The Memories

A touching true-to-life gay series from Cambodia

There have been some Cambodian BL productions, but most of them have remained below the radar of international BL fans, which is a pity, because they have a different colour than Thai, Taiwanese, Japanese and Korean series. They are less highly polished and more true-to-life, and thus touch viewers' hearts and minds in a different, maybe deeper way.

I don't know whether ”The Memories” can even be called a BL series, as most of the tiring tropes of conventional BL series aren't there. I'd rather call it a gay series, and as the lives of gay and LGBT people in general aren't a bed of roses in many societies, this series doesn't have the happy ending that we all would wish the protagonists to have, because happiness is what we wish LGBT people to experience in their lives.

The series tells the story of Phano (Bankk/Ly Kymchhai), a Pnom Penh student, who thinks that he is in a relationship with Toy (Phom Chounat), but Toy cheats on him with Yuri (Serey Monineath). As Phano, Toy, and Yuri meet by coincidence, Phano is upset, and Toy breaks up with him. Later, Phano's best friend Cake (Zouy Zouy/Phern Chanbopha) tells him that an assignment they had done together wasn't accepted, which is the cherry on top of a bad day. Phano goes to a café where he falls asleep, and an employee called Prince (Sorn Rotana) comforts him with a cup of hot milk.

After their first encounter, Phano falls for Prince and misinterprets his kindness as a love interest, which is reinforced when Prince later protects him from three bullies who insult Phano for being gay. The same bullies attack Phano and his friends later, and again it is Prince who rescues him. Phano invites Prince to a meal in a restaurant, and Prince accepts the invitation although he doesn't seem happy about it, which Phano doesn't notice. In the restaurant, they meet Toy and his girlfriend, and Toy insults Phano again.

Phano surprises Prince with a birthday cake,...