I must have some strange fascination with shipwrecks. In my adolescence I read every novel I could get my hands on that took place on desert islands, in inhospitable landscapes, after the arrival of a survivor of a maritime or air accident.
I remember reading works where fiction and reality go hand in hand, such as "Story of a Shipwrecked", by Gabriel García Márquez. I enjoyed "Two Years' Holiday" and "The Mysterious Island" by French novelist Jules Verne; "The Shipwrecked of the Auckland", by François Édouard Raynal, "The Shipwrecked of the Grand Armada", by Fernando Martínez Laínez, "Drifting", by Steve Callahan, "The Shipwrecked of the Liguria", by the Italian author Emilio Salgari , "The Castaways" by Charlotte Rogan, "Robinson Crusoe" by Daniel Defoe, "Life of Pi" by Yann Martel, "Isla de Lobos", by José Vicente Pascual, "The castaways of the Batavia", by Simon Leys, "The castaways", by Jean Améry, "Drifting", by Joris-Karl Huysmans.
These works, and others, have in common the fact that the survivors, as soon as they manage to reach land, were immediately forced to survive in an uninhabited and hostile place.
That is why I cannot understand David (John David Schon), the protagonist of 'The Shore BL Series' (marketed as 'The First Island BL Romance'), who, being in the same situation, instead of exploring the terrain and Making sure how to survive, he constantly cries out for help, sitting on the shore under a scorching Philippine sun, in a no less exhausting episode.
But of all the works about shipwrecks, Jody Garcia's series reminds me most of "Just A Bit Wrecked," a gay novel by Alessandra Hazar, because they both share their intriguing concept of two strangers stranded on an uninhabited island that come to love each other.
But while the book by the author of "Forbidden", "Just a Bit Captivated" and "Just a Bit Wrong", among others, describes a narrative arc in which the protagonists begin as declared enemies or adversaries, only to discover gradually a deeper connection that transcends the initial animosity, in 'The Shore BL Series' the friendly approach is surprising.
The series also manages to captivate the viewer with its beautiful photography, delicious cinematography and two talented leading actors.
Produced by Star Image Artist Management, which also produced the series 'Amore BL Series', the story brings us to David, a Psychology student, who runs away from home after discovering two heartbreaking realities that alter his life: he has stumbled upon the truth of his adoption, and his girlfriend and Vince (Kyle Verches), his childhood best friend, have been unfaithful to him.
During their getaway, in the car, the viewer learns, thanks to the voice-over of the main character in constant interior monologues, about the friendship that David and Vince have built for years.
In this way, David arrives at a beach resort and takes refuge in drink. Completely drunk, he ignores warnings of a dangerous approaching storm, rents a boat and, alone, rows out to the ocean in search of tranquility.
But instead of peace, unfortunately, the storm washes David to the shores of an island that appears to be uninhabited. And in this way our narrative hero begins a journey that will change his life forever.
Alone in this inhospitable place and with broken mental health, David cannot adapt to the new situation, so he goes through several stages: confusion, anger, denial, dejection, fear, tolerance, identity, self-acceptance...
Here the series plays with the same acceptance process that any homosexual person usually experiences to accept themselves as such and live homosexuality completely naturally without perceiving it as inferior to heterosexuality.
In this sense, the presence of Simon (Miguel Ching) helps, a young man who, like him, has been stranded on the island and from the first moments shows that he is attracted to his adventure companion.
As David and Simon perfect their survival instincts, a love arises between the two born of mutual need and desperation, as both will have to fend for themselves to survive.
The relationship between them becomes increasingly intense, marked by tension and a mutual desire. But initially, David, who has believed all his life to be heterosexual, will fight against the feelings that are born in his chest and will try to stay away from Simon's amorous longings. The series stands out for its high sexual tension and a palpable sexual tension between the two protagonists.
Both David and Simon have a strong presence on stage that captures the audience with their emotions. Both are debut actors and play their roles well, despite a script that leads them to be repetitive in Byzantine discussions about the acceptance of homosexuality.
And if at some point David perceived the island as a prison from which he could never escape, in truth the islet becomes a liberating space in which he can discover and accept his true sexuality.
David is the character with the most personal development. Seeing him accept both his presence on the island and his homosexuality, the fact that he comes to know his true self, makes me want to hug him and tell him that I support him, that he doesn't have to pretend to be the person he isn't.
For his part, Simon is an attractive and intriguing character. While David appears to be in an emotional crisis and does not know how to deal with the circumstances, Simon maintains a calm demeanor, as if he had control of the situation. He will calm and protect David at all times. He will teach how to fish, how to light a fire, how to seek protection from the sun, the cold at night, animals, rain...
While this is happening on the island, fortunately for David, Vince contacts the resort director and, upon learning of his disappearance, goes to the scene to begin a search and rescue operation for the shipwrecked man.
Noticing the desperation to find David alive, I wondered why he would break his best friend's heart by having an affair with his girlfriend, when the two are so close to each other.
I liked the series about how it manages to separate the story into two distressing but important parts, how it pushed the protagonists to fight for survival, how it exploited them to make them realize the true value of life, how it led them to know their true sexual identity and how one can have everything and the second have nothing.
I loved how the couple developed their feelings and emotions without feeling rushed, but also showing the desire and sexual tension they have for each other and how after physically exploring each other, love and passion take shape into something strong, lasting and healthy.
But what I liked most is the personal development of the three main characters, because if David is called to overcome the reasons that brought him to the island and open his heart to Simon, Simon, with his loving and kind nature, must become the balm that heals David's wounds, while it is up to Vince to accept his friend's true sexual orientation and, in the process, seek redemption for his mistakes, and save the two's old friendship.