As a bisexual female, I am always looking for representation in the entertainment industry.

I am continually looking for a movie or drama that portrays the type of relationships I aspire to have. So, I was excited when Studio Wabi Sabi announced a Girl’s Love episode as part of their 7 Project, a series about seven couples inspired by seven different songs. Better yet, the episode, titled Remember, stars Samantha Melanie Coates (as Proud) and Pineare Pannin Charnmanoon (as Jaidee). Both actresses have played a significant role in the BL industry over the years as a vital part of the supporting cast. Because of this, I had high expectations, and their acting did not disappoint.

I genuinely believe that Samantha and Pineare were born to lead a series. They’ve had years to hone their acting skills. From my time on production sets, I’ve learned that playing a supporting role is often more challenging than playing the main character. A supporting character has to be a pillar for the lead, crucially developing the story to move it forward smoothly. A lead actor can be incredibly talented, but a project can fail if he isn’t surrounded by a solid supporting cast. There’s a reason the film academy recognizes supporting roles at the Oscars. There’s a reason these roles are respected, and it’s because of Samantha and Pineare’s past supportive performances that I had no doubt the two of them would shine.

However, there were moments when this episode fell short for me, the story suffering from the format itself. While I don’t mind short dramas or films, the story these projects tell should fit snugly inside their mini time slot, feeling full despite how short-lived they may be. As a full-time professional writer (writer R.K. Ryals), I’ll be the first to admit that I have a difficult time writing short stories. I often dabble in fanfiction between writing deadlines to hone my skill at telling one-shot tales because it takes an extraordinarily talented person to write a story that feels long even when it isn’t.

For Remember, the story suffered in length, leaving gaping moments where I felt disconnected from the plot. This story was big, portraying an emotional tale of two women mixed up with the same male character, their history with this playboy inevitably leading to their emotional end.

Proud is in a relationship with a man named Tac, who she breaks up with at the beginning of the episode because he cheated on her. Unbeknownst to both Proud and Jaidee, Jaidee is the cause of Proud’s break up, something the two women are unaware of until Proud catches sight of a familiar tattoo on Jaidee’s shoulder during an intense make-out scene.

Even from this summary of the story, it’s obvious Remember is a complicated narrative, one that needed much more than an hour to tell. That said, the acting was impressive enough to make me thirsty for more. This drama was my first time experiencing Samantha and Pineare in such dramatic roles. It threw me a little, seeing Samantha as a depressed character. She is often cast in positive, enthusiastic support roles. This contrast is the reason why these performances moved me. It is evident Samantha and Pineare came to prove something. Even squeezed inside a drama too big for its time slot, they proved it.

I need to see these two women in a complete project, and I’d be ecstatic if it were a same-sex romance. There were many profound moments in Remember that gave me hope for a future story, especially the cliffhanger phone call at the end. Remember felt like the beginning of a much larger story, one I’d be fully interested in checking out. I would love to see Pineare and Samantha in a full drama, one that allowed them to develop the type of chemistry the shorter format kept from happening.

All in all, however, this drama did precisely what it intended, leaving viewers with memories of bittersweet moments, the kind of moments that shape us in life. Although no one likes to admit their weaknesses, the truth is, the people we become as adults are often built from the sad things that happen to us. The positive moments in our lives help us move forward, but it’s the negative moments we grow from.

With each passing episode of the 7 Project, I am humbled by the vision behind it. Even when it suffers in the telling, the point of the drama gets across.

To the director behind this, New Siwaj Sawatmaneekul, I want to say, “I see you.” With every project you do, I see a spark of something much bigger, and I hope you keep creating sparks until the flickers become a roaring flame.

To the viewers thinking about checking Remember out, please give it a chance. There is definite potential in the 7 Project.

Rating- 3 out of 5