Love Sinks Deep in the Abyss in the True to Life Film ‘Drug Shore’

BL Recaps Taiwan

2024-04-16
11:00

A young man’s life changes three hundred sixty degrees after one pill. As Fei gets more entangled in a circle he has tried to avoid for so long, he also begins to lose everything he loves. How do you recover from the brutal betrayals of life when everyone has left you behind? In this BLTai summary of the movie ‘Drug Shore’ which is based on a true story, let’s find out.

Warning: Spoiler alert! Read at your own risk. THIS RECAP CONTAINS DARK THEMES SUCH AS DRUGS, NON-CONSENSUAL SEX, AND DEATH.

Fei meticulously pours a dose of amphetamine for intravenous consumption or a ‘pen’ as their circle of drug users calls it. He angrily wagers at his customer over the phone for the price and reminds them not to send him a text message before he sniffs on a makeshift bong. On his side, A Zhe, the one who taught him how to use and mix drugs, watches and tells the fourth wall that Fei used to be not like that but who isn’t really a clean slate when you enter the circle of gays. Fei then hurries outside to meet Wo, a customer and one of the people he casually hooks up with. While waiting for Wo in front of a convenience store, Fei runs into Tzu Hui and Hai, his ex-boyfriend and ex-best friend, respectively, whom he tries to avoid as much as possible. Tzu Hui begins a small talk with Fei, but Hai interrupts and tells them that they still need to pick up the latter’s birthday gift, reminding Fei that it is his ex-boyfriend’s birthday that day. Just then, Wo arrives, and Hai takes the chance to grab Tzu Hui away. Upon reaching a secluded place, Tzu Hui questions Hai for cutting off his conversation with Fei, but the latter insists that it’s obvious that Fei is still using drugs and there’s no sense in talking with him anymore. Tzu Hui further continues that Hai doesn’t know everything that happened and adds that Fei has always been kind to Hai as well, and hence he expects him to extend the same attitude. Meanwhile, Fei hands Wo the ‘pen’ and collects the payment, which he surrenders to A Zhe, although the latter insists that if the drug use happens at their home, then there is no need to give him the money anymore. He also reminds Fei not to overload the ‘pen’ as it could be lethal, just like how one of the people in their circle died before. A Zhe is also worried that Fei will get caught due to him being too carefree and wants to avoid it as much as possible, as jail time can take up to ten years to a lifetime. Fei and Wo ended up having sex after simultaneously sniffing bongs and injecting themselves with the ‘pen’.

In a flashback that took place just a year before, Fei gives Tzu Hui a pair of shoes for his birthday at a party that will be hosted by one of his friends, Archie. Fei, who is a famous sneaker influencer on social media, is already planning to get married to Tzu Hui at the end of the year. The couple lives in a shared apartment with Fei’s best friends, Wen Wen and Hai. The four arrive at the friend of Archie’s house, which turns out to be the house that A Zhe shares with his current boyfriend, Di. A Zhe recognizes Fei as the streamer he watches, to the surprise of everyone and the chagrin of Di, who sarcastically comments that while A Zhe watches the shoe videos, he never actually buys them. Later that night, Fei gives A Zhe a slice of Tzu Hui’s birthday cake, and the two talk in a light manner. As the party goes on, Archie offers Tzu Hui drugs in the form of pills in front of Wen Wen, who immediately reacts violently as his brother died of drug abuse. The scene catches Fei’s attention, who tries to calm them down. Upon finding out that the people in the party will be doing drugs, Fei and Hai agree with Wen Wen to go home. However, Tzu Hui convinces Fei to stay as a courtesy to Archie, who helped him with his job. Fei ends up staying with Tzu Hui and also uses drugs for the very first time. As everyone starts to get high, Archie tries to make a move on Tzu Hui but the latter still manages to reject his advances and tells Fei that they will now go home. A Zhe watches the couple leave, he can’t help but think that he really hates introducing drugs to first-timers, as it has always felt like committing a crime for him. The drug party then turns into an orgy.

