No Regret (2006)

A low class orphan boy, now man, struggles to make a living in Seoul. Eventually he turns to being a high-end rent boy. The protagonist is good enough looking. But they should have found a significantly less unattractive supporting actor for the love interest. Was he somehow a friend of the director? Or a well known straight actor? Sure, a more attractive love interest might have changed the script, but it would have also made a lot more sense within the existing framework.

Love of Siam (2007)

A longish Thai film with traces of a soap opera in the script, but I enjoyed much of it. Mario Maurer, probably 18 years old when the movie was made, plays one of the boys and is astoundingly pretty. Overall the film is very gay friendly. Even the straight boys are affectionate. One tongue kisses a friend during CPR drill and says he was just curious. Still it is a modern and realistic portrayal with homophobia still serving as a source of conflict.

# # # Spoiler

I was temporarily miffed at the non-Hollywood ending, but actually it made me think. Maurice was the story with an unequivocally positive ending which made watching gay movies finally worthwhile. With so many gay themed movies out there, I'm again ready for the less positive endings.