Teenage Queer Romance in Taiwan
“Your Name Engraved Herein” follows young couple
BY GARY M. KRAMER
The sensitive gay romance, “Your
Name Engraved Herein,” now available
on Netfl ix, became the highest
grossing LGBTQ fi lm in its native
Taiwan — the only Asian country that has legalized
same-sex marriage. The engrossing
drama stems largely from director Kuang-Hui
(“Patrick”) Liu’s personal experiences, but it will
resonate with anyone who had unbridled desire
for their best friend as a teenager.
Jia-Han (Edward Chen) attends a religious
high school in 1987, just as martial law is lifted.
He is fi rst seen talking with Father Oliver (Fabio
Grangeon), who is counseling Jia-Han following
a fi ght. Jia-Han boldly confesses his love for
his classmate, Birdy (Chin-Hua Tseng) — nicknamed
after the title character in the 1984 fi lm
— which leads to fl ashbacks and discussions of
love and faith.
The narrative structure is a bit choppy, but
Liu’s fi lm is heartfelt. He deftly captures the
bromance that develops between the two teens,
that may — or may not — be one-sided. Jia-
Han is enamored with Birdy almost instantly.
The handsome newcomer exudes appeal, even
if he is deemed “weird.” Birdy is unafraid to rescue
a queer schoolmate from an abusive situation
that involves Jia-Han. Birdy is also brave
enough to stand up to an authority in music
class when he feels his rights are being curbed.
And he dares to piss into an authority’s car in
retaliation. Chin-Hua Tseng portrays Birdy’s
insouciance well, making him appealing, even
when he is at his most mischievous.
Jia-Han, however, is more inhibited. He
quietly longs for Birdy, and dreams of acting
on his attraction. A trip the classmates take
to Taipei is full of affectionate moments; they
rest their bodies against one another and
almost kiss. The teens share a palpable intimacy
that sparks and reinforces Jia-Han’s
desires — he is a goner, and viewers will ache
for him.
“Your Name Engraved Herein” reveals the
physical and emotional consequences of such
love on its characters. There are many sensual
moments. Jia-Han imagines Birdy lying on top
of him in one scene, and it results in him having
a wet dream. An exquisite sequence late in the
fi lm features the teens lying naked on a beach.
Watching Jia-Han brush the sand off Birdy’s
chest and arm brims with eroticism. But the
fi lm’s most stimulating moment is when Jia-
Han helps an injured Birdy in the shower. As
Jia-Han soaps his beloved’s naked body, he can
act on his unspoken desires. For Birdy, it may
be an opportunity to express what he may be
“Your Name Engraved Herein” deftly highlights the connection between two teens in Taiwan.
too afraid or ashamed to do. Liu is both explicit
and ambiguous here, which is why the episode
is so enthralling.
The teens’ relationship becomes complicated
when female students are enrolled at the school.
The outspoken Banban (Mimi Shao) becomes
romantically involved with Birdy. Of course,
this prompts Jia-Han’s jealousy and despair.
“Your Name Engraved Herein” focuses on
Jia-Han processing his same-sex desires, and
Edward Chen makes his brooding compelling
as Jia-Han approaches the abused queer student,
asking how long he has liked boys. Their
charged exchange, however, prompts Jia-Han
to deny his homosexuality. Likewise, a sexual
encounter Jia-Han has with an older man,
which involves being kissed and groped, is cut
short as Jia-Han is full of self-loathing. Jia-Han
is certainly an angsty teen — he is pressured to
excel at school and fi nd a girlfriend — but he is
distracted by his obsession with Birdy. Yet he is
more ingratiating than mopey, which is largely
because Jia-Han never sees homosexuality as
“wrong” despite all the negativity he encounters
and experiences. In his talks with Father Oliver,
he asks: Why is it acceptable for the priest
to be allowed to love a woman, but he cannot
love a man?
The diffi culty of being gay is also illustrated
in an early scene when Jia-Han and Birdy are
FILM
NETFLIX
in Taipei and witness an activist being arrested
for protesting for LGBTQ rights. The danger of
being openly queer is suggested throughout the
fi lm. A scene where Jia-Han debates about coming
out to his family is full of dramatic tension.
At times, however, “Your Name Engraved
Herein” feels underdeveloped. Birdy’s background
is briefl y addressed when his father
rages at his son following a prank. And some of
the cultural and political references in the fi lm
may be lost on American audiences. (The end of
martial law backdrop is used to show how rules
are defi ed).
The fi lm’s biggest drawback is the jerky editing.
One sequence shows the teens on bikes
at night, on a train the next day, and then on
a ship that night. It is meant to show ebb and
fl ow of the teen’s relationship, but the transitions
could have been smoother. Moreover, the
last act jumps decades ahead in time — and
to Montreal, where Father Oliver is from. This,
too, is a misstep. It may be important to give
the characters a sense of closure, or a chance
to look back on their teenage years. But it would
have been far more powerful to end “Your Name
Engraved Herein” when the characters were
still in the throes of fi rst love.
Still, its weak coda does not prevent this
touching fi lm from getting under the viewer’s
skin.
GayCityNews.com | JANUARY 28 - FEBRUARY 10, 2021 31
/GayCityNews.com
