Kizumomo (Japanese GAY Movie)

This movie, under certain definitions, is not a gay, yaoi or "boy love" movie. Some consider it just to be "slice of life" Japanese guy movie. There's no hand-holding, no kissing, no play wrestling. I will withhold judgment regarding whether it is or not because I think the overall point has to do with intimacy and the struggle to it that involves two guys (with ambiguous sexual orientations).

The story is simple. Aki is a furita (freeter -- a young Japanese person who chooses part-time work over a salaried position). When he decided to ride his bike through the Japanese countryside, he quits his job and goes. Along the way, he helps a woman who almost loses her 32kg luggage down a pedestrian fly-over when his bike suffers some minor problem. She invites him to come to her house for the evening. There lives "Grampa", a master watchermaker and Masaya, the watchermaker's apprentice.

Aki and Masaya's relations get off to a somewhat mysterious rocky start -- although Masaya is prissy. We then come to learn through a wristwatch Aki wears that doesn't work, that Aki had a childhood friend/love of his life named Hayato who looks exactly like Masaya. The Aki-Masaya tension increases and we learn what has happened between Aki and Hayato.

Because I was expecting an awkward kiss, hand-holding moment, or similar, my mind had to recalibrate a few times to fully accept the narrative drama unfolding in the movie. Nevertheless, it's a G rated movie that you can cuddle with your partner on a date.