NOW PLAYING: Kissing Game
TW: GAY - Teenagers panic when they're threatened by the outbreak of a contagious infection transmitted by kissing.
I have no idea what Kissing Game is but it is technically filed under LGBTQ on Netflix which, when considering the log line, is kind of homophobic. “Teenagers panic when they're threatened by the outbreak of a contagious infection transmitted by kissing” genuinely sounds like the biggest hate crime in the world. Set in a Brazilian, cattle-ranching town, Kissing Game is a Brazilian thriller drama Netflix put out in Portuguese. There’s not much on the show, and I had to do some digging to find it, but it looks like a simple premise - mass hysteria spread amongst teenagers as their horny adolescence finds them some trouble. Based on the description, I truly don’t know if I’d consider this “queer” as much as “I want to fuck because I’m 17” media but hey I guess we’re about to find out.
The show opens on a club with heavy bisexual lighting. It’s a Brazilian show so you know it’s about to be hot and everyone looks like they’re on molly. What I assume is the main character wakes up in a bed and is trying to find her friend Bel, who is currently sobbing on the bathroom floor. Bel really wants her friend Fran to leave because her mouth is all fucked up.
The intro plays and its fun electronic music. We’re in for a trip.
Someone silences their phone in bed and we get a wide shot of this guy waking up to an overslept alarm. He quickly runs around his apartment preparing breakfast because homebody’s about to be late to god knows where. His dad appears in the kitchen and tells him since he overslept, he lost his ride to school and his little brother waves on the way out. Biking aggressively, Chico makes his way to school not missing much outside of a discussion on Cow femurs. Fran also goes to this school and is texting her friend Bel wondering where she is, considering she’s not in school. She texts another friend asking about Bel’s whereabouts and the scene shifts to many school kids outside waiting to meet with the pricinpal.
Bel’s mother exits with blotchy eyes, uh oh!
The principal calls Chico into her office and chastises his posture as they sit across from each other on exercise balls. When learned he just moved here and is one of Progresso’s children which must mean his father is a pretty big deal. The principal asks to see Chico’s phone because some girl named Isabel has been missing since last Saturday. She’s just going to take a quick little look at Chico’s phone and notices wow, he was pretty close to Bel, the girl now missing. They’re discussing a place called Corpus Medius which is the party she invited him to that she went missing after. The principal gives him a big pep talk and discusses how there’s a border between them and the cult, a place they cannot go. They are not welcome there and in this community, there are certain rules they must follow if they are to remain safe.
Okay, tension!
We get a flashback of Fran and Bel hanging out in bed stalking Manu, the principals daughter. She’s currently in Texas and Fran comments that Bel must be jealous of her, wanting to get away from this small community. The two wrestle and get… very close, Bel on top of Fran with very palpable tension. Bel puts on makeup as they get ready to go out, oblivious to Fran’s detached air. Fran says she doesn’t want to go out because her mom isn’t well again and Bel says she always plans her life around her mother.
We learn Fran did, indeed, stay behind the night of Bel’s disappearance.
The principal is giving Fran a pep talk trying to sweeten her up to learn about Isabel’s whereabouts. She insists she knew Fran was over at her house and plays a voicemail Fran left for Bel wondering how she’s doing after getting back from the party. Once again, the principal says the “cult” is dangerous, luring kids in with false, exciting promises of sexual activity. The parties they throw are “just a cover” and that the cult is not responsible for consequences. The principal admits she knows Bel’s condition is serious and she needs Fran to take this interaction seriously if she’s going to help out her friend.
We get a flashback to the club and ya’ll, look at these colors.
Bel and Fran are at the club where this time, Fran has came with Bel. They find a guy named Alex who is “very high at the club.” They beckon for him to come down and ask what he took, trying to find drugs on him so they can take some too. In present time, Alex is now being interrogated by the principal about what he’s been up to at the club. She pulls out a vial of drugs and he insists he doesn’t know what it is despite the fact it was in Isabel’s purse. She says listen, I respect you because we both know who your grandfather is but I need you to talk. Maybe detention will jog your memory.
And in this small Brazilian cattle-town detention? Is scooping cow shit.
