"Just Friends?" is a South Korean short film directed by Jho Kwang-soo Kim that mostly deals with the subject of homosexuality and how it cannot be shown publicly to family members etc. because it is still a bit of a taboo. I am not really up-to-date about the situation in South Korea when it comes to same-sex relationships, but my guess is that due to the country's spciological proximity to the western world, especially the United States, it is probably not a bigger issue than we witness it here. Anyway, of course aside from the geographic factor, you also need to take other factors into consideration like if we are talking about the countryside where it is certainly still a bigger taboo than in the cities. Anyway, as for this film in particular, I already found it difficult to take it seriously with the musical opening. The actors had some really bad moments at times too, especially the ones in the lead. The supporting actors like the mother weren't too bad in fact. The story is a bit meh, but for 30 minutes, it is tolerable. The strong use of the color white here was so exaggerated at times that it was not exactly easy on the eye. Camera work and direction were on a level that was extremely mediocre like basically the rest of it. Real good moments and high-quality production values are something you won't find in here. All in all, thanks to the production country, this is far more known than it should be. I heard some really good stuff coming out of S. Korea in recent years, if not decades. This does not fit the description. Watch something else instead.
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