Breezy Day – Movie Review

Mu Zhe and Sean are getting married. Today is their wedding day, and they've booked a small venue for the special occasion. Most of the guests have already arrived, so the ceremony should be starting soon. However, Mu Zhe is still waiting for his father to show up. He never received a response after sending the invitation. Even so, Mu Zhe keeps wondering if his dad might surprise him by attending and giving the couple his blessing.

When she was alive, Mu Zhe's mother supported her gay son unconditionally. After she died from an illness, Mu Zhe and his dad struggled to maintain the same positive relationship. His father disapproves of him dating another man, which has caused plenty of arguments between them. Mu Zhe believes his mother's presence would have made a difference. She knew how to talk to her husband and soften some of his traditional views. Without her, Mu Zhe has struggled to communicate with his dad, especially about the wedding.

Sean has his own family drama. He was previously married to a woman. Their marriage lasted almost a decade. They've divorced since then, but the split wasn't amicable. His ex-wife blames Sean for wasting ten years of her life. The former couple shares custody of their teenage son, who has been caught between two feuding parents. He enjoys spending time with his father and Mu Zhe. They even go on camping trips together. Yet, he also wants to remain loyal to his mother, who's still bitter about the divorce and her ex-husband moving on.

On the wedding day, Mu Zhe's father arrives outside the venue. However, he hesitates to go inside. He still hasn't decided whether he can bring himself to attend his son's wedding. Then, he spots Sean's teenage son nearby, who's currently struggling with the same decision. Mu Zhe's father recognizes the teenager from photos on his son's social media. They've never met before, but he has a rough idea of who this kid is. Soon, he realizes Sean's son has his own reasons for avoiding the ceremony.

After introducing themselves, Mu Zhe's father and Sean's son go somewhere quieter to talk. They sit by the pier and look out at the sea. The father explains that he hadn't planned to attend the wedding until his late wife appeared in a dream and urged him to go. But now that he's actually here, he feels awkward. He still doesn't know how to feel about his son's relationship. Meanwhile, Sean's son opens up about his own predicament. He worries that attending his father's wedding would feel like betraying his mother. Even though the divorce happened years ago, he still feels torn over where his loyalty should lie.

Mu Zhe's father and Sean's son barely know each other. They're practically strangers who just happened to cross paths outside a wedding neither of them wants to attend. Nonetheless, talking about their feelings has helped them understand what's really bothering them. Back at the venue, Mu Zhe and Sean have noticed that both guests are missing. The ceremony is about to begin, but they still don't know whether their loved ones will show up.

Breezy Day isn't a particularly complex film. It focuses on how a family reacts to their loved ones marrying. Despite its simplicity, I see it as a small but positive contribution to LGBTQ+ cinema. A decade ago, Breezy Day couldn't have existed. Back then, Taiwan hadn't legalized same-sex marriage yet. A movie about a gay wedding felt far from reality. Thankfully, times have changed. It's amazing just to watch a story where two men or two women can marry. Let's never take that freedom for granted, okay?

The story begins with two men happily in love, preparing for their wedding day. But their loved ones are like, "NO! I DO NOT CONSENT!" Opponent #1 is the prejudiced father. He's a hater! Opponent #2 is the teenage son. After his parents' divorce, he isn't thrilled about Dad getting hitched to a new man. The movie doesn't turn either character into a villain. It treats their feelings as valid and lets them express their concerns. Even if we disagree with them, the story encourages us to learn their perspectives. I really like this mature approach! Before challenging anyone's views, let's first understand where they're coming from.

While I like the general concept of this movie, the story is underdeveloped. The characters never grow beyond their basic roles. We have The Father. We have The Teenager. Then we have The Couple. We don't spend enough time with them to fully understand their relationships. This 20-minute film needs to be longer to dig deeper into the storylines. Breezy Day also gets too sappy. Near the end, we see a video clip of the sick mom. I'm sorry for sounding like an asshole, but it's kinda corny! It feels like a clumsy attempt at a tearjerking moment to tug at our heartstrings.

Don't go into this film expecting any in-depth romance. It's missing a lot of relationship content. We don't see how Mu Zhe and Sean fall in love or what their daily routine is like. The story focuses heavily on the father, reducing the couple's screentime even more. That said, the newlyweds have a few sweet moments highlighting their affection, especially during the wedding speeches. Plus, getting married is a big deal! It confirms that Mu Zhe and Sean are building a life together. The movie gives enough pleasant material to make me feel optimistic about this couple.

Wang's actor (Yu An Shun) gets the juicier role as the emotionally conflicted father, giving him plenty of opportunities to shine on screen. His glassy-eyed expressions are really convincing! Unfortunately, Mu Zhe's actor (Roy Chang) isn't as persuasive during the dramatic scenes. When he cries, it kinda looks like he wanna squeeze fake tears outta his eyes. As for the cinematography, the movie looks lovely with its bright, vivid colours. I like that one shot where the camera lingers on the cup stains across the table. It looks almost like wedding rings? That visual is clever!

Near the end, the reconciliation gets a little cheesy. Even so, I like the sentiment behind the moment. It's touching to see the father soften his views and make an effort to bond with his son. Interestingly, the teenage son is still absent from the wedding. Hmm… I like that detail! Even though the movie ends happily, not every family conflict gets resolved overnight. Overall, Breezy Day is a decent short film with some sweet moments and thoughtful messages. However, the story and romance feel too underdeveloped. There's not enough to justify a high review score.