#farewell queen

[flermurwermur]

[katiky-png]

[bugbeee]

SHES DEAD

[marmosetpaw]

[wlwcatalogue]

A few sapphic film recs!

Just a few recommendations for sapphic films under 2 hours which may or may not have flown under the radar:

Moonlit Winter / 윤희에게 (1hr 45m, 2019, dir. Lim Dae-hyung)

Professor Marston and the Wonder Women (1hr 48m, 2017, dir. Angela Robinson)

Who's the Woman, Who's the Man / 金枝玉葉 2 (1hr 50m, 1996, dir. Peter Ho-Sun Chan)

Sisterhood / 骨妹 (1hr 37m, 2016, dir. Tracy Choi)

DEBS (1hr 31m, 2004, dir. Angela Robinson)

Farewell, My Queen / Les adieux à la reine (1hr 40m, 2012, dir. Benoît Jacquot)

Bonus - short film: Love Does Human / 사람 하는 사랑 (24 mins, 2019, dir. Oh Seon-ju)

Commentary under the cut!

1. Moonlit Winter / 윤희에게 (1hr 45m, 2019, dir. Lim Dae-hyung) - IMDB | MyDramaList

This movie is about a daughter (Kim So-hye) who finds out about her divorced mother’s (Kim Hee-ae) past with another woman (Katase Jun), and how in encouraging her mother to reconnect, the two finally open up to each other as well. Dry stuff on paper, but there’s more to it: the mother and her former lover didn’t just break up, they were split apart by their families as teenagers and the mother was forced to marry a man against her will. In short, it deals with the aftermath of the typical “bad ending” of older stories featuring WLW characters, wherein schoolgirls in love would be separated and married off to preserve the heteronormative status quo.

Although the queer relationship does not get much screentime at all – the two characters share a single scene, there are no flashbacks, and there’s not even a hug – queerness remains at the heart of the movie. It’s a rare depiction of how the repression of queerness leaves scars on people which affect how they engage with the world, but which also shows that as long as they are alive, there is still hope that those scars can be healed. Also, despite the heavy-sounding subject matter, it’s a very gentle experience: there are no direct depictions of homophobia and no sensationalism, just a little story of human connection unfolding in a snow-cloaked Hokkaido.

2. Professor Marston and the Wonder Women (1hr 48m, 2017, dir. Angela Robinson) - IMDB

The blurb on IMDB says that this movie is about “psychologist William Moulton Marston (Luke Evans), and his polyamorous relationship with his wife [Elizabeth] (Rebecca Hall) and their mistress [Olive] (Bella Heathcote) who would inspire his creation of the superheroine, Wonder Woman”. As someone who is not particularly drawn to biopics, male protagonists, polyamory, BDSM, or Wonder Woman, I assumed that this movie wouldn’t be my jam and so didn’t watch it until quite a while later – which is when I discovered just how wrong I was.

First, the two women take up just as much of the movie’s focus as Marston. Elizabeth, Marston’s wife and fellow psychologist, is highly intelligent but equally highly-strung; she does not know how to deal with her husband’s attraction to new research assistant Olive, nor Olive’s attraction to both her husband and Elizabeth herself, and this internal conflict (even after the three enter into a polyamorous relationship) features heavily in the story. Second, although it declares itself to be “based on a true story”, the movie is not especially interested in recreating or representing the past. Rather, the historical elements are used as a framework to explore certain ideas: Diana’s Lasso of Truth symbolises how progress and healing must be first founded upon honesty, for example. The polyamory and BDSM is also not at all sordid or sensationalised, but rather presented in a nuanced (though still sexy!) manner. More than anything, this is a movie with a big heart and big ideas, and should be judged on its own merits.

3. Who's the Woman, Who's the Man / 金枝玉葉 2 (1hr 50m, 1996, dir. Peter Ho-Sun Chan) - IMDB | MyDramaList

All you need to know going into this sequel of 1994 movie He's a Woman, She's a Man (金枝玉葉) is that main character Wing (Anita Yuen) is a woman who has found both fame and (heterosexual) love while disguising herself as a male idol, and that her relationship with record producer Sam (Leslie Cheung) is known to the general public— although it is perceived as being homosexual in nature due to her persona. At this point, you might be wondering why an M/F romantic comedy is on this list, but this movie is a bit odd in that instead of focusing only on problems such Sam’s internalised homophobia and misogyny (both of which are addressed in the story), one of the new obstacles facing the couple is the female lead meeting female pop star Fong Yim Mui (Anita Mui)… and both starting to fall for each other.

I was surprised at how sensitively Wing and Fong Yim Mui’s respective arcs are handled, especially for a mainstream movie from the 90’s starring two of Hong Kong’s most popular performers at the time. Instead of giving the two women a meet-cute and leaving it at that, a lot of care is put into showing them processing and coming to terms with their feelings in their own time. Romantic and sexual attraction is also highlighted separately, which is refreshing given how they are usually depicted as inextricably linked even now… Obviously Wing and Fong Yim Mui don’t end up together, but their feelings aren’t dismissed and – relative to the narrative constraints – the ending is a warm, optimistic one. Also, Anita Mui gives an absolutely award-worthy performance in one of the scenes with her character and Wing, so fans of her should definitely give this movie a try.

Important note: Although there’s much that’s good about it, Who's the Woman, Who's the Man is far from perfect. Early on, there’s a masquerade party where two of the characters are wearing masks which look like racist caricatures, and the masks are crop up in multiple scenes in the film. More serious is the subplot about a male character who keeps trying to win over a lesbian, culminating in her agreeing to sleep with him once while he’s dressed as a woman (CW: transphobia, homophobia) – though this storyline ends with the man accepting that she really is gay and parting on friendly terms. That said, these problems are already mild compared to the actively hateful transphobic and homophobic jokes present in so many of its contemporaries, so if you’ve watched a 90’s Hong Kong comedy before, chances are that your tolerance level is more than high enough.

4. Sisterhood / 骨妹 (1hr 37m, 2016, dir. Tracy Choi) IMDB | MyDramaList

Sisterhood opens with tragedy. Originally from Macau, main character Sei (Gigi Leung) is living quietly in Taiwan with her husband after the 1999 Handover when her life is overturned by a newspaper personal ad informing her that her long-estranged friend and colleague Ling has passed away. The movie is shot through with flashbacks to earlier times, tracking a young Sei (Fish Liew) as she starts doing sex work and is taken under the wing of the more experienced Ling (Jennifer Yu) and her friends. Memories of togetherness and community are juxtaposed against sequences of present-day Sei struggling to navigate her grief, the tensions of the now-fractured friend group, and a Macau that has changed just as much as she has. The acting and script can be clunky in places but the sentiment shines through, especially after the first third, at which point the movie starts honing in on Sei and Ling’s relationship. It’s not a happy story, but nor is it defined by sadness; instead, it posits that the past is not merely to be mourned, that it is instead something that can shape and provide a foundation for the future. I won't talk too much about how queerness figures into this story, due to spoilers, but rest assured that it is present and important!

5. D.E.B.S. (1hr 31m, 2004, dir. Angela Robinson) - IMDB

Okay, you've probably heard of this one before if not watched it already, but anyway! This was the first WLW movie I watched, and for a long time, the only one which I actually enjoyed. It’s about an elite spy (well, more like an honours student at spy school) (Sara Foster) and a criminal mastermind (Jordana Brewster) falling for each other, a premise which is just as fun and over-the-top as it sounds. The movie does a great job of mixing action, humor, and romance, and it doesn’t overstay its welcome – it’s got a nice compact runtime and a cracking pace. There’s still nothing quite like it in my opinion, though I’m very welcome to any recommendations in this line (my askbox is open if you have any!).

6. Farewell, My Queen / Les adieux à la reine (1hr 40m, 2012, dir. Benoît Jacquot) - IMDB

Loosely based on Chantal Thomas’ novel of the same name, Farewell, My Queen is a portrait of French nobility in decline, following maidservant Sidonie Labarde (Léa Seydoux) who is in the service of Marie Antoinette (Diane Kruger). It's a beautiful, lavish production which effectively conveys the perspective of a servant locked in the gilded cage that is Versailles during the French Revolution, and is a rare case of a historical figure as famous as Antoinette being presented as queer in a serious historical drama.

