Vivamax: Review of HUGOT: A Cager's Chronicle

June 30, 2023

Cocoy Basibas (Benz Sangalang) is the star player of the basketball team of Madam (Mickey Ferriols) under Coach (Joko Diaz). He still lived with his disabled father Pido (Julio Diaz) and supportive mother Susan (Isadora). He would have liked to pursue a career in professional basketball. However, his father, who had a traumatic experience on the basketball court in his younger days, would rather that he go work on a ship as a seaman instead. 

This is one of the few Vivamax films where the central character was male. The title "Hugot" referred to a practice in local basketball leagues where a player from another district will be "imported" to play for the home team, and Cocoy was one such "import." Its more popular meaning of "deep emotional angst" can also be applied, because barangay basketball was just the backdrop against which Cocoy's melodramatic life story played out. 

Of course being a Vivamax film, there was a love story in there so that sex scenes can be staged. Cocoy had a rival in his team named Martin (Jiad Arroyo). Cocoy hooked up with Japok (Stephanie Raz) as a half-time pick-me-up, while Martin had a girlfriend Tina (Azi Acosta), who will end up with Cocoy as well. There would be more gratuitous scenes of Cocoy with gangster molls Trixie (Apple Castro) and Gina (Jennifer Georgo). 

There was also a crime angle. To help Cocoy earn extra cash, his teammate Bochok (Mark Anthony Fernandez) recommended him to a foreigner hoodlum Coach Aaron (Peter Georgo) to be a mule delivering drugs to a certain school teacher (Paul Jake Paule). This turned out to be just an episode in Cocoy's life that would not be mentioned again. The big twist in the plot was an unexpected tragedy borne as a result of bruised toxic masculinity.  

Daniel R. Palacio wrote and directed this acting showcase for young actor Benz Sangalang -- going from sports, to action, to drama. So far, he had been settling to be the second lead male character or the token male consort of the lead female character since his Vivamax debut "Secrets" (2022). Sangalang was front and center of the story this time. While he played the dramatic scenes well with restraint, he was still raw on nuance and subtlety. 5/10.