3
6
1
LiN
in your basement
CONTRARY: Between Reality and Fiction
Let me start with a quick rant over some of the reviews:
First off, I´m all aware that reviews are very subjective, and so are opinions and tastes. Honestly, I don´t get any of the lower ratings. (4 and lower) Even if the story is somewhat critical, how could you let their acting and the production/ cinematography drop into a negative light as well? If you review something, you sort of have a 'responsibility' to consider all aspects of a show. A show is not only about the story. Despite being the main aspect, the story can´t portray all the functions of a series alone. How many good stories have failed in their execution because of bad acting or bad production? Taking this into consideration and then watching "Between Us", how is it a 3.5-star series? I just don´t get it. Is it because you were hoping for something less troublesome and simple, or were you hoping for more tension? What is it exactly that made you drag a solid show down to this level?
I´m just sad that people tend to be so impulsive in judging a show just because they had high hopes and huge expectations. It could not meet what a 3.5-star rater had in mind?`Okay. Does it mean the show is necessarily one of the worst and most unpleasing shows to watch out there? No. Can they still rate it that bad? Yes. Why? Everyone is allowed to have their opinion. Can I still feel offended by this harsh rating? Yes. Why? Read below.
STORY / PLOT 5.5
Having said that, I had my issues with the screenwriting as well. There were some aspects that could have been executed better if they had paid more consideration to it. However, considering that this is a Spin-Off of "Until We Meet Again", one of the most famous Thai LGBTQIA+ shows, I think they offered us a solid series with deep emotional insights into the vulnerabilities of people that one might not see at first glance.
The story is everything but light. There are a lot of mature topics and struggles that the characters have to deal with. Dealing with Trauma is suffocatingly exhausting and therefore does not contribute to a hoped-for "Coming Of Age" story. Also, I think Win´s struggles were very much justified and realistic. There are people with avoidant attachment styles on this earth that have a hard time opening up to the idea of being in love and dependent on another person. Saying that this is cliche and a bad plot extra leaves me irritated. Criticizing his behavior is, of course, not wrong at all. After all, you can not be okay with characters/people's behavior. However, there is a big difference between criticizing behavior and criticizing a show for PORTRAYING that behavior. One should not confuse these two aspects.
I think that the dialogues were top-notch and the discussions they stirred. Watching this, I feel like other viewers could also step into adopting more consent and consideration for others in their daily lives. Not everything is visible on the surface.
ACTING / CAST 8.5
I´m really surprised by the few people who criticized the acting. I wish I could be more considerate and understanding of this view because to me their - main couple - performance was very satisfying to watch. They executed EXTREMLYdifficult scenes and touched my heart. Of course, there is room for improvement for the supporting cast but Boun and Prem did NOT disappoint! Don´t confuse acting skills with an unpleasing plot. A bad plot doesn´t necessarily make the acting bad.
REVIEW VALUE 5.0
I was not disappointed with "Between Us", however, the story was quite heavy, and even though I tend to prefer watching darker, heavier more mature content in series, I rarely rewatch them. So I am just being realistic here.
First off, I´m all aware that reviews are very subjective, and so are opinions and tastes. Honestly, I don´t get any of the lower ratings. (4 and lower) Even if the story is somewhat critical, how could you let their acting and the production/ cinematography drop into a negative light as well? If you review something, you sort of have a 'responsibility' to consider all aspects of a show. A show is not only about the story. Despite being the main aspect, the story can´t portray all the functions of a series alone. How many good stories have failed in their execution because of bad acting or bad production? Taking this into consideration and then watching "Between Us", how is it a 3.5-star series? I just don´t get it. Is it because you were hoping for something less troublesome and simple, or were you hoping for more tension? What is it exactly that made you drag a solid show down to this level?
I´m just sad that people tend to be so impulsive in judging a show just because they had high hopes and huge expectations. It could not meet what a 3.5-star rater had in mind?`Okay. Does it mean the show is necessarily one of the worst and most unpleasing shows to watch out there? No. Can they still rate it that bad? Yes. Why? Everyone is allowed to have their opinion. Can I still feel offended by this harsh rating? Yes. Why? Read below.
STORY / PLOT 5.5
Having said that, I had my issues with the screenwriting as well. There were some aspects that could have been executed better if they had paid more consideration to it. However, considering that this is a Spin-Off of "Until We Meet Again", one of the most famous Thai LGBTQIA+ shows, I think they offered us a solid series with deep emotional insights into the vulnerabilities of people that one might not see at first glance.
The story is everything but light. There are a lot of mature topics and struggles that the characters have to deal with. Dealing with Trauma is suffocatingly exhausting and therefore does not contribute to a hoped-for "Coming Of Age" story. Also, I think Win´s struggles were very much justified and realistic. There are people with avoidant attachment styles on this earth that have a hard time opening up to the idea of being in love and dependent on another person. Saying that this is cliche and a bad plot extra leaves me irritated. Criticizing his behavior is, of course, not wrong at all. After all, you can not be okay with characters/people's behavior. However, there is a big difference between criticizing behavior and criticizing a show for PORTRAYING that behavior. One should not confuse these two aspects.
I think that the dialogues were top-notch and the discussions they stirred. Watching this, I feel like other viewers could also step into adopting more consent and consideration for others in their daily lives. Not everything is visible on the surface.
ACTING / CAST 8.5
I´m really surprised by the few people who criticized the acting. I wish I could be more considerate and understanding of this view because to me their - main couple - performance was very satisfying to watch. They executed EXTREMLYdifficult scenes and touched my heart. Of course, there is room for improvement for the supporting cast but Boun and Prem did NOT disappoint! Don´t confuse acting skills with an unpleasing plot. A bad plot doesn´t necessarily make the acting bad.
REVIEW VALUE 5.0
I was not disappointed with "Between Us", however, the story was quite heavy, and even though I tend to prefer watching darker, heavier more mature content in series, I rarely rewatch them. So I am just being realistic here.
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