buygay.com

Review

Oh the agony and ecstasy of your first straight-guy crush. He’s cute, he’s sweet, he knows you better than anyone else... but, alas, he’s into girls more than guys... or so he says. Writer/director Scud's 2009 film Permanent Residence does a great job of capturing the emotional tug-of-war that accompanies having a desperate desire for that special fella that isn't entirely ready to love you back (we've all been there, right guys?).

Sean Li gives a heartfelt performance as Ivan, a computer whiz with an intense fear of death and a growing fascination about what may come in the afterlife. Ivan is slowly learning to accept his homosexuality. Unsure of himself in the beginning of the movie, he spends a lot of time at the gym. He's overcompensating - trying to appear as macho as possible in the hopes that no one will peg him as gay. It is inside the gym sauna, however, that he first meets Windson (Osman Hung), a super-sexy taekwondo enthusiast who isn't shy about dropping his towel to show off a few choice spins and kicks.

Ivan and Windson hit it off almost immediately. There is a strong attraction between them - and even though Windson is straight and has a girlfriend living in Mainland China, he eventually comes around to the idea of having a romantic and sexual relationship. They start out with some playful nude wrestling and skinny-dipping, but confess their mutual affection before too long. As Ivan tries to guide Windson into expressing his love and getting over his personal fears, he starts to become more comfortable with himself and his own desires - which leads him to disappointment when Windson can't return the same pride in their relationship.

Spanning over 50 years, Permanent Residence uses a wildly ambitious scope to tell Ivan and Windson's story - and the film, though a little melodramatic at times (cue the broken English cover of Savage Garden's "Truly Madly Deeply!"), largely succeeds. Like all of Scud's work, Permanent Residence features positively gorgeous cinematography, warm, relatable performances and heart wrenching drama that leaves an indelible mark on the viewer. It's also fun to watch how Scud slips in tons of (very welcome!) gratuitous male nudity without ever making it feel sleazy (see Love Actually... Sucks, Amphetamine and City Without Baseball for more examples).

 -- Robert O'Neill