WATCH: Steamy romance & mother-son relationships make this Japanese drama a guaranteed tearjerker
Egoist, a new romantic drama from acclaimed Japanese filmmaker Daishi Matsunaga.Subscribe to our newsletter for your front-row seat to all things entertainment with a sprinkle of everything else queer.Based on author Makoto Takayama celebrated semi-autobiographical novel of the same name, Egoist examines love, sex, companionship, family, and grief through a uniquely queer lens.When Kôsuke (Ryohei Suzuki) was 14, his mother died, and he grew up lonely in a rural, conservative village where he was forced to suppress feelings that he might be gay.
Now in his 30s, he’s living the life he used to dream of: He’s an out and proud man, enjoying a comfortable life in Tokyo where he works as a fashion magazine editor.In an effort to get into better shape, he hires a handsome personal trainer named Ryûta (Hio Miyazawa) who also secretly moonlights as a male escort in order to make enough money to support his elderly mother.
Despite Ryûta’s undisclosed side hustle, there’s a spark between the two, and they get closer with each passing gym session.
Before they know it, the two men find themselves in a passionate romantic relationship.Eventually, Kôsuke meets Ryûta’s mother, too, who is very close with her son.
