LGBT

Remothered: Broken Porcelain Review

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If I have to summarize the plot of this game, I probably couldn’t, and it was not as if there wasn’t a story.  There was so much telling and less showing that I started to daydream midway. Just imagine listening to a dry history class lecture. Are you going to retain any information? Probably not unless it affects you in some way.

You see, I don’t know what it’s like to have a bad father. The dad in this game is SUPER EVIL. But I do know what it’s like not to “have” a dad presence around. That doesn’t make him evil. For this reason, I didn’t find the plot mind-boggling. However, I do agree with the story that there’s a monster in every businessman.

Men in suit=evil!

What’s funny is that I didn’t quite grasp the story until playing the second installment. I suppose the developer decided to lay out the story because the first one wasn’t clear. From the beginning, we get a recap of the first game. After that, the evil dad kept divulging his dirty laundry to the protagonist. Is it Jennifer or Celeste?  I don’t know what the real name of the protagonist is anymore. Despite my dissatisfaction with the story, I still enjoyed Remothered: Broken Porcelain. The hide-and-seek portion was fun. I like exploring the hotel and having a female best friend. You know, being a delinquent adolescent, having dreams, and breaking the norm. It’s a euphoric feeling.

Relaxing scene
A rose for you

Unfortunately, I don’t classify myself as being a part of the LGBT community. So, the romantic scene in this game didn’t really mean anything to me. However, I appreciate it because we don’t see a lot of this type of narrative in video games.

Romantic scene

As far as the gameplay, I mentioned briefly that I enjoyed the hiding and exploring part. This was until I unlocked the special “moth” power. This power puts players into first-person view. It reminded me of the game, Amy, where you control things with your mind. I don’t like first-person view games. That’s why I was a little disappointed in the game.

So, if the story and gameplay are okay, what makes this game special? The answer is the artwork. I like the monster and character designs. I like the atmosphere of the game. Lastly,  I like collecting the trading cards.  I have a few more to collect.

Overall, the game was enjoyable, but it would have been great if it was more suspenseful and mysterious. So, if you are a true survival horror fan, you should still check it out.

The Children’s Hour Review

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I like how Amazon Prime recommended this film to me a couple of years ago. I watched a handful of thought-provoking films I had never seen before. The Children’s Hour was one of them. Recently, I watched it on Tubi for free, but you can also watch it on Youtube as well.

I remember feeling surprised that the film is about homophobia since I know nothing about it beforehand. I just thought oh, it’s the lovely Audrey Hepburn in the front cover. I had no preconceived ideas about it. This gave me a clean slate to admire the film for what it is. I like how the way the film was shot. It’s poetically moving. But what I enjoyed most about the film was its message. When a society wrongfully shuns you, you just walk away. Ms. Karen Wright (Hepburn) walked away because she is right.

Synopsis

The schoolteacher, Martha Dobie (starring Shirley Maclaine), realizes her affection towards her colleague, Karen Wright, runs really deep. A child accuses the schoolteachers of being lovers, which has caused the school to shut down. All because the townspeople didn’t want lesbians to lead their children astray, because the teachers’ relationship is unnatural.

My Thoughts

The film doesn’t say it outright, but it argues what does sexual orientation have to do with morality?  The school headmistresses’ job is to bring up good citizens. The only vice Ms. Dobie has is being in love with Ms. Wright. She is “insanely devoted” to the school and Ms. Wright, according to her aunt. Her behavior is “unnatural.” So what is natural? To gossip and spread lies? To only think of one’s self interest? As Ms. Wright says, “Wicked young” [eventually turns into] “wicked old.”

This film was directed by William Wyler, based on Lillian Hellman’s play: The Children’s Hour. I have not read the actual play. For now, the black and white film is excellent!  

P.S.

My favorite quote from Ms. Dobie is “Ethical doctors don’t advertise.” She was a good teacher and a passionate one.

***

For similar films, you can check out my other reviews: