A beautiful piece of art from Cambodia
Although there have been some interesting Cambodian Boyslove productions, they have remained below the radar of international BL fans. The only series which is easily accessible and has gained some hundred thousand viewers on Youtube is ”And that's YOU” (2021). The beautiful series ”Blue Sky” disappeared from Youtube after a short time and is now only available on the Sastra Film App, which also offers a few more BL productions. So this review is a ”first” for me, because I've never reviewed a Cambodian BL series or movie before.
”Love of the Sea” isn't really a series, but rather a short film that was aired in two episodes, and it doesn't have the typical BL tropes, so I would rather call it gay themed. It's a beautiful piece of art which is dramatic to a heartbreaking degree, poetic in some scenes, but never cringy, and the setting couldn't be farther from the usual BL high school or college setting.
Samut (Rainnie Dara), whose childhood trauma is his witnessing the killing of his father, lives with his mother on the coast of the Gulf of Thailand in the Cambodian Kampot Province. He operates his late father's fishing boat, while his mother tries to make a living selling seafood at the market. They are barely able to make ends meet and pay off the debt of the boat.
Veayo (Ksartra Mey) has been Samut's friend since childhood, and the two young men, who appear to be in their early 20s in this movie, spend a lot of time together, enjoying a trip to the mountains, and dreaming of their future lives. They have a beautiful conversation on the beach, comparing in poetic words themselves to the wind and the sea.
Samut gives Veayo a conch which obviously means a lot to him as he has taken care of it since his childhood days. Samut and Veayo go on a fishing tour, and they share another beautiful experience on the boat at night when they again have a poetic conversation, this time comparing themselves with the stars. When Veayo jumps in the water, Samut is alarmed and follows him to ”rescue” him, although the water is so shallow that there wasn't any danger. This is the only BL trope I found in this movie, and I'm okay with it this time as it leads to the young men kissing under the moonlight.
Then things become dramatic: The boat is hit by a storm and capsizes, and only Samut is found on the beach holding the conch. When he has recovered, he looks for Veayo everywhere, but doesn't find him. His crying is heartbreaking, and so natural that it's hard to bear.
Some time later (unfortunately the subtitles don't translate how much later), Samut and his mother decorate a restaurant which they are obviously about to open, and in the final scene Veayo suddenly turns up as their first guest, so this is a happy, as well as an open ending, because we can only speculate whether they will be able to refresh their relationship.
There are several reasons why I like this short film very much. First of all, the main leads are not only very handsome young men, but good actors, too, and their chemistry is amazing. As their faces aren't plastered with layers of make-up, they come across much more natural than the characters in most other BL series or movies.
I also like the setting of a poor, rural place, which isn't exactly typical of BL series, although a few Vietnamese, Thai, Korean, and Filipino productions have done that before. The scenes at the market as well as in Samut and his mother's house come across as authentically as a documentary, and thus give the viewer an idea about the living conditions in this part of the world.
The story is well written, with dramatic and poetic scenes which appear completely natural, and at the same time reveal a lot about the main characters' relationship and Samut's biography. The sponsor's product placement is much less annoying than in many other BL productions, and I guess not a single viewer will begrudge the little girl her Cornetto icecream.
The production quality is surprisingly good, with a beautiful cinematography and almost no editing or sound flaws that are often found in low budget productions. The OST song, sung by RainnieDara, is the cherry on top of a beautiful, precious piece of art.
BL films made by small companies from countries that are not really famous for loads of BL productions often take a long time to gather a lot of views. I hope that this BL movie will be watched by many BL fans, so the cast and crew are rewarded for their efforts, and encouraged to go on making films like this. It was mentioned by the production company that we may see more of Samut and Veayo, and I really hope we will.
Country: Cambodia
Duration: 32 mins. (in 2 episodes)
Director: Rithy Lomorpich
Cast: Rainnie Dara, Ksartra Mey, et al.
