Absolutely sensational, 1st rate and deeply felt. Very iconic in my knowledge of the genre. While not knowing what to expect, 3 questions came to mind as I was watching this. The 1st question happened about 1/3 into the film: could this be done as a straight film? And soon after the mid point, my answer was "no". The second question came a little after my 1st question: could this be something other than Japanese? The answer was also an affirmative "no". The 3rd question was why the title (English) "Egoist"? That had me wondered until the story took a sharp turn which I am not telling, but the answer is related to the question of "true love". I am among those who believe that there is a sense of altruistic giving in true love, but behind this lofty ideal, we must not forget as human and no matter how altruistic we are, there is always an underlying incentive of reward for the giver and this is the premise of the story. Henceforth, the title. On the genre "gay films". I shall begin with a personal story. When I was studying at AFI, Sherry Lansing, an executive at one of Hollywood major studios came to talk. She told us excitingly that there will be a new picture from Hollywood that would rewrite how gays were being portrayed. That gays will be presented in a more positive light. No longer as victims, as side casts, or as deviants and definitely unapologetically. The film was "La Cage Aux Folles" - the 1978 version. That also turned out to be a huge success. If you understand film to be a form of popular culture, not only to be enjoyed by the mass but also to time stamp the mass as history and as a collective, then films are certainly there to mark changes in attitude as well. Other which performed as milestone markers for me are "Boys in the Band", "Torch Song Trillogy", "Happy Together"(for HK), "Lan Yu" (for China), "Milk", "Philadelphia", "Dallas Buyers Club", "Call me by your Name" etc... Other than the Asian ones I mentioned and among those that I am not calling out, these films marked changing attitudes and perceptions about gays in society. For "Egoist", it certainly marked a very distinct attitude in the context of time, space and culture and presented these attributes in a more philosophical question on love and altruism. Finally a good word for the two actors who delivered their performances with much subtleties and believability. A word of warning for those who are prudish before you go rushing into the cinema. There are enough fairly explicit love scenes to raise your eyebrows. So there!
