I have a confession to make here. I had to watch this series twice to fully appreciate it. I dislike obfuscation and initially felt that is what was going on in this short film. Perhaps because I am from the United States, I like things to be made crystal clear and upfront. Which, of course, this short film does not. Being also inquisitive, I read a variety of comments about this short film which certainly educated me. I realized how myopic and clouded my thinking was. Therefore, I watched it again in light of my newfound appreciation of traditional Burmese culture and Myanmar’s current political climate.

This short film’s theme centered around the Thingyan Festival. While I was a bit familiar about this Festival, it still added another dimension to my understanding of its meaning. It is a beautiful and meaningful festival where symbolically sprinkling water on others will wash away mistakes, drive out bad luck, and bring greater health and happiness for the coming year. The festivities can last for 3 to 5 days and involves singing and dancing.

Ko Thein Myat Min (Vita Min) is well versed and well-known for his Thingyan singing performances. One young man Nway Oo (Zaw Shine Htet) is particularly excited and interested in learning from his idol on refining his singing skills. Although they start out a bit rocky, their relationship soon turns deep but in a poetic and nuanced fashion more so on the part of Thein Myat. Perhaps not so easily discerned or understood by Nway Oo because of his youth and naivete.

This coyness goes back and forth like this with seemingly nothing concrete, yet we begin to detect hidden meanings. We begin to feel something between them. Within their culture, it must stay hidden. Words must be conveyed with delicacy, with nuanced vibes, and perhaps even with double ententre.

Simply the way they look at each other gives away their fondness for each other. Their compass is only on one another as well. When Thein Myat talks about his love for Spring, he is not talking about the season necessarily, since Nway Oo’s name means Spring. His youth and naivete perhaps shield him from hearing its underlying meaning. Yet, almost like a hidden need within him, Nway Oo is distraught when Thein Myat is in the least bit of emotional distress. He cannot bear to see him in pain. The inexperience of youth compels Nway Oo to ask Thein Myat to make his words clear. He quite literally forces Thein Myat to come right out and say, “I like you so much.”

The language of love that is spoken between Thein Myat and Nway Oo is not decidedly with prodigious words and definitely not expressed with any type of physicality. You see it with their body language, in their eyes with the longing stares, the deeply subtle and quiet emotional connections between the two, and with the almost poetic language of love of what is being said between them. Only with all of that combined can one fully grasp their connection. As their hands hold onto the chalice together after pouring water on each other, Thein Myat says to Nway Oo, “I vow with the clean Thingyan water that I will always be loyal to you even when nature is not.” That sure sounds like a lifetime commitment to me! Nway Oo only smiles but this time fully grasps its meaning.

The cinematography of this short film is breathtaking. The Kuthodaw Pagoda with its Stupas, the Walls around the Royal Palace Mya Nan San Kya, and the fascinating Mandalay Hill are just some of the highlights shown, giving it a travelogue quality about it. Yet, done in a hue with muted colors as if it symbolizes while the countryside is stunningly beautiful, not everything is. There is certainly no ability to be openly gay in Myanmar or to openly express your love for an individual of the same gender. It is still a crime. Even openly expressing any physical intimacy between men in a BL could be troublesome and perhaps dangerous and is certainly risky.

So, appreciate the beauty of this short film for its subtle and quiet approach to romance. It is not going to move mountains, but it does show that even in a society as repressive as Myanmar’s, where same sex activities are still against the law, love still finds a way to flourish, even triumph softly, and hopefully be cultivated despite all the obstacles with perhaps encouraging others or embodying a new aspiration.

For that, it deserves our appreciation and cheers. There is no better definition of a BL than this short feature.

Rating- 5 out of 5

Streaming on- TRUST Entertainment YouTube