Synopsis: In 1987, decades of martial law is lifted in Taiwan. Two schoolboys, A-Han and Birdy enter an unspoken love affair after meeting in the school band, which takes them on an emotional and heartbreaking journey to adulthood. This is their story... (114 Mins)

 

Views: There was some hype kicking about when it was announced that Netflix would be showing Liu Kuang Hui's LGBT romantic drama. Set in 1987, Your Name Engraved Herein is set during an oppressed period in Taiwan, when martial law has only-just been lifted and homosexuality is a crime. Shy boy A-Han, a pupil of an all-boys school, meets fellow pupil Birdy in the school band. He soon falls for his new friend, a free spirited teen with a big smile and fun attitude. As their friendship grows, so does their love for each other – albeit with many, many challenges. As a gay man, I've often steered clear of most LGBT themed movies. This was mainly because they quite often presented the gay community in the worst of ways, whether it was through a stereotypical character, or by focusing on the dark side of the gay world by showing everyone as drug users and sex addicts (much like the dark side of the straight world). Having lived in this world for some time now, I can whole-heartedly say that, that is not the representation of the LGBT community the world needs to see. Thankfully, with films such as this, along with many more in from the last decade, we are finally getting to see a bit of respect for LGBT films which are positively leaving an impact on the cinematic world!

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The majority of Your Name Engraved Herein is told in flashback, as a bloodied and emotional A-Han talks to his hugely understanding school priest, played wonderfully by Fabio Grangeon. As his story progresses, we are taken on his journey from meeting Birdy, up to the point of his explanation before it carries on from that point. There are many moments throughout that brought a tear to my eye, from A-Han's fight and drive to let his love be known, to the denial of Birdy and the heartbreak he knows he is causing. As the story jumps 30 years ahead, our heartstrings are pulled-on even more, as a now-aged A-Han tries to find his lost love who has since moved to Quebec City in Canada. While not without its flaws, Your Name Engraved Herein may prove somewhat heavy-handed at times, but I felt that this suited the time period and socially oppressed rulings of this Taiwanese era. But this is something that changes by the time we reach its emotional conclusion – which reveals many surprises and ties-up the story of A-Han and Birdy beautifully.

 

Your Name Engraved Herein is a wonderfully made, beautifully scored and well written film. While it carries shades of Call Me By Your Name and Wong Kar Wai's Happy Together throughout, the film was supposedly based on real events and does have its own story to tell. Both leading men are very handsome and deliver their roles wonderfully in this dark period of homophobia and military rule, and I'd have to say more-so Edward Chan who plays the heartbroken A-Han. Director Liu Kuang Hui, who had mainly been directing television drama's since 2001, proves to be a name to look out for, commanding strong performances from all involved and delivering some beautiful direction in an emotional story. What also makes this work for me, is knowing that I've been in this position myself around a similar age. And while not as extreme or emotionally dramatic as their tale is, I can certainly relate to, and feel for, the characters involved. Love knows no bounds, and Your Name Engraved Herein is a fine example of why...

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Overall: A beautiful love story that hits all the right marks, Your Name Engraved Herein is an LGBT film to be proud of!