Men in Trees

Good boy Bad boy

“Most men lead lives of quiet desperation and go to the grave with the song still in them.” - Henry David Thoreau

Desperate men are the most interesting species of men, at least in the theatrical sensibility. Usually dominated by a hard-boiled adrocentrist and suitcasey predisposition, normally tuned men are so difficult to capture in a colorful point of view, if they are captured at all, without the color reverting to a shade of gay futility. Apart from the sacrosanct movies of Fernando Poe and the like, men who have successfully summoned themselves in order to slay towering white handkerchiefs with womanish heads, the sheer absence of a good dude flick has the industry scrounging for fresh mojo. Astig is shrewd to fill the void, helmed by GB Sampedro and produced by the Queen of Men himself Boy Abunda, the debut of this TV oriented fraternity has the audience dashing for a second run.

The movie itself is cut into four slightly intertwining episodes, almost-Amores in its rendering but still accessibly linear thanks to Charliebebs Gohetia’s editing. The gruff and unsilken demonstration of filth and testosterone is predictable enough. These men are out to survive. The streets are rough and they have to be rougher, a survivalist mentality that permeates through the film’s entirety. But as the bricks start to crumble, the unfolding somewhat effortlessly belies the staunch but artificial rigor of the permanent Man along with his preciously defended manhood. Inevitably the latter becomes another pawnable item of the city’s vicious and voluptuous grinding.

It was refreshing to see a few mainstream actors in the process of actual thespianism. The dirty-tongued Dennis Trillo was robust and multi-faceted enough to stand as the definitive paragon of the stubborn boyness that unravels under the weight of his own dire consequences. Young men are most difficult to effectively characterize under normal circumstances without coming off as formulaic. Their desires are boxed and predictable, their reaction times calculatedly similar. The stereotypes of the weak and the strong are too two-dimensional to employ in any meaty portrayal. In this movie the addition and intimation of male emotion paradoxically adds strength to the characters. It’s always the tension of feeling that kills them in the end. A strong man is the suffering man, amusing to watch and terrific to behold in its fetish proportionality.

Aside from Trillo’s irrepressible brio and Sid Lucero’s obstinacy, the middle two episodes as presented by Edgar Allan Guzman and Arnold Reyes showed more of the despondent man, bedfellows of hard living and everything in between hard things. To relinquish one’s penetrative role as bleatingly portrayed by Guzman in the fluid-ridden movie house is a prime example of a sacrifice done on the strain of a family’s common hunger. Crying and nakedness are rampant, and the women aren’t so bad at it either. Add a few sprinklings of the occasional ill-placed but good-intentioned famous person’s cameo and you have a collective acting ordeal that could possibly surprise the mainstream observer but may casually bore the jaded indie activist. Certainly this movie is not Cinemalaya’s most cerebral, perhaps a mock symbolism of masculinity itself, but the primal grace is evident enough to enthuse. Ultimately, it is a reflection of how far humans can go and how scared we are of the predator from the bottom of the tree.

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Written by: Alex Milla (Guest Critic)

Just a Coincidence?

Race to the finish line

Padyak is not a very bad film nor is it very a good film either. What you will expect from Padyak is a different film narrative. The film is derived from a Palanca Award winning literary piece; therefore it explicates the peculiarity of the story structure. The good side of encrusting the film with epigrammatic interconnected stories makes the entire film experience stimulating. But there is also a fallback. The variety of stories offered by the film is too lengthy. It demulsifies the idea they had in mind and in effect, the crust of the story becomes loose. This creates a stigma to the audience that once they are beginning to be cranky, they detach their selves to the possible ‘feel’ for the film.

Noel (Jay Aquitania) is a pedicab driver that wishes to study with the help of his earnings and the love and support of his mother Pacita (Irma Adlawan). One day, he helped a customer named Helga (Katherine Luna) with her groceries up to her condominium unit. They have a chat about anything under the sun. Soon enough, Noel gets information that Helga fell from the building. Noel seems to have been struck with the awareness that life could end and contemplates the meaning of his own existence.

The film has other meatier stories within it and there is a hint that it is related to Noel’s life: A bloody ménage-a-trios affair of a drug addict (Rita Avila) and her younger lover (Arnold Reyes) who is in love with the maid (Mercedes Cabral), a somewhat silly children’s cooking segment where Angel Jacob (reprising her role as a cook?) has a semi-dysfunctional family, and a schizophrenic geeky wanker played by Baron Geisler.