That being said, the queerness is mostly background, coming mainly in the form of Antoinette’s crush on? relationship with? duchess Gabrielle de Polignac (Virginie Ledoyen)— though a case can be made for Sidonie, whose outward opacity belies an unwavering, almost unsettling, devotion to her queen. Also, be warned that the movie has many a dodgy shot of cleavage, and two instances of unnecessary and voyeuristic nudity... but other than that, it really does have gorgeous cinematography.

Fun fact: there really were rumours about Antoinette having a scandalous relationship with the duchess, although these have nearly always been written off as baseless reputation-smearing.

Bonus - short film: Love Does Human / 사람 하는 사랑 (24 mins, 2019, dir. Oh Seon-ju) - MyDramaList

Some say that the best science fiction puts a spotlight on some part of the human condition, and this short film does just that. Main character Tae Eun's (Kim Min-ju) girlfriend Joo An (Jang Sam-yi) no longer has a human body: after carrying out a medical operation which transferred her consciousness to a computer system, she now has a web-camera for her eyes, a speaker for her mouth, and control over their home's devices for her hands. And although the change was by Joo An's choice and Tae Eun was supportive, the pair struggle to adjust to this new reality, and are confronted with the need to communicate and to consider each other's perspectives. Love Does Human has a bit of a slow start, and there were points where I didn't understand why the characters were reacting in a certain way, but it all comes together beautifully in the end. Through its sci-fi premise, viewers are encouraged to think about real-life problems using a different angle, and the movie never gets too heavy. Also, shoutout to some excellent voice work from the two actors - Joo An is performed nearly entirely through voice but she feels deeply human and present, and Tae Eun's actor also has a standout scene featuring some great voice acting. All in all, it's a short film that's well worth checking out (especially since the director has made it available for free, with English subtitles, on Youtube - embedded above)!

[whumpypepsigal]

watched the little mermaid last night and it’s everything i imagined it to be and more. im cheesing smiling kicking my feet up beaming with joy. halle is ARIEL and jonah is PRINCE ERIC aassddffgghgkllllll what a perfect cast. HALLE’s VOICE IS PERFECTION. eric’s love-gaze-pinning eyes got me weak af. my man was in LOVE LOVE with ariel. CHEMISTRY WAS CHEMISTRY-ING. and grimsby was me tbh… he made it his full mission to get eric and ariel together and i love him for that.

look at them! just two beautiful nerds in love. yeah, im going back to the cinema tonight to watch it again idc if i just get three hours of sleep it will be time well-spent 😭🧡

[its-chelisey-stuff]

yeah well, this cold heart of mine melted a little with this:

such a cute baby!! The casting director delivering, as always lol

I do love a happy ending (seriously I'm a sucker for them) and those can easily soften my opinion on a drama, especially one as a wild as this one. Doesn't matter that I thought HaeIn's sickness had an easy resolution, doesn't matter that it had the amnesia plot (my most hated trope in dramas and basically in any form of storytelling), in the end the OTP was all in for each other, willing to go the extra mile, with HyunWoo literally putting his life on the line to rescue the wife who didn't remember him while sustaining life-threatening injuries.

It doesn't matter! They started dating again, married and had their very much wanted daughter. And tbh I kinda liked the fact that HaeIn never fully recovered her memories, and Hyunwoo had to work for her love again. That's karma for the first four eps of the show lol And I love that started communicating, so they don't repeat their past mistakes.

Anyway, it was certainly a wild ride. No one can deny it. I'm just gonna say this, I don't mind a good makjang, but I still feel a bit conflicted about Queen Of Tears turning out to be one, because it wasn't exactly advertised as such. Then again, it had all the plot elements of a weekend family drama: chaebol family meets countryside family due to their children marrying, a ton of characters (and a bunch of subplots I wasn't interested in), mysterious villain (did they ever said who was his dad?) and plot to take over the family business, lot of cliches and tropes from earlier kdramas... Etc. I mean the writing was on the wall and maybe I didn't want to see it lol

Crazily, I would recommend this drama on the following conditions: I definitely think it'd be great for a weekend binge when there's nothing to watch or to do or when you're having a cold so bad you're on bed and under medication lol that'd make the plot twists even more fascinating.

