CINEMALAYA 2023: Review of HULING PALABAS: Rustic Realizations

August 11, 2023

It was 2001 in Looc, Romblon. Dominador "Andoy" Alejandro (Shun Mark Gomez) was 16 years old, about to turn 17. He never met his father and his mother was working out of town, so he lived with his aunt Fe (Senanda) and her husband Julio (Jay Gonzaga). Andoy and his best friend Pido (Bon Andrew Lentejas) loved watching movies at neighbors with VHS machines, and browsing at VHS rental stores even if they did not have money. 

As his graduation from high school approached, Andoy met a couple of people who fascinated him. One was Ariel (Serena Magiliw), the transwoman beautician who befriended Andoy after she saw him in tears at the waiting shed. The other was Isidro (Cedrick Juan), a tall, long-haired, fair-skinned fellow who had just returned home from the big city, whom Andoy espied sunbathing in the nude at the abandoned water reservoir. 

First-time feature film writer and director Ryan Machado told the story of a teenage boy who was discovering and processing his sexual identity in one summer. This was not exactly a new topic in local indie films. However, Machado's secret ingredients clearly reflected in this film were his sentimental affection for his hometown of Looc; its unique tongue, Onhan (a variation of the Western Bisayan language), and its folklore about cursed beasts and encantos.   

The pace of the first two acts was quite languid and relaxed, much like the laidback rural lifestyle of the small town depicted. However, the third act felt so hurried and jarring. There were scenes which are reminiscent of other gay coming-of-age films.  The scene of Andoy humiliating his uncle was like one similar scene in "2 Cool 2 Be 4gotten" (2016). Andoy's fascination with an older newcomer in town was akin to "Call Me By Your Name" (2017). 

Appreciation of this film would depend on one's world view about LGBT topics. Were Ariel and Isidro helpful friends in the liberation of Andoy's identity? Or were they bad influences who led Andoy astray? What was that red-lit bacchanalian party held by Isidro with Ariel and Andoy all about?  While it had rustic charm, that final scene showing what Andoy was up to after that fateful summer was anticlimactic, given his academic achievements. 5/10.