[Chinese Webmovie 2016] Uncontrolled Love 不可抗力

[Ayachou]

First things first:

6 more babies to go, jiayou! fighting!

LMAO why are they like this, le cute is killing me XD

They're so comfy with each other, it's amazing, no space between them.

I love their laughs, when they cant hold back anymore, carefree and happy about the level of silly, pervy, romantic hilarity they can reach HA!

And is it just me or are they constantly checking each other out? Especially master watches Xiaobai lips and face and body (rawr! hot!) while Xiaobai steals these glances and then quickly looks away (sooo adorable)

Spoiler

cr: bobiibo

 

[Ayachou]

Uncontrolled Love - Wudong 16 (lipstick challenge)

 

[Ayachou]

22 hours ago, IMOmusings said:

There are ways to get around the censorship xD using a different iQiyi is one (I think Addicted did that by airing on the Taiwanese version instead of Mainland China). With Love is more than a word, I think they've finished production and editing since all the posters have been released + trailers, it's just a matter of finding somewhere willing to broadcast it. Worse comes to worse, for all these BL movies/dramas, Youtube would be the way to go I think. Considering the sequel for Love has already started production, there's definitely a high chance part 1 will make it through somehow.

The release of UL2 I think, is just a matter of when, rather than if.

 

OP, thank you so much for your words! Meng Rui's promise, Lan Lin's confidence in him and the strong reassurence of UL staff give me so much hope:

UL is a gorgeous production and a beautiful movie how love overcomes ignorance in the end. Art mirrors reality, love will always be stronger than fear and hate, and I believe we'll see their story continue

It's already August and when it comes true, we should throw the biggest party soompi has ever seen

[Ayachou]

A BL movie site reviewed UL. It's an interesting read :

Spoiler

Uncontrolled Love - Movie Review

Welcome to Queer Fudanshi! Today, we’re going to talk about the BL film titled Uncontrolled Love.

This review was requested by the QF reader Trent. He asked if I could review some BL films, and luckily I was thinking the same. As for why we’re reviewing Uncontrolled Love specifically, it was one of the movies he listed, and on my to watch list. Things just worked out that way!

So what is Uncontrolled Love? It’s another adaption of a Boys Love novel. The Chinese novel was written by Lan Lin or 不可抗力 and staring Bowen Wang and Rui Meng. Apparently, the story goes that the two main characters have known each other since their childhood. The two characters, Shu Nian and Xie Yan, met at the ages of 12 and 7 respectively. At the time, Shu was adopted by Xie’s family to be a servant/friend for Xie.

Later Xie Yan left to go to study abroad, and upon his return at the age of 25 the two start to fall in love. The problem is that Xie Yan is homophobic, but despite this he falls for his gay childhood friend Shu Nian.

This film is actually the first in a two-part series with the second part set to release later in August of this year.

This is Uncontrolled Love.

My Review (Spoilers Ahead):

What can I say about this movie? When I started it I was instantly hating it. I was like, “Oh my god, am I gonna have to be like, ‘Trent, I’m sorry. I hated it.” Then, halfway through I was like, “Oh wait, I am so into this. When did that happen?” And then by the end I was like, “Well that was pretty good movie. When’s the sequel. Is it August yet?”

What I really enjoyed was that there was so much to the film that there’s a lot I wanna talk about. That said, because there is so much conversation material I’m sure I’ll forget some of the things I wanted to say.

Master/Servant Dynamic

As I was saying, at the beginning of this movie I was very much against it. The main reason being, I was not ok with the master/servant dynamic. Before watching I was like, “oh, this’ll be interesting” and it was, but it was also infuriating.

Seeing that Xie Yan treated Shu Nian as his plaything and pet was wrong to me. In my review of the season 1 finale of Yandaixiejie no. 10, I referenced 50 Shades of Grey and I think I can do it here too. I read the first two books (tried the third but stopped cause it was terrible), and realized that I loved the main character and hated her boyfriend. I started off the same with this movie where I rooted for Shu and disliked Xie Yan for messing with him.

