This small independent Cambodian production was a resplendent treasure. It honestly is well-acted and well directed with a surprisingly interesting screenplay. While not necessarily unique, the cast gave it a new life I was not expecting. To be sure, there are some production issues, but do not let those get in the way of simply enjoying a rather entertaining and fun story with heart and a ginormous amount of temperament.

Hengly (Kim Hengly) and Same (Cheasan Sambath) meet when Hengly nearly runs Same over with his motorbike. Hengly has a tough time conforming to rules and projects blame onto everyone else except himself. Although Hengly appears to be a tough guy and is very cavalier about life, he dislikes when others are unfairly bullied, especially when the odds are uneven. Meanwhile, Same is a studious, very handsome young man and is still surprisingly willing to stand up to Hengly. However, when Hengly sees Same being bullied by a group of ruffians, he comes to his rescue. A spark begins to develop between the two; more conscious and intense for Same, though. It also happens that Same’s brother and Hengly’s cousin are close friends and therefore a bond between the two families begins to form. Before long, the two of them are friends. Perhaps even considered close, in a very short period. Same’s feelings for Hengly grows stronger and more overt. Hengly, more so unconsciously, is drawn to Same but for him, it is all still so ill-defined. He has always considered himself ‘straight’. Therefore, these feelings, while titillating, are scary. With everyone around them beginning to realize that there is a synergy when the two of them are together, they really do seem to have a strong connection with one another.

Finally, Same confesses he likes Hengly and kisses him (very awkwardly). But Hengly, confused and overwhelmed, rejects him, even though his outward overtures towards Same have always been ones of closeness. Same is devastated and angry. Ostensibly, this forces Hengly to withdraw and begin a process of reflection. He senses and realizes how much Same means to him and how empty his life is without him. He is truly himself when he is with Same and most happy when he is beside him.

There is a lot of sincerity in all the performances by the cast in this series and I was frankly impressed especially by Hengly and Sambath. These guys looked like they cared for and wanted each other. Their screen chemistry was surprisingly strong and optimal. And they looked relaxed with one another. While the kissing scenes were exceptionally awkward, and less than stellar, they are still adorable to watch, if for nothing else than for their complete sense of uncomfortableness in what they were doing. It was seriously awful. Relax guys. All you had to do was just try to enjoy the kiss. Both of you looked like you were kissing a dead fish. I have seen my fair share of bad kissing, but this is no doubt my number one pick for the worst. Kudos!

The screenplay was well written with some profoundly moving dialogue to it. Especially when Same was expressing his feelings towards Hengly. The sincerity seemed genuine and real. Hengly’s reactions to his life changed after that with him becoming more introspective and heartfelt. Hengly’s courting Same back was not only cute, but it was also so romantic. All of that was quite believable.

The scene where Same meets an old friend, Thanak, who previously liked him, while done a million times before in BLs, had a flare of honesty about it and a surprising reality check to it. Rather than being artificially theatrical about it, the story confronted it head on with veracity. Same tells Thanak that he likes someone else. It did not take long for Thanak to figure out who that other person was. As an adult who is rational and logical with a real sense of understanding what was happening, Thanak tells Hengly to go after Same as he knows that Same is in love with him, and he obviously knows that Hengly is in love with him; since he smacked him out of jealousy. How refreshing for someone to see the ‘big picture’ and know to do otherwise was futile. Thus, giving Hengly a chance to be apologetic and contrite in overreacting to his inappropriate behavior. Thanak took a noble stance and acted like the adult-in-the-room by encouraging Hengly to make things right with Same again. What a refreshing and sane way for this situation to have been handled.

The sincerity in this BL series is to be commended. No bogus drama. There is nothing artificial in the way the main protagonists thought, acted, or responded. What a rare fulfillment. Honestly, Cambodia, and Vietnam, come the closest to presented BL stories with approaches to storylines with outcomes that are more genuine, honest, and reasonably based on sound judgement and insight.

Generally, the flow of the story is pretty good for being a small production company. Cinematography overall was not bad either. The translations were for the most part unambiguous although it got lost in the last few minutes of the last episode. At that point, it did not matter; we could figure out what was happening.

A word of advice even if none has been asked for. Honestly, Hengly and Sambath make a great screen couple and hopefully, we can see these two in future BLs. But truthfully, the kissing needs a lot of work. While ‘cute’ in a cringeworthy way for this initial series, these scenes need a lot of reassessment. Signs of intimacy, no matter how innocuous they are, must be believable. If not, then the rest of the story becomes suspect. This was a good start but the hesitancy in showing any kind, even a small amount, of ‘love’ between them deflated this series a bit more than it should have. I know and realize that ‘openness’ may not be completely feasible but when you have two adorably cute guys with such great screen chemistry to merely ‘touching lips’ is not dramatic enough. They both looked uncomfortable, and it was astonishingly awkward. Remember, the aim of acting is to take us into the realm of fantasy. It would have been better to have let our imagination run away with us than to show us two guys who were very uncomfortable trying to simulate a kiss. Better to have shown a big hug or a longing stare than a brush against the lips as if they were both on fire. I know my standards are different and perhaps I am expecting too much but this was and is a ‘love story’. Besides words, give us something that shows us an ‘intimate form of love’ that would be appropriate for your country’s standards.

No matter what, this is a very likable, entertaining BL series with cute scenes and very adorable performances. Now build on this.

Looking forward to the next one!

Rating: 4 out of 5

Streaming on- Kongrotes Film YouTube Channel