Alex and Chico get detention together and Chico’s like yo what’s up with the Principal and her weird little ball. Alex lets Chico in on a secret that the principal uses this technique to find who is lying, the worse posture you have, the more you’re lying. Listen, I could not sit on an exercise ball to save my life regardless of if I was lying or not. If you asked me my name, I would fall over even if I said “Meggie” so how this is an effective technique, I have no idea, but people in power: go off. Alex chides Chico for not clearing his phone history before going in with the principal as some girl named Marina posts her entire day on Instagram. She’s asking everyone what they think about Bel’s disappearance?
Apparently, Bel’s dad is the mayor of their town Progresso which is also an important thing to note.
Fran storms in to yell at Alex for what he gave Bel since the entire school is saying she overdosed. Alex says he has no idea what was in it, “they” just gave it to him.She says she’s stressed about Bel because she woke up screaming with a purple spot on her mouth. Fran is now in detention with them so they’re going to have a lot of time bonding but Alex says he also took the drug and has no side effects so she should just chill out. Chico’s like yeah Fran lighten up, it was her decision to take the drugs and Fran storms off, as she should. Chico runs after her and falls in to a time lapse where he has now biked to club Corpus ready to rage. We get more fun lighting, slow mo scenes, and people dancing/kissing.
God I wish this was me.
Fran and Bel are kISSING TOO and I really stan them as a couple. Chico breaks them up though because men need everything and Bel paints lipstick on his face and down his neck, getting all erotic with him instead of Fran. Bel and Chico start kissing and Fran watches sadly, swaying in beat to the music as I guess the woman she loves just fucking ignores her: rude. Bel sees this and pulls Fran close to her and now all three of them are kissing.
Brazil likes to fuck.
Fran walks home and speeds up when she notices Chico following her. She sits down for a minute and Chico asks if she’s ok, inquiring in to her feelings about Bel. He doesn’t like Bel but it’s obvious Fran does so he should just back the fuck up. Chico gives Bel’s lipstick back to Fran to give to her and then saddles away all proud of himself for “doing the honorable thing.” I know I’m being hard on him because I want Fran and Bel together but come ON. They’re kissing AGAIN with bisexual lighting going on, ethereal music playing in the background. I don’t want a MAN to stand in betWEEN THEM!!!!
Alex, the thirty year old looking seventeen year old, is getting checked for splotches on his body. His mom texts a Modelo Parents groupchat that everything is fine as Alex watches an ASMR video of someone drowned in pink/blue lighting wearing a mask. He closes his eyes.
The parents have a little work out group because they’re all bonding at the gym talking about bible passages and this cult everyone is worried about. Tomas, the main leader, is talking about the bible a lot when one mom says the border has been breached. The principal, mounting a step machine, says they need to take a more aggressive approach.
What that means is between this group of parents and God.
Chico is outside scrolling on his phone looking at the Brazilian version of Grinder and I fUCKING KNEW HE’D BE GAY. He finds a photo of a guys torso with a purple blotch and looks up to see the cowboy standing in front of him. The guy locks eyes with Chico before going in to the house behind him.
Kissing Game said ok time to learn about cowboy man.
Cowboy man is named Maurilio and he has a lot of cows. He has coffee with his friend who says it’s hard to get out of bed, that everything hurts. He’s covering for his friend Davilo herding cattle while she’s sick but is saying it may not be enough. The boss could fire her without reason if she doesn’t have documentation. He discusses another farmer on the farm who’s femur was wearing away and they were wondering if it’s because of the work on the farm. We overhear them talking from WU-OH Fran’s room!?!?!?!
IS Fran?? Their CHILD?
Fran paints a photo of a woman who’s body is being detached from itself and puts it outside next to a cross of a younger girl who must be her little sister. She goes live on Instagram filming the vigil she’s set up when Bel FINALLY texts her. Immediately, Fran heads to the hospital and runs in to Bel’s mom, firing off rapid questions about where Bel is. Her mom says they took her away to isolation and no one can see her, sobbing as she reveals this. Fran feels bad thinking this is her fault since she didn’t convince Bel not to go out. Her mother reveals they still know nothing about Bel’s condition or how the drug affected her when Alex is wheeled in sporting a purple lip.
Fran starts freaking out because Bel kissed Alex who kissed her and it’s just like- none of it is good.
Overall, I’d give Kissing Game a 6.5/10. It’s a great foundation to build a show upon but I wasn’t necessarily drawn in by any of it outside the flashy club scenes. I think Fran and Bel could be a great relationship to invest in to long term but the show relied a lot on the ol’ razzle dazzle than building anything concrete. Might finish it but more likely than not, I won’t !