The following day, A Zhe invites Fei for a hotpot in their house, where the latter also runs into Hai, who left his phone during the party. While eating, Di notices that A Zhe seems to be paying too much attention to Fei and becomes irritated. Fei assumes that the couple is in love with each other and enjoys eating with them; however, what he doesn’t know is that A Zhe and Di don’t really care about each other and are just together for convenience. A Zhe knows that Di is only with him so he can use drugs for free, but he doesn’t mind as Di’s multiple hookups become his customers in the end. Just when Fei is about to leave, Di mentions letting him try Special K, another drug taken by snorting through the nose, and although A Zhe initially disagrees with him, Fei excitedly says yes. On the other hand, Hai tells Tzu Hui that he saw Fei at A Zhe’s house and hints that there might be another use of drugs again while clinging to him closely. When Fei gets home that evening, he ends up in an argument with Tzu Hui, who questions him about whether he used drugs again and if he hooked up with A Zhe. Tzu Hui also reprimands Fei, saying that if people catch the story, it might destroy their image together, prompting Fei to comment sarcastically that it is him who has an image. In reality, Fei hooked up that afternoon not only with A Zhe but with Di as well. The following day, Wen Wen, who seems to have guessed that Fei has started using drugs, decides to confront him and tells him that he is there to help him stop, as he doesn’t want him to end up dead like his brother. Wen Wen also mentions that his brother once told him that using drugs is like sinking into the bottom of the sea, where the user seems to never find their way back to the shore. Fei says sorry to Wen Wen and promises to stop using. However, Fei still goes back to A Zhe’s house and begins on a path that he will have a hard time letting go of. Sleeping with Di and A Zhe became normal for him too, until one day he found Tzu Hui waiting for him outside, begging for him to stop.

Watch ‘Drug Shore’ on GagaOOLala.

Fei starts on recovering with the help of Wen Wen and Tzu Hui in particular; however, one text message from Di prompted him to sneak out on his supposed dinner with everyone at their shared apartment. The three ran after him desperately, but they were already too late, and Fei had already called a cab to take him to A Zhe’s. To Wen Wen’s surprise, Tzu Hui tells him to stop running after Fei and finish their dinner instead. Wen Wen volunteers to bring Fei home, but Tzu Hui tells him he’ll do it himself, as he feels guilty that he is the reason that Fei started using drugs in the first place. Upon reaching A Zhe’s, Tzu Hui finds Fei high and is about to engage in another orgy. Tzu Hui tries to convince Fei to go home and promises that he will help him recover through thick and thin; however, the latter breaks up instead with him and tells him that if he could turn back time, he would choose not to be with the former anymore. Fei adds that he doesn’t want to get married anymore and thinks that they are no longer right for each other. He seems to have the impression that Tzu Hui is only with him due to his popularity. Tzu Hui walks out, and A Zhe tries to stop him and say that Fei is just high. Meanwhile, Di tells Fei that he can give him something more fun, and he shoots him with a pen. Zhe finds them with the procedure almost done and instantly gets mad at Di, who then tells him that he made it to make sure that Fei is now one of them. He also tells A Zhe that in that way, he can keep him for himself, which made the former let go of the discussion. As Di takes advantage of the very high Fei, A Zhe wonders if there is someone who will love a drug user like he does. Upon getting home and seeing Tzu Hui alone, Wen Wen tries to bring Fei home, but Tzu Hui tells him instead that seeing his best friend in his current state will just hurt him. That evening, Hai takes advantage of Tzu Hui and sleeps with him, which Wen Wen saw. Wen Wen decides to leave the apartment and castigates Hai for stealing his friend’s boyfriend. From that day on, Fei never went back home. Di also disappeared from everyone’s sight.