That said, there was a lot going on with their relationship. It’s very complex. Yes, they have a master/servant relationship, but it seems very stately. I was first thinking, “Oh, he’s rich so he can do whatever he wants huh?” But then later in the movie I was like, “I kind of understand it now.” This is their world and their world has rules. There are the people with money and the people who work for them.

In addition, there was a sense of intense intimacy between the two. It was like their relationship on the surface was all, “I own you.” Then, as movie went on I could see more of the strong connection between the two. It became, “I know you. I get you. You are mine and I am yours.”

I guess the movie started to take on the feeling of Shu being more like a butler/friend, and then upped him into a lover in Xie’s eyes. That still doesn’t take away the fact that he was “adopted” just to be a servant and playmate though. I’m still thinking it all through.

Straight?

All that hate in the beginning led to an interesting perspective on Xie Yan. At first, it seemed like Xie Yan’s infatuation with Shu Nian was based off of his possessiveness. That said, it did seem like his feels started to evolve from there. As I said earlier, the movie needed to really convince me that Xie Yan would fall for his friend in a believable way. Not just for fan-service. I think the show did that.

His intense feeling of possessiveness transformed as the movie went on. It changed to something angrier and then to something softer. I don’t remember if it was Shu Nian or Jiang who said it, but someone said that Shu Nian was Xie Yan’s world and that is very true.

In addition, Xie Yan being homophobic was really unnecessary. Besides it being mentioned in that one scene at the restaurant there was no need for it. The master/servant relationship carried enough of the drama that a homophobe turned gay twist was never needed.

I will have to say though that some of the things Xie Yan did were really suspicious. Not just the sleeping together thing, but the bathroom scene and the scene in the gif above. All of them were pretty eyebrow raising. Perhaps that’s why Xie Yan started to freak out, ’cause he had the thought, “wait, is this gay?”

The Girlfriend

Sadly, the straight-turned-gay trope isn’t the only one that showed up in this movie. Miss Jiang, the only prominent female role, ended up being a terrible person. The “terrible girlfriend/female” trope is the other Boys Love trope that I see constantly and am tired of. That said, a lot of Asian dramas, Korean specifically, do have the “terrible mother/mother-in-law” trope, so maybe this is an extension of that.

As for the character’s motivations, while most of the time I found her odious (I just really wanted to use that word. Thank you Gilmore Girls). In the scene above however, I did sympathize with her. While clearly she took things too far (hitmen, really?), the boys were acting pretty suspicious. If I were Xie Yan’s girlfriend, I would feel threatened too.

Is this Movie Worth It?

Yes! I really enjoyed it. While I’m not a fan of the master/servant dynamic, it was interesting to watch. And while this movie does have THE TOP BL cliches, the acting, directing, and overall intensity of it made the movie worthwhile in my opinion.

Also, this movie’s cinematography is beautiful. The scenes are all shot with great lighting, camera work, and settings. That alone makes this movie worth watching.

But what did you guys think? Have you seen Uncontrolled Love? If you haven’t, why haven’t you? Go watch it! And then come back and tell me what you think. If you have, what are your thoughts on the movie, and characters? Would you suggest it to a friend?

My rating for Uncontrolled Love is 4 stars out of 5. What’s yours?

you can read the full review and leave comments on queerfudanshi.com

>>> I don't agree with some points: imo there was already love way before Xie Yan went to study/came back from abroad. I haven't read the novel yet, but UL the movie isnt so much a simple 'straight-to-gay' story but one of 2 insecure men with very different backgrounds, in a complicated dynamic and with real fears (Nian's anxiety of losing Xie Yan and Xie Yan's internalized homophobia). The 'bad girlfriend trope' is true, Miss Jiang basically plays your jealous and scheming BL girl. The movie apparently created her (she doesnt exist in the original novel) and fleshed her role out as a foil for Xie Yan's character development and a catalyst for the story. She's very beautiful but not smart... guuuurrl, why u stay with a man when 1. he's hanging around cute guys abroad 2. is crazy for this pageboy he's known since forever 3. has barely any time for you 4. your bffs tell you to let him go, he's not worth the trouble. Please don't tell me it's cause he's loaded $$$

[IMOmusings]

@Ayachou I thought the novel DID have that secondary female? O_O

Because:

Spoiler

Wasn't that one of the reasons why Xie Nian ends up 'getting together' with that other guy?

