Your Name Engraved Herein: the burden of being a couple in the wrong era
Your Name Engraved Herein is a coming-of-age movie about gay teens in Taiwan who grow up in Catholic school. The time setting is1987 when lifts the military service law. This policy makes people starting to able to express their voice, but this is not immediately welcomed by the community because there are some people who have not changed.
The friendship between Ahan and Birdy starts just like any other friendship. Both are always there for each other and even join the same extracurricular. The story gets intense where they become closer to each other and at the same time there is a new law where females allow enrolling in their school. As expected by everyone at school, the boys are trying to get closer to the girls but they are not allowed to by the school’s official. The law may already get lifted but in reality, they are not allowed to get closer. Some boys do not care about the law, included Birdy, he finally gets closer with his female junior, Ban Ban. Knowing this, Ahan got jealous because Birdy’s attention was not directed to him anymore. For Birdy, every day is about Ban Ban. They end up fighting, Birdy thinks that their romance is better ended because it could put them in danger. Ahan chose to run away so he won’t see Birdy again. Birdy finds out about this so he follows Ahan wherever he goes. They then stopped at the beach and where they spent the last time.
Religious figures are also featured in this story through Father Oliver. He is described as a society that still does not accept that homosexuals exist in society and is seen as a sinner. He helps Ahan to ask God for forgiveness. But later in the story, it was revealed that Father Oliver is a “sinner” too just like Ahan.
This movie, not only discusses homosexuality but also toxic masculinity in the military. It is shown when they sing a song at a military event. They get disqualified because the judge thinks that their song is too lame and not military-type enough to perform there. According to the judges, the songs performed must be dashing and heroic. Meanwhile, the song performed by Birdy and his friends is the opposite.
The policy to ban same-sex marriage is not only affect the LGBT community. This policy also impacts the heterosexual community. In this story, Ban Ban is seen as a solution for their problem so that no one suspects that Ahan and Birdy love each other. Birdy pretends to love Ban Ban and marry her. A few years later when the times have changed, when they can express their freedom, Ahan meets Ban Ban and is shocked that she already divorced Birdy. Seems like Ban Ban just realized that homosexuality is innate and cannot be changed. She was disappointed and wished that she had known this earlier so she wouldn’t have to fight for her marriage to Birdy.
Marrying a person of the opposite sex, especially in this story, like marrying a woman is seen as the easiest way to deceive society without thinking about the impact on the woman. People think that if they are married to the opposite sex, they will “get well”, but often this is the opposite of what they want. Same-sex couples who still love each other will find a way for their relationship to continue. This opens up opportunities for infidelity in marriage.
In the end, every character in this story ends up suffering. They could not get the love that they wanted. They live in regret because they could not express their feeling when they were still young. The story ends with adult Ahan and adult Birdy meeting each other after visiting Father Oliver’s grave. They realized that being a couple in the wrong era can be dangerous but the most important of all the trials they have faced is they still love each other.
I’ve decided to love, only one for the rest of my life
I hope the time would stop
So I have more time to miss you
If I have another chance, I will surely love again
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