So let me list down my Top Ten Most Memorable (or Dialogues) from Pink films:

10. Happy Together (Hong Kong), Wong Kar Wai, 1997

“Turns out that lonely people are all the same.”

Okay. This film is Wong Kar Wai, same director who brought us In The Mood For Love and 2046, so it’s already given that it’s a quality movie. He was even awarded Cannes Film Fest’s Best Director Award for this movie and was nominated for the Golden Palm, the highest award a movie could ever receive in Cannes.

The film depicts the turbulent romantic relationship between two men who were portrayed by Tony Leung Chiu-Wai (Infernal Affairs, Lust, Caution) and Leslie Cheung (Days Of Being Wild, Farewell My Concubine).

Leslie Cheung died at the age of 46 after he committed suicide on April 1, 2003 due to depression.

9. The Blossoming of Maximo Oliveros (Philippines), Auraeus Solito, 2005

“Maraming masamang tao mundo, pero nag-iisa lang ang tatay ko.”

This film presents one of the toughest choices in the history of gay cinema – love for your family (of cellphone snatchers) or love for your… first love who happens to be a cop. That must be hard, isn’t it? But Maxi proved he’s a big boy (or girl?) already and in the end, was able to resolve the conflict and finally made his choice.

My favorite part of the movies was the final scene which was a clever homage to the final scene of the Hollywood film, The Third Man.

This Filipino film also won awards from different international award-giving bodies such as the Berlin International Film Festival, Las Palmas Film Festival, Montreal World Film Festival, Asian Festival of 1st Films and imagineNative Film Festival. It was also Philippines’ official entry to the 2007 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.

8. Bungee Jumping Of Their Own (South Korea), Kim Dae-seung, 2001

In-woo’s wife: Are you really gay?
In-woo: No.
In-woo’s wife: Then what?
In-woo: I only love one person.
In-woo’s wife: If you’re going to love that one person, does it have to be a 17 year-old boy?

This film stars Asian superstar Lee Byung-Hun (A Bitterweet Life, The Good, The Bad and The Weird) who was also Song Hye Kyo’s former fiance.

A man’s girlfriend dies. He meets another man who he realizes is his girlfriend reincarnated. Even the second man begins to realize it. They struggle to be lovers when they have become a same-sex couple unexpectedly.

I think the title suggests the risk for keeping a same sex relationship. I mean, it’s not really that easy to engage in such relationship, is it? It’s not enough that you love each other to survive this society of ours. You also have to be strong and courageous.

7. Sommersturm (Germany), Marco Kreuzpaintner, 2004

“If you keep hiding forever, one day you might lose yourself completely.”

The quote’s suggestion is simple – always show the ‘real you’. The story is set to the background of a rowing regatta, which climaxes into a Summer Storm.

It was highly-praised by critics saying “it nicely captures the awkward confusion of first-time sexual encounters (gay or straight) and the collateral wounds caused by deceiving others and oneself”.

The film also won awards from its home country such as  New Faces Award for the Director Marco Freuzpaintner, Germany, 2005.

6. Milk (USA), Gus Van Sant, 2008

“All men are created equal. No matter how hard you try, you can never erase those words.”

Critics list it as one of their top ten best films of 2008. It also received several awards and was nominated for 8 Academy Awards including Best Motion Picture of the Year and Best Actor Award for Sean Penn which he won.

The movies tells the story of Harvey Milk, an American politician and was the first openly gay man to be elected to public office in California. Milk was assassinated by Dan White on November 27, 1978.

5. Shelter (USA), Jonah Markowitz, 2007

“You’re so beautiful.”

I could not think of a sweeter line a boyfriend can tell you than this line from this film, Shelter. The film tells the story of Zach who is forced to give up his dreams of art school, and so he spends his days working a dead-end job and helping his needy sister care for her son. In his free time he surfs, draws and hangs out with his best friend, Gabe, who lives on the wealthy side of town. When Gabe’s older brother, Shaun, returns home, he is drawn to Zach’s selflessness and talent. Zach falls in love with Shaun while struggling to reconcile his own desires with the needs of his family.

I can relate so much to this movie especially when it comes to dream-family conflict thingy.