Well it was a combination of master being stupid and pushing him to the edge, but that lady pushed him that one step too far...

Or am I imagining things @_@

[Ayachou]

7 hours ago, IMOmusings said:

@Ayachou I thought the novel DID have that secondary female? O_O

Because:

  Reveal hidden contents

Wasn't that one of the reasons why Xie Nian ends up 'getting together' with that other guy?

Well it was a combination of master being stupid and pushing him to the edge, but that lady pushed him that one step too far...

Or am I imagining things @_@

 

Yes, OP, she is in the novel

On that note, here's a quick analysis of the women in UL1:

At first sight, the movie doesnt seem to have many female characters. But there are several of them: the nun from the orphanage, Mrs. Xie, female employees in the Xie company, Xie Yan's secretary, Jiang Yao's friends

And of course, there's Jiang Yao

She is one of the major forces in UL1 driving the story development forward. I couldnt find her in any novel summary, so I thought she was entirely created for the movie as a reflection of the heteronormative structure and class society the characters live in. She's this model-like upper class girlfriend we expect people like Xie Yan dates, wears desinger fashion, likes to party, sucks up to his parents, used to get what she wants etc. They have met abroad and behave in a similar spoilt way. As snobs go, she talks down to Nian ('you don't look like a lackey') and when she understands the gravity of and has no control over Xie Yan's relationship with Nian she tries to manipulate the situation (blackmail) and later turns full femme fatale (hiring thugs). In the end, she's a picture of misery, her plans have backfired spectacularly. She learns the hard way that she was never going to be what Nian is to Xie Yan.

The woman in the red car we meet only in a short scene, when Xie Yan mistakes her for Nian.

Spoiler for UL2

Spoiler

she is definitely in the novel and she'll play a significant role in UL2. She was in early teasers:

 

 

[shuwei]

On July 11, 2016 at 5:38 AM, shuwei said:

wudong 12 haven't been subbed but if anyone is curious about what they said, i'll leave a little preview here:

  Reveal hidden contents

q: does love transcends gender?

xb: whether its liking men or women, everyone wants their love to be respected. each person will not like the same thing. if you found someone you truly love, i think you should use all your courage to express those feelings, so i support it. love does transcend gender.

mr: love transcends gender. i have many friends of that orientation, and i also did a lot of research recently. when i ask them, i get new information but i also adapted to them, find out what kind of community they have. after all that, maybe you will find that their love is more genuine than ours. after seeing their world, you will see situations and people differently. that is, realizing love transcends gender. a man liking another man isn't wrong, and you also cannot stop their relationship. if you can't congratulate them, then don't disapprove. you don't need to say bad things, because to them...we're also the same. after acting in this movie, we met a lot of people, encountered many things, saw and went through a lot. it's something we definitely support. 

 

bringing this back bc i still wanna talk more about WUDONG 12! it still hasn't been english subbed :((  but it's my fave wudong bc they were very honest about their personalities and dynamic

Spoiler

mr emphasized (again) about how xb appears tough on the outside, but soft on the inside. like when they were in france, xb would act spoiled and tell mr to make him food, but in actuality mr only boiled the water and xb did the rest. he also said that xb is not the type to his feelings or express them in words. so the fans watching the interviews might think that xb is a bit cold, but that's just the way his personality is. 

i'll get back to this at the end but i can really see what mr is talking about. at the first look at them people will think that mr is the more invested party, and xb is more detached/awkward. but if you watch xb after awhile, it's actually the opposite...

@5:54 mc: is xb usually the one who cooks? what do you think about his cooking?

