Mo Niang saved the cliché!

Andres 2022-09-12 08:08:26

Without the interaction between Andrew Scott's character and Conor, the film would suddenly drop a notch and become the kind of teenage growth story that is made a lot every year, and it's still the kind of cliché.

Although thanks to the lovely Irish accent and beautiful scenery, as well as the director's very fresh camera style. But the whole story and the twists are so familiar. Even in a lot of dialogue, after the last sentence is finished, the audience who have watched the film enough will know what the next sentence is. Before the final Conor came on, the teammates stood behind him one by one, which made me laugh even more (because even South Park has spoofed such movie clichés, especially American movies used to be very popular)

But in the middle and later stages of the film, the focus of the story quietly shifted to Conor, and his interaction with Dan, the English teacher played by Andrew, did play a qualitative role in improving the film. Their very heartfelt dialogue should actually speak to the hearts of many gay viewers. Conor asks if he will really get better in the future, will it get easier. Dan gave the affirmative answer, encouraging him, but we know from the previous story (Dan also needs to hide his gay identity) and the sad look in Dan's eyes that he's not sure. All mature gay viewers will also understand that growing up doesn't necessarily make life easier. Be yourself or hide yourself, and it is possible that this struggle will not stop for the rest of your life. All we can do is to be more gentle with ourselves and be more tolerant of those close to us. In fact, some answers were also made in the later film. You don't have to choose which side, don't try too much to meet the expectations of which camp, and do things that make you happier and more rewarding.

Maybe maturity means to realize that we are not against the world; we are all running in with the world, and in the current situation, to make our own life easier; maybe everyone is trying to survive.

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Extended Reading

Handsome Devil quotes

  • Ned Roche: [voice over] Did you know lizards can regrow their tails? That's how it was in our school with English teachers. One dies, another grows in his place. No big deal.

  • Ned Roche: [voice over] The Berlin Wall was built overnight. The world woke up the morning after and there it was. Now I'm no communist, but there's a lot to be said for acting decisively.