Summarily, this is a chef-d’oeuvre. This also is an original dieresis. However, to watch this series, especially for those of us from the West, you must indeed prepare yourself. One must suspend one’s frame of reference. Your first task is to not instinctually begin to make comparisons as to what you might do if you were in a similar situation. It is so easy to doubt and question, “Why are they doing that? Can’t they see the obvious?” This series in NOT from your universe of discourse. Two, do not judge the protagonists in terms of right or wrong, moral or immoral, ethical or unethical, or any other dichotomous standard. That would not be fair. Simply take their love story as presented at face value and go with it. Otherwise, you will drive yourself into a moral whirlpool of unnecessary emotional highs and lows. In the end, in essence, all you will need is yourself, alone, with a box of tissues, and a strong sense and a deep appreciation of how indestructible love for one another genuinely can be. And three, be prepared throughout to face lots and lots of pain – intense pain. Deeply personal, physical, emotional, and mental. Be forewarned: this is not a series that has a happy ending. However, it brandishes like no other BL I have ever seen, or undoubtedly will ever see, the power, intensity, sacrifice, and yes, the gift of love. This story is breathtaking in its simplicity but is as complex as any creation story of life itself. None of it is fathomable or inscrutable, yet when you watch it in its entirely and reflect on what you saw – it crystallizes. You understand even if it rips away at every fiber of your moral being.

This is a duology that blends seamless. It is a story of two friends from a rural area in Cambodia. One is named Mekh (Van Thall) whose name in Khmer is Sky. Mekh is a frail young man and is obviously in love with his close friend, Kheav (Lee Myko) whose name in Khmer is Blue. The two are inseparable and are close to each other as is humanly possible to be. Even though they are young teenage boys, Mekh begins to realize the feeling for Kheav is not just as a friend but is much, much more. Kheav, for lack of a better description, becomes his passion. His world is Kheav. Our Western eyes might see it as an obsession, but it is not. It has none of the negatives surrounding the notion of obsession. His is pure love – unconditionally. Kheav, senses Mekh’s love but is too inexperienced, too confused, and too immature to reciprocate. Always fearful and wanting to escape difficult situations, and apprehensive of what others would call him, asks his mother to transfer him to a school in the city. But before he goes, Mekh confesses his deep and undying love for him. Kheav, ever wanting/needing to escape, leaves without saying a word, leaving Mekh feeling empty and hated. Kheav never also realizes that Mekh has a serious medical condition with his heart. Mekh has managed for years to ‘fool’ his way through his many close calls with his health.

Yet, Mekh remains ever hopeful that Keav will return before he dies so that he could ask for his forgiveness, as he thinks that by expressing his deep love for him, Keav now hates him and has simply put so much pressure on him. Mekh never lost his capacity to live each day to its fullest as he knows his days are determinate.

After 7 years, older Keav (Khat Sombath Ketya) finally returns and meets older Mekh (K Sinh), by the tree they planted as adolescents. Both young men are now very handsome and much like the tree they planted are in their prime. Mekh has changed very little except he has gotten taller. His life is still revolved around loving Keav. Keav is his world. Yet, he will not impose his wants or desires onto him as his thinking is his world and life are inevitable. Doomed with nothing but trouble and pain for Keav. He tries to pretend that simply having Keav there is enough. While Keav, also has changed little. He continues to run from issues and back to Mekh, the only stable and loving force in his life when the world falls down around him.

The creation of their love story is duplicitous and not easily understood. Hence, the cautions as listed in the beginning. I do not know or fully understand Cambodian culture, customs, or societal norms or standards and realized that I needed to stop projecting how I would react or feel. I simply decided to go with the story. While it does seem incongruous that Keav never questioned or realized or deduced the extent of Mekh’s illness until the end, I cannot get into the mind of another individual whose culture and standards and privacy norms and frankly manner of questioning someone else are so different from mine. Yet when you watch the whole series, and put it all into context and perspective, you realize how/why Keav felt as he did. The actions he needed to take to make his level of sacrifice were his to choose; not mine to judge. He excogitated that Mekh always and unquestionably placed Keav ahead of himself and never once complained about it or ever hesitated to do it. Mekh’s love for him was unequivocal and unshakable and unbreakable. It never wavered and he knew it never would. Meanwhile, his took so much time to be realized, understood, and accepted; almost too late.

There are only a few characters in this series. In a sense, it is a Greek tragedy. The acting is top-notch, but one character will be mesmerizing to watch. And that is Van Thall as young Mekh and K Sinh as older Mekh. Their performances are hypnotic. Not only was there a remarkable similarity in physical features, but they also uncannily had the same mannerisms in intonations in voice and facial expressions, and hand movements. Their emotional tones between the younger versions and older one was simply remarkable. It felt as if he had ‘grown-up’ before our eyes. Both showed such pained expressions physically and emotionally that I was deeply and profoundly moved by their acting challenges. It could not be easy to maintain that level of physical pained expressions with any sense of reality and intensity. Both these young men are remarkable actors, and their acting prowess is simply magical to watch. We see the depth of the pain easily and quickly. We see their various levels of emotional struggles. And we most astutely see the love they both express for Keav, in both timelines. There is no question there is some fine acting in BLs; and this is one of the finest I have ever seen. The transition from younger to older Mekh was seamless and convincing. We see Mekh throughout his life. This by no means diminishes the other performers in this series. Younger and older Kheav was also convincing except Van Thall as younger Mekh and K Sinh as older Mekh were portrayed with so much more realism and grit.

This is not an easy series to watch. It is slow-moving at times. Editing is sometimes a bit inconsistent in scenes and there is a lot of repetitive scenes as filler. The choreography is simple which adds to the dimensionality of the characters. The translations into English are a bit wonky occasionally but overall, still very good. You also find yourself beginning (or at least I did) to ethicize the unfolding from your perspective. What you must do is be an observer watching a theater-in-the-round performance. You can only see what the characters ‘see’. You can only feel what the characters ‘feel’. You can only understand what the characters know is in their hearts, minds, and what their societal norms tells them is correct. That is the point of this story! They took actions based upon what they know.

Certainly, the antagonists are despicable, and I am not convinced the series needed to accentuate their evilness to make their point so strongly; but I get it. It is a reflection of thinking that is fast becoming outdated and passe. This series, despite its flaws, has managed to show and enhance that perhaps even in societies that may not yet be very respective to gay relationships – ‘times they are a-changing’. This series profoundly and effectively and with some measure of circumspection advances that change.

The depth of love that this series showed between two men is nothing short of remarkable and the sacrifices that both Mekh and Keav made for one another are legendary, without wanting to sound hyperbolic. This is a simple story of unequivocal love between two men starting at a young age but with the fates determining their time was not now. They were still able to enjoy a brief moment of time together and ironically share one heart. I do not know if love can get any better than that. They both loved, even as children, to stare at the blue sky (Keav/Mekh) and each other, especially in the morning as they laid together. That feeling was never lost.

This is a profoundly moving, sincere series, and unquestionably needs to be on my Top 10 List for this year. Again, you might not realize its impact until you watch it in its entirety, free of preconceived notions. And do not feel ashamed to cry. Mekh and Keav will be with you for a long time to come. Or at the very least, their love will be.

There is also something so astonishingly beautiful and poetic about making a love story endemic to seeing something naturally occurring almost every single day – a blue sky!

Rating- 5 out of 5

Streaming- Sastra Film App YouTube Channel