I commend Kim SooHyun and Kim JiWon for their wonderful acting and chemistry, as well as the rest of the main cast and no, wait, THE WHOLE cast. Even the cameos were on point. And I sure hope the writer knows this was a hit because of the acting and not her writing.

P.S.: One thing I didn't get was the mention of who died first and when. Like ??? why for? Lmao even in the happiest ending the writer has done she had to put some element of bittersweetness, because why the hell not?

[nemainofthewater]

Best character surnamed: Duan

Come and vote for the best characters with the same surname!*

What does best mean? It's up to you! Whether you love them, are intrigued by their characters, love to hate them, or they're your '2 second blorbos whose personality you made up wholesale', these are all reasons for you to vote for your favs!

*note, the surnames are not exactly the same in all the cases, as often there will be a different character. I am, however, grouping them all together otherwise things got more complicated.

Propaganda is very welcome! If I’ve forgotten anyone, let me know in the notes.

This is part of a larger series of ‘best character with X surname’ polls’. The overview with ongoing polls, winners, and future polls can be found here

[thejoxaren]

Concept art for my Into Wonderland comic!

[edelweiss-maiden]

[funkyllama]

The Funeral Of Queen Viviana.

The body of Her Illustrious Majesty, Queen Viviana of the Ionian Union, was laid to rest at the ancestral gardens of Wittmund Palace for a period of three days before her funeral. Around the body were bundles of thistle and plates of marigold, the offerings symbolize the Queen's fight, throughout her life and through her death, to preserve and protect the Union her family has founded. The Dowager Queen Hana, the 102 year old stepmother of Her Late Majesty, read, "On the Death of Anne Brontë," by Charlotte Brontë. The crowd to bid farewell to our Queen was, notably, small. Emperor Napoléon V of the French attended the funeral on his own, sitting in front of Crown Prince Louis and Princess Marie Aisha of Pierreland. Her Majesty's younger three siblings, Grand Duke Stephen, Countess Rose Mary, and Crown Princess Lorraine of Uspana, with their children, attended the funeral. Crown Princess Florentia and her husband, Crown Prince Dorian of Orillia made their first visit to the continent for the unfortunate occasion.

Last / Beginning / Next @empiredesimparte @theroyalthrones @officalroyalsofpierreland @nexility-sims thank you for attendting <3 Cue, Freebird. Her actual funeral song is My Back Pages.

[l-0puko]

Neverland, my love, I bid you farewell now And I'm free falling. (c) Farewell, Neverland

Happy 4 years with TXT!!!

[calciopics]

Obrigada, Marta!

"It is hard to talk. It wasn't in my worst nightmares the World Cup I dreamed of. It's just the beginning. Brazilian people asked for renewal, it is being renewed, the only old woman is me and maybe Tamires next to me. Most of the team is made up of talented girls with a huge road ahead of them. I end here, but they continue.

We now have players to look up to [in women's football], and that would not have happened if we had stayed still at the first hurdle we faced. It's about being persistent, and it didn't just start with me but with other players back then and I'm very proud and we ask the new generation to continue where we left off, continue to inspire even more girls and boys no matter what age they are.

When I started playing, I didn't have an idol, a female idol. You guys didn't show any female games. How was I supposed to see other players? How I was I supposed to understand that I could arrive at a national team and become a reference?

Today we have our own references. This wouldn't have happened if we had stopped in the first obstacles that we faced. ... And it didn't start just with me, but with a lot of the women back then.

I'm happy to see that sort of thing because 20 years ago, in 2003, you all met Marta. Twenty years later, I'm a player that inspired many women [to play football], and not just football but journalism as well. I see many female journalists here today that we just didn't see back then, so we opened doors to equality."

[armandjolras]

its interesting how so many lesbian historical films are about a lady and her maid

[perioddramapolls]

Period dramas dresses tournament: Green dresses Round 1- Group C: Yolande de Polignac, Farewell, my queen (gifset) vs Roxanne, Cyrano

*Instead of Agathe it should say Yolande

[sam-jack-loveforever]

The best 3 episodes in season 6 of The Crown 👑

• Aftermath

• Ritz

• Sleep,Dearie Sleep