Cut Sleeve Boys

Director(s): Ray Yeung
Writer(s): Ray Yeung
Producer(s): Chowee Leow, Ray Yeung
Starring: Chowee Leow, Steven Lim

After the sudden death of their friend while he was having an anonymous public tryst, Ash and Mel closely examine their lives as Gay Chinese-British men struggling to find love and lust in London. Ash's dreams of finding a burly, manly straight-acting Top lead him to explore cross-dressing. When he falls for Ross, a "tranny chaser", Ash comes face to face with the line that defines gender and sexuality. Mel is the Chinese-British version of Brian Kinney. He only stays with a guy long enough for either the drugs to wear off or until his rocks are drained. While he blatantly pushes away the advance of a hunky country bumpkin, Todd, he secretly struggles with his own insecurities about himself and finding the right person in life.

I love this film! It is a British Post-Colonial era film a few decades too late, but still rather insightful and thought provoking. While normally British Black Cinema pertains to the African and South Asian diaspora of England, this film easily falls into the genre with similar plot and subject matter. As Chinese-British London natives, Mel and Ash deal with issues they would not deal with had they been in a land other than the merry old UK. If being gay is a headache to deal with for most, imagine being gay and Chinese in a world where caucasian skin tones reign supreme. Though lighthearted and colorful, this film provides such a creative look at gay men in London that one overlooks the frivolous venue that is presented. I'm not saying that this film is anywhere close to being tip-top in production value, but I will say that with clever dialog, a unique subject matter, and small bits of amusement, this film extends beyond production value to a genuine story of two people. That is the main goal of any film.

This film got me thinking about the way I look for love. I always view myself as an outsider in the gay community for many reasons. While I can hold my own at a bar and make millions of friends, i can never really land that special person. I drew from Mel and Ash's struggle and realized that while I may not be able to land a guy, I am much better off than hundreds of gays that change themselves in order to find that special someone. I can never imagine picking up a hobby or doing something different to myself just to find that man. If i change, it is because I'm bored and need something new to keep me sane. And for that I'm thankful to have seen this movie. It really taught me to embrace the way I view life. It taught me to be myself and if that right person comes along, great! If Not. . . at least I'm living my life the way I want to.