Spoiler

mr: um... he can only cook a few things, like fried eggs or fried sausages, or ramen

mc: but you liked everything he made

mr: tch, it's not like i had anything else to eat, so i can only eat his food. if i say it doesn't taste good then he'll glare at me. i couldn't go outside either, and i didn't have anything with me. he kept the money and only gave me some each day

mc: he kept the money?

mr: yeah, he said i spent the money too fast so he only gave me a little. i couldn't go anywhere afterwards bc no money.

mc: i heard you took him out to eat

mr: right. on the first day he gave me 100 euros. i spent a lot that day, eating a huge meal. when we came back to the hotel he counted the money and said, "you spent so much money, i have to manage you a bit, you blah blah blah blah", nagging me for an hour.

@11:48 mc: if young master is upset at you, what will you do to make him feel better?

Spoiler

mc: a. act arrogant, b. cold war, c. kiss him, d. make him food and say sweet words

xb: um...we have never been angry at each other. but if it happens, i will have a cold war with him. bc with my personality i can only accept gentleness, not toughness. if someone is tough on me, i will be even tougher towards them. i only want to be pampered. normally young master understands me well, that's why he's never hard on me. he can't be hard on me. and he's never gotten upset with me.

ok so this is the part a lot cp fans felt sad about (especially after that "crying" video came out), but i think xb's body language throughout this entire question is worth a closer look. his fidgeting habit is pretty easy to read...like mr's answer was getting too REAL for him for a moment there. and i have to wonder what mr is like in real life for xb to be so consistently convinced that mr is only nice to him.

@16:56 mc: what do you think about each other's personalities?

Spoiler

xb: towards strangers he's bossy forceful, to people he's familiar with he's gentle and nice

mc: he's gentle and nice to the people he knows??

xb: to you he's bossy and forceful

mc: yeah

xb: maybe to people he's not close with, um, how to say this...to me he's gentle and nice. you are only like that with me right?

mr: ......he-

xb: hey, a lot of people said that the way i speak to you isn't very nice. do you feel that way?

mr: its gotten a lot better recently

xb: really...

mc: if the other person is a girl, will you fall for his personality?

mr: in the movie or real life?

mc: real life

mr: if he's a girl...it'd be difficult lol

mc: why would it be difficult?

xb: he likes the type that's safe, obedient, conservative. 

mr: yeah, yeah

xb: do you think i'm difficult?

mr: no

xb: actually, if you were a girl i'd still like you

mr: that's bc you like someone who takes care of you

xb: right, but i will also take care of them. i'll do it with my heart, my feelings. but you think i'm difficult, preferring someone gentle...

mr: 80% of your personality everyone will like, but no one is perfect. the remaining 20% depends. sometimes you are a bit...

xb: this isn't interesting...

mc: you guys are starting to get angsty

edit: wait i found a subbed ver! it's both widong 11+12 (adding up to an hour wow) the subs are a little rough but it's still good

 

[Ayachou]

Dont panic, but a MV of Wang Bowen's song 'Dream' for UL was apparently leaked today but the youtube video was already taken down. It shows a lot of UL2 scenes, so if you dont want to be spoilered, dont go there lol. It will most likely be re-uploaded...

Fans eagle eyes caught something verrrrrry interesting in the last wudong interview, start at 11:38 and watch closely where masters hands are

Spoiler

holding hands! (๑￫‿￩๑)

 

[shuwei]

23 minutes ago, Ayachou said:

Dont panic, but a MV of Wang Bowen's song 'Dream' for UL was apparently leaked today but the youtube video was already taken down. It shows a lot of UL2 scenes, so if you dont want to be spoilered, dont go there lol. It will most likely be re-uploaded...

rip me, an mv for my fave song. with xb being emo in the rain 

i guess that doesn't give much hope to a new duet ost

Spoiler

but i can't help but panic bc they are keeping ke luo's bday!!! like how rated are they gonna go for this scene

 

[Ayachou]

@shuwei yes, their irl dynamics is an eye-opener, they're pretty open about their feelings and relationship, sometimes going to an almost intimate depth. I had the same exact opinion at first, that xiaobai seems more awks and standoff-ish, but the longer you watch them, the more you realize how incredibly invested he is in their rs. He doesn't like doing solo interviews and always seeks out mr. If you think about it, there is a considerable age difference, you think and act different when you're 28 or 22. Xb also said that he is playful and that mr has the maturity and perhaps the calmness he needs. Once, he used the word tsundere for himself, looks like staff taught him the word. It repeats what mr also says about him: "hard/all attitude on the outside, soft/kind on the inside". Not sure how much of it was tiredness or if he was a bit drunk in that restaurant they went but it broke my heart seeing him confess that he wants mr just to leave a space in his heart for him. I believe mr picked on xb's sensitive side/insecurity pretty quickly after meeting him. Idk his work before UL or how he usually acts around co-workers/staffs but he's very gentle with xb, guiding and indulging him. He does these eye-rolls whenever xb gets dramatic but it only needs a glance or some ridiculously strange or mushy word from xb and he's back all over xb, smiling hard at his antics. It's fascinating... maybe their rs is even deeper than we know? Maybe something slowly developed between them while filming...

EDIT: KE LUO CAN GO TO HELL, DONT TOUCH HIM U LIL' DIPSHIT

[Ayachou]

Master and Xiaobai standing together

Spoiler

cr: ruiwenradio

apparently some fans grilled Meng Rui about a pressing matter ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Spoiler

 

beautiful baby boy, das some superior genes right there. Wish you a healthy delivery in France! Jiayou!

[Ayachou]

OMG DONT WATCH THAT MV, DO NOT WATCH IT, IT WILL DESTROY YOU ㅠㅡㅠ ㅠㅡㅠ ㅠㅡㅠ

wtf I dont think I can handle UL2

[deltos]

8 minutes ago, Ayachou said:

OMG DONT WATCH THAT MV, DO NOT WATCH IT, IT WILL DESTROY YOU ㅠㅡㅠ ㅠㅡㅠ ㅠㅡㅠ

wtf I dont think I can handle UL2

gotta link ?

[shuwei]

@Ayachou yeah i love that the mcs can get the two of them to talk about anything; neither are shy or stoic like how guys usually are. especially mr, the guy could talk endlessly but still stay eloquent. i guess that's the advantage of being a grown man lol.

ah yes the age gap. imo it's the most dominating factor in their dynamics! (considering how many times did xb tried to hint that he has interest in people older than him ) i even think mr feels responsible for xb. i saw a viet translated portion from koala fm where mr talked about how he has always been worried about xb losing his individual fans by participating in a BL project, and that he hopes the fans won't create pressure on xb bc xb is the type that looks fine on the surface but will internalize all the negativity alone. i mean with the way he sometimes talks about xb you'd think xb has been under his care for 10 years.

haha mr seems pretty nice in onscreen and in public but it's hard to know what he's like offscreen. he's one of those ultra impatient and punctual type so i could see him being nitpicky and overbearing like an old man lol. but he probably saw that big "handle with care" sign on xb's forehead so he decides to be extra nice and patient with xb. i think mr's behavior and actions are pretty predictable and easily explained but xb is really the interesting side of the story here....

i also saw this comment on yt that said, mr does fanservice with this carelessness and easy attitude of a nearly 30 yo guy who knows he's straight, but xb is a whole different story with the hot/cold mood swings that just screams "i want your attention!!" lol. i usually don't make guesses about actors' sexuality but it's an interesting observation

P.S. wait is "xiao wang ye"'s pic a morph pic? bc he looks exactly like jung junyoung lol

[Ayachou]

1 hour ago, deltos said:

gotta link ?

it was on a chinese video portal, it's taken down now. The MV has a copyright signature, either its a hack or an illegal leak, pretty sure they dont want it out yet. Lets wait for an official upload, I'll post a link here.

