Fridae

Big Bang Love: Juvenile A has the distinction of being the first gay film of 2007 to be screened in Singapore. It also has the distinction of being the weirdest, most confusing gay film since Colour Blossoms (2004).

It is directed by Takashi Miike, one of the most provocative filmmakers in Japanese cinema. His films (like Audition, Ichii the Killer and Gozu) have a cult following around the world because they often defy conventions and challenge expectations. But he might have gone too far with Big Bang Love, a very strange tale of love between two male prisoners.

When the film begins, we see a young male prisoner named Ariyoshi (played by the pretty-faced, bottom-looking Matsuda Ryuhei) who has just killed his fellow male prisoner, Koyuki (Ando Masanobu, who is tanned, tattooed and top-looking). Everyone in the prison is surprised to learn the news. After all, Ariyoshi was supposed to be Koyuki's "prison bitch". The boys were supposedly in love.

The detectives assigned to the case start to dig into the boys' past. Through flashbacks, we see how Ariyoshi and Koyuki met in prison, and how Koyuki would beat up any guy who tried to touch Ariyoshi. So why did Ariyoshi kill him? Didn't he love him?

Big Bang Love is a murder mystery filled with strange symbols and stylish images. But director Takashi seems so caught up in creating these visual flourishes that he neglects to establish the characters of Ariyoshi and Koyuki and their relationship properly. The film leaves us cold and confused over who the boys really were and how they really felt for each other.

The film feels like a student's half-baked experimental project � not a gay drama by an experienced filmmaker. Watch this at your own risk.