Padyak lingers towards the genre existentialist film, with a probable background of social realist pragmatism. There are insights on Noel’s life who he thinks his way of life could not be substantiated to have meaning but rather opts to reflect on the shortcomings it has given to him. To justify his importance, the writer concocts unfamiliar people that might coincide to the aim of this parable.

I have no qualms with how Aquitania has freshened up the character. He gives rawness and excitement to this ordinary guy. I am also amazed with the risks made by Avila. She deserves to be applauded for her uncanny portrayal of a sadistic junkie. Although Geisler gives out an invigorating yet campy portrayal of a person suffering from dual personality, the attitude is there but the direction could have been more polished.

As the story progresses, I sensed something could have been wrong with the film. There is a need to reassess the story treatment. The pacing is just slow and downright sprawling. The way the scenes unfold might have been composed for non-linearity’s sake but as an audience, there could be more ways to make it cohesive (not on a technical way of writing) but to make a right kind of flavor to the interrelated scenarios. There are films that has done multi-layer stories and it must decide from the very beginning what they really wanted to point further.

At the end of the film, we are reminded that our existence makes this world a better place. We are unaware of this as we human beings are living our own lives. Seeing the world turn makes it meaningful and if ever there are doubts, we begin to see the gray side of coincidence. But this ordinary guy seems innocent to skeptics and philosophers. Doing what is right is natural to human behavior. Although there are numerous mishaps within the film, Padyak has the persona of a human full of flaws. It might interest viewers if it could have been made with a more careful rendition.

Charlie Koon's Rating:

A Moral Quandary

Ménage à trois

If you love shopping and you have the means, you tend to buy anything. You are likely to be an impulsive buyer. Adolfo Alix Jr., likewise, is one impulsive filmmaker. He is notorious for making a handful of independent films every now and then. So what? He has the means and he’s got a statement. A statement he wants to be heard, captured and seen.

Imoral explores the dynamics of this perplex relationship summarized in the tagline: The Man… His Wife… and his Lover... Eager to start anew and avoid the repercussions of gossip in the community, the couple and his male lover moved into a new apartment. Dante is the husband who is a taxi driver played by Paolo Paraiso. His wife Abi, a former waitress, is played by Katherine Luna while his male lover, Jonathan, is an engineer played by Arnold Reyes. Their jobs respectively reflect their social status thus it is the husband’s male lover’s obligation to provide for their living. Things take a drastic turn when Dante discovers a bag full of money inside his taxi.

Genuine intentions of this film surpass the licentious theme being undertaken. Perverts are sure to be thwarted when viewing this film. The film has no purpose to showcase Kama Sutra techniques worthy for a trio. Although the film branding is towards the sexually 'curious' men who would definitely go delirious upon knowing beforehand that two straight guys will be kissing in this film. Admit it; it’s a come-on treat having Paolo Paraiso kissing their one and only Dodong, Arnold Reyes. Anyway I don’t want to discuss the gayness in this ‘gay film’ or so they say as this film has a lot more to discuss and will be altogether analyzed in the years to come.

When Dante found the money in his taxi, there were a lot of things to be pondered. His father has an ailing disease, he has high hopes to have his placing fee for Dubai, vis-à-vis his wife’s sentiments and his lover's principles. What would be his decision? Well, you have to watch it yourself. You might be surprised that you’ll come up with your own conclusion.

Acting-wise, the three lead actors are pretty good. There is neutrality implicated towards the release of their emotions. In effect, you are obligated to fill up the cracks and be the extension of affection to these beguiling characters. You might view it as a sad film. Individuality is a factor to the film’s entire appeal. In my view, I saw this as a positively funny film with crude wit.

Alix probably disdains film expositions and explanations. This film will move your brain cells freely. Imoral has a statement you might detest but it could not be ignored. A statement that is humorous and unique.

If I may ask you, what would you do if you found a bag full of money? Unlike morality, money is a thing you can actually touch.

Charlie Koon's Rating:

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Trivia:

· Arnold Reyes played the role Dodong, the love interest of Ada. Dodong is the character in the musical play Zsa Zsa Zaturnnah.

· This is the 8th directorial film of Adolfo Alix Jr in a span of two years. Two more films are on it's way: Kalayaan and Manila.