The film gained awards from LGBT film festivals such as Seattle Lesbian & Gay Film Festival (Best New Director, Favorite Narrative Feature), Vancouver Queer Film Festival (People’s Choice Award for Best Feature), Tampa Gay & Lesbian Film Festival (Best Actor for Trevor Wright, Audience Award for Best Cinematography), Philadelphia International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival (Special Award for first-time director), Melbourne Queer Film Festival and others.

4. Alexander (USA), Oliver Stone, 2004

“No, like a dear listening in the wind you strike me still, Alexander. You have eyes like no other. I sound as stupid as a school boy, but you’re everything I care for. And by the sweet breath of Aphrodite I’m so jealous of losing you to this world you want so badly.”

This epic film tells the story of the legendary Alexander The Great. It proved to be controversial because of Farell’s portrayal of a bisexual Alexander.

I think the relationship between Alexander and Hephaestion is what you call Pederasty. It’s a relationship very common in Ancient Greece. Aristotle and Plato had the same relationship. Pederasty is an erotic relationship between an adolescent boy and an adult man outside his immediate family. The older man is called the erastes while the younger man is the eromenos.

Unfortunately, the film wasn’t well-received by critics and was even nominated for 6 Razzies Awards including Worst Picture.

3. The Love of Siam (Thailand), Chookiat Sakveerakul, 2007

“I’m sorry I can’t be your boyfriend, but that doesn’t mean I don’t love you.”

I didn’t like how the movie ended. It suggested gay love cannot win. But I must say, the two boys in this movie are so cute especially Mario Maurer who gained fans from different parts of Asia after starring in this movie. I also love the theme song Gun Lae Gun I even listed it as one of my greatest songs ever.

This flick is described as “a multi-layered family drama, a controversial element of the story is a gay romance between two teenage boys”.

It became a controversial movie in its home country because of it was marketed as a teen romance between boys and girls, obscuring its gay theme. But in spite of the controversy, the film did well in the box-office as it was the No.1 film in Thailand on its first weekend, topping the previous No.1 which was Beowulf. It was also well-received by critics.

2. Brokeback Mountain (USA), Ang Lee, 2005

“I wish I knew how to quit you.”

Mygadd. This line is definitely one of the most bittersweet lines in the history of gay cinema. It’s just so sweet… and at the same time, painful. I cried at the end of the movie, it’s just so affecting. It’s also one of my favorite movies ever. It’s just… close to my heart. They say the poster is fashioned after Titanic’s, which is also a story of star-crossed lovers.

This movie is probably the most awarded and most famous film on the list. It had the most nominations from the 78th Academy Awards, and won 3 including Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Original Score. But it’s weird it didn’t win the Best Picture Award! Who, oh, why? It’s apparently well-received by critics, and also did good at the box-office as it ranked eighth among the highest-grossing romantic dramas of all time. We can also say it’s one of the most controversial films of all time. LOL

The film depicts the complex romantic and sexual relationship between two men in the American West from 1963 to 1983.

1. No Regret (South Korea), Leesong Hee-il, 2006

“What makes your penis special from all the penises I suck every night?”

We, gay men, will meet so many wonderful men in our lives and we’re gonna have sex with some of them. And if we’re lucky enough will meet this one man who will not only touch our body but our hearts as well.

This film, I must say, is my favorite gay film ever. I was so touched by this beautiful, debut film of an openly gay, South Korean director, which is based on his earlier short Good Romance. No Regret is regarded as “the first real Korean gay feature”. The film depicts the story of Su min from the country orphanage who comes to Seoul to study design. However, after several tough jobs, he unexpectedly ends up working as a prostitute in a gay bar. There he meets Jae-min. Su-min refuses Jae-min who’s been trying everything he could to win Su-min’s heart. Jae-min is from a rich and conservative family that doesn’t accept his sexual identity. After experiencing a brief happiness as passionate lovers, Su-min and Jae-min fall into tragic situations.

The film was critically-acclaimed and was also well-received by its audience as it became the top grossing independent film at the Korean box office.

I loved every second of the film especially the ending which I believed to be a symbolism. I’ve learned that homosexuality in South Korea is still a taboo, and homosexuals in the country are still afraid of coming out of their closets. The ending of the film seems to be a wake-up call to all homosexuals, who are still afraid of outing, to learn to accept themselves and let the world see who they really are. The acting is superb, especially Lee Yeong Hoon who played the role of Su min. The film was a hit for an independent film in South Korea.

Do you wanna know what Jae-min answered Su-min?

“Mine is sole.”