Cut Sleeve Boys, directed by Ray Yeung, begins with a title explaining the origin of the term “cut sleeve boys” from the time when a bisexual emperor wanted to get out of bed without disturbing his cuddling male concubine, so he cut the sleeve of the latter’s garment in order to rise from bed, leaving his boyfriend still asleep. The term, in other words, is equivalent to “gay.” The first scenes portray the death of a good-looking Chinese guy, Gavin Chan (played by Mark Hampton), presumably from ejaculating immediately after ingesting amyl nitrate, and the funeral, where the two principal characters are introduced. Ashley Wang (played by Chowee Leow) and Mel Shu (played by Steven Lim) are good-looking twentysomething Chinese residents of London afflicted with “bitchy queen” attitudes because they have not found love, having moved to England from Asia to advance their careers as well as to find fulfillment in the arms of British gays. Ashley regularly swishes and, at home, wears feminine clothes. Mel has built a wall around himself so that he can only have tricks, not love, and reverts to a catty demeanor while with Ashley. Both are obsessed with what they wear and what they look like; their personalities are hollow. One day, Todd Charrington (played by Gareth Rhys Davis) knocks on Mel’s door, having left home in Wales. Mel had promised to put him up if he ever left home, so Todd expects to be greeted accordingly. However, Mel is quite cold to him, though he relents and allows Todd to stay a few days. Meanwhile, Mel insists on the virtues of an open relationship, but fails to attract anyone at the gym, while Todd gets attention, goes out with a muscular guy, and returns to lie that there was an orgy instead of one-to-one sex, believing that his lie will ease any pain for Mel. In a sex scene, Mel blindfolds Todd, who has never experienced kinky sex before; after Mel holds his arms behind his back, he orders him to beg to be fucked, and Todd complies. However, Mel loses interest before proceeding when his telephone rings. Ashley is calling and requests help to crossdress. Todd gets up, disappointed. Mel even gets Todd a job and then tells him that the time has come to move out. Todd has a crush on Mel, but the latter’s brusque demeanor has deterred him from revealing his emotions until he is ordered out. and eventually leaves after declaring his love, which Mel rejects. Ashley, having decided to reinvent himself, goes to a bar for “trannies” and their admirers, meets a war vet, and has a wonderful time, but is reluctant to go forward with the relationship, fearing that he could not revert to his masculine identity most of the time. Mel, now having rebuffed an admirer, decides to reinvent himself as well, trying to botox wrinkles that are scarcely noticeable. Earlier, Mel has decried the fact that he is doomed to attract only “rice queens,” but he now he invites Todd, now corrupted by life amid the fashionable gay life of London, to a lunch. He evidently hopes to rekindle Todd’s love, since Ashley appears to be headed for a stable, happy relationship that will leave him friendless. The film ends with Ashley and Todd getting what filmviewers will expect that they deserve. Credits indicate the future states of affairs of the various characters one year hence, albeit superficially. The commentary on how the Londoners cope with gay life is doubtless intended to teach many lessons. One obvious observation is that all the characters are so interested in how they look and feel that they do not realize how empty headed they are; apart from their narcissistic hedonism, they have no purpose in life, no cause to advance, no connection with the world beyond themselves. The pastor who presides at the initial memorial service is the only one who appears to have a broader vision, but he abandons the ministry after receiving ?500,000 in the dead man’s will and instead partakes of gay life without wearing the cloth any more. MH
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