discussion on this subject, which many people all over the world are passionate about.
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