dose

the director, senedy que, was probably two or three batches younger than me in u.p. i remembered him only because he was the crush of one of my girl-friends. he had that nerdy appeal, with backpack. i would never have guessed him to end up as film director.

the film has been generating a lot of buzz within the community. i watched the trailer months ago at tbr's site. i loved the silent film-type frames. i finally got to watch it with enigma last friday.

ill start with what i didnt like. that shot of edy looking at the old yaku in the cemetery was just tooo long for me. i was trying to time it. got tired. the walk-out scene of edy's boy-toy/fubu was a tad too corny, the lines sounded terrible. and edy's tahitian dance had me wondering where he got his full hawaiian costume. but that's all.

what i love about it.

ill start with the fact that it is a personal film of the director. and i could actually pinpoint which among the situations were probably those that the director himself experienced personally. it was very real. and the challenge of it being a period film, under an indie budget was probably herculean. but he surmounted it.

ate vi, ate guy, ness, lorna and rio and of course, the temptation island double bitches... he had me smiling ear to ear every time. talk about being able to relate so closely!

yaku's pekpek shorts made my heart skip a beat. he knew how to get my interest. yul's characterization didnt look contrived.

it's refreshing NOT to be subjected to commentaries on social condition, poverty and inequality. this was a pinoy indie film where i didnt have to think about those things.

the pacing of the movie was quite slow in the first quarter but it picked up. the build-up of the relationship felt true. the emotions edy went through, particularly the jealousies, was also very palpable. again, i could relate to this. i had my own crush, my lolo's adopted son edgar. he was this hot quiet hunk that my lolo adopted into his second family, primarily as a houseboy of sorts. so he was exactly like yaku/danny, working the garden, doing carpentry. and he had perfect thighs and legs, confined in those tight denim cut-offs. unfortunately, i could just stare and admire and lust at a distance. i was too scared to try anything.

edy is a minor. edy was sexually molested. but edy didnt feel violated or abused. his sexual awakening was just happening, and it timed perfectly with his growing love for yaku. if yaku was arrested for statutory rape, edy would have been the first to argue for his innocence.

i congratulate the director, my school mate for such a film. the topic is very, very controversial. but it was handled very, very tastefully. do watch.