Loose Ends

Awe-some...

From the title alone, one might know what one should expect from the film. It has a lot of loopholes within the story and it could have been a deception on a higher level of understanding with what they have done with the story transition. Butas has three points of view. It tries to create a moralistic or perceptive dilemma in the minds of the audience. Each point of view represents one argument which is in grave contrast to the others. Anyway, this style is used to push the viewer to choose the one that is the closest to reality. I think in that sense it might be adequate. But in Butas, it is rather a machination on how they would keep up the twist of the story and a bit careless with its usage. I am not contented with how it turned out.

Butas (Loophole) is a film by Alejandro Ramos that tackles a forbidden affair of a married sluttish girl named Maya (Gwen Garci) and an equally promiscuous police officer named Virgo (Marco Morales). They meet in an abandoned house not far from the city and undertake the forbidden act of sexual congress. Little did they know that Maya’s husband Jake (Allen Dizon) is nearby waiting for an opportunity to kill the lover of his wife.

The first part of the story is tolerable as it conveys the point of view of Jake. He clinches at the ceiling of the house looking at all the lascivious doings of the two. The second point of view takes place from a video taken of the act. It shows much of the flaws in the film as this could have tricked the audience in so many ways. I don’t want to elaborate on this matter as this could easily give away the twists of the story. Anyway, the twist is nothing compelling or even groundbreaking. It lacks the basic necessity in weaving sequences where it must appear cohesively even in having different points of view. Not unless the director himself did that on purpose, hence altering the characterizations of the characters is part of the twist.

I am not also convinced on how everything has taken place in the climax of the film. Maya’s character was drugged by Virgo and could have easily loosened up. But she did at one point have the physical stamina to stand up and deliver all those stupid lines and commit something awful. It is very tacky in so many ways. And also, there are lots of jump cuts and blur sequences in the movie. Did the MTRCB have something to do with this?

The acting of the three main characters is passable. Both Garci and Morales (Walang Kawala) have already been undressed in their previous films that I saw. It is also apparent that Garci and Dizon could be the sexy loveteam indie films as they too are the couple in the erotic film Room 213. Butas could have been made for easy bucks. The various points of view Ramos has explored in the film are not ideal. Once it is woven in the film, you will see a lot of holes in it.

There are lots of excuses nowadays in film making. It is really confusing. But I am sure that once a film makes money, they could make another film. Hopefully they make a well made film, not necessarily circumventing the bareness or even the sexual activities. I understand that these are the facts of life.

Charlie Koon's Rating: