Sometimes one more ingredient is needed. At the end of my review of ”Pure Vanilla”, the prequel of this short film, I wrote that ”I would love to see the lead actors in a full-fledged BL series”. Well, this isn't a full series, but a movie about double the runtime of the prequel, so I say thank you to cast and crew for making my wish to see the lead actors again come true. ”Pure Vanilla: Recipe for Romance” is the second short film about Gabriel, the owner of a café, and his assistant Charlie, who've had a crush on each other for some time, but are too shy to confess (although they did kiss at the end of the prequel). For guys like them, sometimes one more ingredient is needed to complete the "recipe for romance", in other words to make them realize that they love each other, and to talk about it frankly. This additional ingredient enters the stage in the person of Alex, who Gabriel has hired to promote the café, and who turns out to be Charlie's schoolmate. As Charlie spends a lot of time with Alex, Gabriel becomes even more insecure about his and Charlie's relationship, and his jealousy shows when he invites (or rather orders) Charlie to go to a café with him the next day instead of spending another day with Alex. The situation in the café is awkward as Gabriel wants to know what he means to Charlie, but Charlie avoids a clear answer. The reason for Charlie's evasiveness becomes clear to the viewer (and probably to Charlie, too), when the next day Alex confesses that he's always had a crush on Charlie, and that this feeling is there again now. But Alex is also the one to tell Charlie that he has noticed there is ”something special” between Gabriel and Charlie, and he isn't surprised when Charlie agrees. At the same time Gabriel gives us a shower scene which makes the viewer want to see him shirtless more often. When he calls Charlie on the phone, and Alex answers the call, Gabriel thinks that his jealousy is justified, and out of frustration starts cooking dinner. The climax of the movie is reached, when Charlie visits Gabriel's home to tell him that he turned Alex down and to confess his love to him. As it should be in a good BL show, the happy ending is sealed with a kiss. Like its prequel, ”Pure Vanilla”, this movie is a quiet little love story that will make you smile, and that will make you think ”yeah, that's the way it is”, as you witness the inhibitions, the secret loving glances, the despair of jealousy, and the realistic way of these two shy guys cautiously getting closer. The script tells a true-to-life story, where two young men, who are deeply in love with each other, need the catalyst of a third person to accept their own feelings and to finally utter them frankly. It is a relief to watch a BL movie where this third person isn't the ”evil ex”, but a friend who loves his former schoolmate so much that he doesn't try to separate Charlie and Gabriel. There are a few inner monologues which help the viewer understand the main characters, but in most scenes it's their actions that reveal what's going on inside of them. So kudos to the writer Mickey Hiah for the sensitive way of describing Gabriel and Charlie's love story. Mickey Hiah also did a great job directing the movie by making his actors display the right little gestures and the right glances at the right moments. Once again, I cannot but praise all the three main actors – Braven Yeo perfectly personifies Gabriel's uncertainty and jealousy, while Soh Deng Xun absolutely authentically displays Charlie's restrained character. Leon Koh as Alex comes across flirty at first, but his ”retreat” is just as credible. The soundtrack contributes to the quiet and heartwarming atmosphere of the movie – it is never intrusive, but sets the right accents in decisive moments. This beautiful little movie proves from beginning to end the love that all the crew and cast involved have put into this production, and so I can only hope that we'll get to see more scenes of Gabriel and Charlie's love story. Country: Singapore (2023) Duration: 22:14 mins. Director: Mickey Hiah Cast: Soh Deng Xun, Braven Yeo, Leon Koh et al.

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