Back to the present: after sending off Hai, Tzu Hui calls Fei to buy drugs as a reason to see him and invites him to their old home. When Fei arrives, he becomes skittish and uncomfortable after seeing his old place and wants to leave as soon as possible, but Tzu Hui manages to convince him to eat dinner first. The two end up cuddling in their old bed until Fei, who is unable to sleep and in need of drugs, goes to the bathroom to shoot himself with drugs. Tzu Hui wakes up after realizing that Fei is no longer in his arms and finds him inside the bathroom with a ‘pen’ on his arm. Desperate to bring Fei back to normal, Tzu Hui stops him and reaches the point of telling Fei to shoot him with drugs also so they can still be together, as he still feels regrets for what happened during his birthday party. Fei refuses and tells him that using the same syringe can pass the infection, prompting Tzu Hui to ask what has infected Fei. Although Fei refuses to answer verbally, Tzu Hui realizes that Fei has HIV, which he probably got from sharing needles or the orgies he has participated in without protection. Tzu Hui asks Fei to stay with him and promises to take care of him; however, Fei has already deemed himself unsuitable for Tzu Hui because of his infection and his drug addiction. Fei confesses that breaking up with Tzu Hui has been the greatest mistake of his life, and he has always regretted the words he said that night he left home. Fei continues to say that he realizes that it has always been him who is the selfish one in their relationship. He then gathers the strength to stand up and leave once again. Upon reaching A Zhe’s house, where he finds it full of people from their circle, Fei indulges once again in a night of drugs and sex, sleeping with everyone in the group, including A Zhe himself. Throughout the night, Fei remains out of his mind, while his body simply follows the lust and addiction taking over. The following day, Hai arrives at Tzu Hui’s without any notice and discovers the drugs that Fei brought the night before. He confronts Tzu Hui, who then argues back that Hai has always been nothing to him, and he will never compare to what he and Fei had before. Hai takes the drugs and goes to A Zhe’s to talk to Fei, his phone’s camera open and secretly recording the place and their conversation. Fei tells Hai that he will never get back together with Tzu Hui again and to leave him alone. The old best friends end up saying hurtful words at each other before Hai, who is satisfied with the video he took, finally leaves. He reports it to the police, who then immediately conduct a raid, catching Fei off guard. As the police surround him and gather the drugs and paraphernalia scattered around the house, A Zhe, who was also delivering drugs to a customer, arrives and immediately surrenders. He gives them all his stocks and tells the police that Fei is innocent and that he is the only one involved in the drug business. Before A Zhe is brought to the police car, he whispers to Fei that, while he may not have loved him back, he hopes that Fei will always remember him. The night, the media outlets are filled with news about the drug raid and the people arrested. Tzu Hui accuses Hai of reporting Fei and A Zhe to the police, which the latter admits to doing but doesn’t regret it one bit. As the two argue, Tzu Hui’s phone rings with a call from Fei; however, Hai stops Tzu Hui from answering and tells him that he might be dragged in the case and ruin his image as police might find out that he did use drugs in the very same house back then. After Tzu Hui did not answer, Fei called Wen Wen, who still felt hurt and disappointed with how their friendship turned out to be. Wen Wen questions Fei for calling him just now after cutting off their communications for half a year already. Sensing the hurt and annoyance in Wen Wen’s voice, Fei apologizes for calling and hangs up. Fei whispers to his phone, saying that he just wanted to tell Wen Wen that he is now completely doomed. He gazes up at the ceiling, where he remembers A Zhe storing marijuana and cash in case they get raided and he is caught. Fei takes the marijuana stored in a ‘pen’ and shoots himself lethally on his neck. Soon after, Fei dies of an overdose.

Eight years later, A Zhe got out of jail but has returned to selling drugs once again.

Writer’s Thoughts:

This is a sobering truth that affects not just the LGBTQIA+ community but also everyone who struggles with drug addiction and has overcome it. The impact that drug addiction has on those around them and the strained bonds it causes not only between loved ones and friends but also between a person and themselves are powerfully depicted in the film. With Xiao Di and A Zheá choosing to use drugs to further implicate Fei in their world—though, as Fei has stated, in a way, he also had it coming—we can also see how one person can put his desire above everyone else, regardless if it’s at the expense of other people. But Fei, the poor soul that he is, in the thrall of those who exploited his innocence and pure heart, is a metaphor for every drug addict whose loved ones, including himself, have given up on him. Aside from Fei’s passing, an additional factor that likely contributes to the film’s heaviness is the knowledge that it is based on a true story about a real-life Fei who has lost hope in himself and those around him. If you are looking for a heavy film to think about overnight, ‘Drug Shore’ is definitely a must-watch.

Enjoy watching ‘Drug Shore‘ on a bigger screen because GagaOOLala is now available to watch on your smart TVs by downloading the app on Google Play, Amazon App Store, and Roku.

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