“Ang Pagdadalaga ni Maximo Oliveros” by Auraeus Solito is about the coming-of-age of Maxi, an outright gay at 12 years old.
This is not your typical gay film. If gays in films are usually given the background of having no father figure resulting to them becoming gay, this time, Maxi actually becomes the mother figure of an all-male home following the death of the only woman in the family. If gays are usually portrayed as the pathetic, often discriminated ones for either becoming a drag or a closet queen, Maxi is very much loved and endeared by his two “brusko” brothers and his father — all of which are established small-time criminals. If gays in films are often portrayed as confused and struggling (usually facing identity-crisis), this film’s conflict doesn’t merely contest Maxi’s gender preference.
This Cinemalaya offering, despite being technically rough for being produced on a shoestring budget, is an entertaining piece of good cinema. Its issues and ironies are presented in simple shots with fresh treatment, presented in a very realistic way. It doesn’t lose focus. These prove two major things: there is good direction and good screenplay. The theme of this film could have been your usual melodramatic or action-packed mainstream movie – having the elements generally seen in themes that involve crime and corruption in the slums of Manila, a gay in a family known for that “astig” image and a pre-teen gay falling in love with a handsome and principled policeman.
Shots are pretty straightforward without reliance on high-end equipment and effects, yet they render well from start to end. Some scenes requiring tears from the actors (like the moment of broken-hearted Maxi inside the jeepney with his brother and Maxi crying upon the revenge about to be delivered by his two brothers) are quite touching than being too melodramatic. The speaking are straight to the point and certain dialogue give poignant effect as that of Maxi saying “Maraming ngang kriminal sa mundo, pero iisa lang ang papa ko.” Emotions are very much dwelled upon cinematically going bulls’ eye to the storytelling’s intended right feelings and intentions: presenting happiness as the full shot of the smiling Maxi in a cartwheel; apology and forgiveness on the touching “sipol” scene; the moving on of the blossoming Maxi as he continues to walk his way to school with the sight of Victor from one side.
It is quite interesting to play around the role of Maxi, the dearly accepted gay in the family of petty crooks. He uncomplainingly devotes himself to serving them the way a mother would (clean the house, cook, wash clothes, mend torn clothes and even burn blood-stained clothes to save his brother from imprisonment and death). His world revolves around them and his simple pleasures of wearing make-up and girl’s clothes and playing around some beauty contest with other gays of his age. Yet, when he meets Victor, a principled, idealistic, and handsome policeman, there comes the conflict.
Apart from the good screenplay and direction, the actors and actresses are commendable. Nathan Lopez (Maxi) gives an uncompromising acting debut in this film. The rest of the characters complement each other (spearheaded by JR Valentin, Soliman Cruz, Neil Ryan Sese and Ping Medina). Too bad that on some personal note, I have come to realize that being a Batibot kid of the 80’s (who religiously watched “Batibot” when I was a kid), it was quite hard for me to remove that image of Bodjie Pascua as the show’s Kuya Bodjie. Though I’ve seen his strength as an actor playing a role of a mysteriously bad policeman, the “Batibot” image still lingered in my head throughout.
A thing that slightly bothered me amidst the excellence of the cinematic piece is that there are certain angles in the story left a bit too hanging. An issue left with a question mark for the audience can be good for the story at times, but there are also instances they render to some people as a weakness. With the encounter between the characters of Pascua and Cruz as their dark past meant so much that it greatly affected their present grudges, it could have benefited the audience if there is a bit more back story or clearer background information to justify what happens to them in the film. Meanwhile, with the sometimes poorly lit and raw look of the visuals, I don’t see them as weakness because the look complements the theme and story.
You don’t always need a big budget to make an exemplary film. No special effects can save a bad script and/or a bad direction. The various layers of the storyline and the various dimensions in the characterization in this film present social issues in a new light. Both the indie and mainstream audiences can easily appreciate its realistic tone. Intellectual and philosophical, honest and soulful, simple and entertaining, this is a “maxi-mum” feat at the time of Philippine Independent Cinema’s digital revolution.