@shuwei yeah, they do that 'married' banter very naturally, like they've known each other for years. I wont speculate on their sexuality. mr has said several times that he respects LGBT and gave a very eloquent speech in one of the interviews about their rights and life. I think he's a very open man who knows about diversity and tolerance. xb also touched on the subject and seems supportive of the cause.

idk he's... very skittish, almost gittery sometimes when mr is with him. He said, he's not like himself when he's with mr. While I agree, mr seems to have that self-confidence you develop with age. Impulsive vs assured. idk I need to observe them further

Funny, how in almost all videos they gravitate towards each other: first they sit apart and naturally end up glued together by the end lol. Same with the touching: from clutching pillows or holding mics and looking to the camera > to hands gliding over faces and bodies,leaning into the other, holding legs, facing each other and much more. Somethin goin on there, my friend.....

 

[Ayachou]

51 minutes ago, shuwei said:

P.S. wait is "xiao wang ye"'s pic a morph pic? bc he looks exactly like jung junyoung lol

yes, looks like a morph pic made of Wang Bowen and Meng Ruis faces XD

Spoiler

The kid is cute, just like his... daddies? lol.

I'm sorry, Jung Junyoung....... nugu?

 

[deltos]

12 minutes ago, Ayachou said:

it was on a chinese video portal, it's taken down now. The MV has a copyright signature, either its a hack or an illegal leak, pretty sure they dont want it out yet. Lets wait for an official upload, I'll post a link here.

 

Ah thanks and I do have access to all ( or most ) the Chinese video sites and Western sites...so when ever you post I can access . Thanks again

[Ayachou]

2 major official news:

1. probably didnt make any sense for them to wait to upload after it leaked, so here it is:

Warning: Spoilers for UL2, watch at your own risk

[MV] UNCONTROLLED LOVE OST - 'Dream' by Wang Bowen (official MV on official UL weibo)

http://www.weibo.com/p/230444b447a23282e5926aac75bcd0d05e2eb4

 

2. there will be a UL DVD+photobook release. They created a page for it here, pre-orders will start soon. As soon as it's available in an online shop for international fans order, I'll post a link. Please support UL, it's cast and crew <3

cr: WiWaNd

 

[Ayachou]

[lyrics] UNCONTROLLED LOVE - 'Dream 夢 ' by Wang Bowen 王博文

Vocals and lyrics by Wang Bowen

(chinese)

我沒有什麼 站在你身後
愛有許多種 他們不是我
何必 費心解說

我不敢難過 只能沉默
我也懂你 不過要掙脫
看你一笑一動 我幸運就得寵
裝聾作啞 為你一個

笑過哭過今天都沉默
我一個人說 我愛你是真的
我不難過 背對傷口
我 獨自難承受

我說你只是夢 醒來沉重
請讓我繼續做夢

笑過哭過都變成折磨
我一個人說 你愛我是真的
我不難過 背對傷口
我 獨自難承受

我說你只是夢 無疾而終
說你只能在記憶中
請讓我繼續做夢
在夢裡繼續做夢

(english, not 100%, cr: burninglight92@twitter)

I don't have anything
Standing behind you
There are many types of love
They are not me
No need put in effort to explain

I dont dare to be sad, I can only stay silent
I Understand you too but I need to struggle free
watching your every smile and movement
If I'm lucky I get your love
Acting deaf and mute just for you

I laughed, I cried, it's still silent today
On my own I said it is true that I love you
I am not sad, back facing the wounds
It's hard to bear alone
I said that you are only a dream
It's heavy to wake up from
Said that you can only be in memories

Please let me continue to dream
I don't have anything

(2x)

I laughed, I cried, it all becomes torture
On my own I said it is true that you love me
I am not sad, back facing the wounds
It's hard to bear it alone

I said that you are only a dream
Ended without a cause
Said that you can only be in memories
Please let me continue to dream
Continue dreaming in my dream

 

[Ayachou]

he's breaking my heart, I cant bear watch him get hurt this much

step away from everythin (especially that street!) and come here bb, we'll protect you

I swear if anything happens to Nian....