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Review

This realistically filmed movie follows shy and totally cute country boy Xiao Bo who moves to Beijing penniless with only the stuff he has in his small backpack. He appears at a clothing store set to meet who he thinks is the owner, only to discover that he has no actual contact in the city. The real owner, a woman named Qing Jie likes the boy -- she hires him and offers him a room in her apartment. She also tries to fix him up with her girlfriend, who figures out that the boy is gay. When Qing Jie's husband finds out he's gay, he tries to rape him, forcing Xiao Bo into the streets. Xiao Bo turns to an acquaintance he has met at a local bathroom, a writer of the only gay magazine in the country -- it's filled with toilet writings! There is fleeting nudity in a shower scene and in a covered up sex scene between the two cute guys.

This hopeful tale of acceptance offers a peek into contemporary gay and lesbian life in China. The film is ultra low-budget and suffers technically from the lack of proper equipment. The writing and direction are also a tad disjointed. What you can expect is an earnestly made pro-gay film with non-professional, openly gay actors and a compelling story. (Mandarin with English subtitles)

 -- Scott Cranin