Your Name Engraved Herein: Not a happy love story
If you are looking for a film to give you that sweet release of a good cry, give this one a try. Directed by Kuang-Hui Liu and written by Yu Ning Chu, it is an LGBT movie centered around two male students. It was released on Netflix in December of 2020. This film became the highest grossing LGBT movie in Taiwan, becoming the first movie of this theme to make over NT$100 million. The film was nominated for several awards and won "Best New Director," "Best Cinematography," and "Best Original Film Song."
The plot follows A-han and Birdy, two Catholic boarding school students. Taking place in 1980's Taiwan, the country is at a turning point for social change, including changes in the opinion on the LGBTQ community. The two meet for the first time at this school and almost immediately develop a friendship. As the movie progresses, you get the sense of a one-sided love that A-han has for Birdy, though it becomes clear that it is not so one-sided as he thinks. There is a turning point to their story when the previously all-male boarding school decides to allow female students to attend. Their relationship is tested when they are introduced to a female student named Ban-Ban. A-han and Birdy experience the ups and downs of their relationship, dealing with homophobia, parental pressure, and learning to accept and deal with their own emotions.
First, there is Chang Jia-han, nicknamed A-han, who is struggling with his sexuality throughout the entire film. He is on the quieter side but experiences his emotions tenfold. He is played by Edward Chen Hao-Sen and Leon Dai. On the left is younger A-han and on the right is middle-aged A-han.
Next, we have Wang Po Te, nicknamed Birdy, who is eccentric and outgoing. We get a closer look into his hidden emotional side as the story progresses. He is played by Jing-Hua Tseng and Jason Wang. On the left is younger Birdy and on the right is middle-aged Birdy.
Wu Ruo-fei, nicknamed Ban-Ban, is a new person in A-han and Birdy's life, she is a kind girl but seems to know more than she lets on. She is played by Mimi Shao and Waa Wei. Here is a younger Ban-Ban.
There is also an important priest character named Father Oliver, but you won't miss him, as he is the only white guy in the movie.
This is without a doubt one of the most aesthetically pleasing movies I have seen in a while. The setting itself and the costume design really brings you back to the 80's. The cinematography is beautiful, and the ambience of certain scenes reflects the mood and emotions of the characters. There is one scene in particular, in which the room is lit up a dark red color. The color itself perfectly matches the mood of the scene, the tension between A-han and Birdy. The physical closeness of the camera in certain scenes also adds to the tension. You feel as though you are right in front of these characters, breathing the same air they are and watching their most intimate moments.
The characters are beautifully written and each have a personality and motivations of their own. The younger versions of each major character are realistically written, especially for their time period. A-han and Birdy are simply high-school boys experiencing their own inner turmoil while dealing with harmful outside forces. Ban-Ban is just a girl who happened to join the same school, she does not appear to have any hidden motives, though she can be frustrating at times. Father Oliver is a positive influence on others all while dealing with his own issues. I must admit I cried early on during this movie, and it wasn't necessarily for bad reasons. The quiet understanding that A-han's mother has for him was both heartwarming and heart-destroying. I guess what I'm trying to say is that this movie had me content and smiling one moment, and heartbroken the next.
The movie itself is not rated, though I would venture to say that you likely won't want to watch this with anyone else, unless you can handle the awkwardness that is watching sexual scenes with another person. There are a few content warnings I would give this movie including blatant homophobia, physical violence, semi-explicit sexual scenes, and religious guilt. It's definitely not a light-hearted love story, though it has its moments where you can finally take a breather after some intense scenes.
I give this movie a 5 out of 5 zombie heads. While watching this movie I would likely not notice a zombie apocalypse occurring right outside my house, I didn't look away once and my tears would be too loud anyway.
“Your Name Engraved Herein.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 21 Jan. 2022, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Your_Name_Engraved_Herein.
“Your Name Engraved Herein.” IMDb, IMDb.com, 23 Dec. 2020, https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10329134/?ref_=ttmi_tt.
Na. “Your Name Engraved Herein.” Rotten Tomatoes, https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/your_name_engraved_herein.
I would 100% watch!! ';/