Chris Martinez's "Working Beks" - Cinematic Preponderance and the Gay Men

Okay. Here's a premise that's almost too simplistic to share. But sometimes, people need reminding. Like other homo sapiens, gay men are human beings with their own burdens to carry. In Chris Martinez's "Working Beks", some of these specimen get fishbowl scrutiny. 

The film follows the lives of five gay men within a 24-hour period. Champ Reyno (Edgar Allan Guzman), a matinee idol, figures in a gay video scandal. He’s gone incommunicado and taping for his popular teleserye is put on hold for two weeks. 

After seeing his mother plead on television, Champ resurfaces. His handlers decide to face him off with a veteran investigative journalist (Leo Martinez) for a scripted revelation that would have him admit his romantic affair with perennial screen partner Joy Madriaga (Bela Padilla). But how do you smokescreen a viral video scandal?

Meanwhile, Tommy Sarmento (TJ Trinidad), a marketing executive for a liquor and beverage company, is on tenterhooks. Their company's number one product endorser is missing, but his extracurricular shenanigans might affect sales of their product. More than this, Tommy is gearing up for a well-earned promotion. But he soon discovers that he is being passed up for the position because he is gay. In fact, his homophobic boss detests Tommy’s flaunting of his “alternative lifestyle' - one that involves overachieving children and a supportive partner (Arnold Reyes).

Jet (Prince Stefan), a call center agent, learns that the random stranger he’s recently had unprotected sex with committed suicide upon learning that he’s HIV positive. To make matters worse, Jet has been feeling under the weather, with symptoms that include fever, coughing, malaise and night sweats. Does he? Could he?

Jet's lifestyle is an accident waiting to happen. His promiscuity has him cruising bars, hooking him up with strangers 7-8 days a week. His body is taking the brunt  of it all. He knows he needs to get himself tested. But he realizes that the journey to finding the truth is harder to accomplish.

Gorgeous aka Gregorio (John Lapuz), a cross-dressing food vendor, struggles to support his extended family who all depend on him. His mounting obligations don’t allow him to socialize so he keeps flirtations with a hunky security guard Gardo (Jeric Raval) at bay. Meanwhile, his no-good father (Rez Cortez) is harassing him for a dole out, something that he doesn’t have.  

Finally, Mandy (Joey Paras), a “reformed” gay man, is preparing to march down the aisle with sensitive bride Judith (Cai Cortez) who’s aware of his struggles. Unfortunately, Champ’s sex video provides an inconvenient bump on the road. This temptation is too potent to remind him of his real preferences. As a desperate measure, he enlists the help of his colleague Brother Benj (Atak) to cure him of his homosexual tendencies. In the process, they employ various methods of pseudoscience once believed to avert homosexuality. Would they work or should Mandy just walk away?

MORAL APATHY AND HEDONISM

Intermittently told in dramedic fashion, the cross-section of characters tackles concerns of the contemporary gay men, and there's considerable amusement to be had. Jet's story particularly rings like a discordant bell. In a society where even "killing" is sanctioned, endorsed and condoned by the authorities and its gutter-minded apologists, moral conventions become moot and academic. 

Killing loses its "illegality" (let's forget the moral grounds) because it is no longer regarded a social taboo. It's an everyday occurence. Weighed alongside these murders, Jet's nihilism seems inconsequential; a non-issue, in fact. What people don't realize is that this moral apathy is gradually rejecting even the very basic social conventions like manners and social grace.

In the movie, Jet finds meaning in his life by filling a vacuumn satisfied by his material desires, leading to an excessive hedonistic lifestyle of shallow sex and loud social events with even louder, if disposable, friends. He congratulates himself for his sexual catharsis that only provides temporary escapism. Unfortunately, Jet represents a steadily growing population of nihilists. 

DIGITAL VOYEURISM

Champ's dilemma, on the other hand, is a common scenario nowadays. This is a new world that fosters digital voyeurism, that even orgasm is one-click away. People's inherent nature to connect allows others to take advantage, employing the digital media to nefarious use. How many personalities have succumbed to the lure of the watchful and omnipresent video camera? These salacious videos, recorded and even traded for a bigger audience, have willing viewers because people are basically curious and wouldn't want to be left out of the bandwagon. Add into the fray, that dash of superiority of witnessing a person satisfying his most basic urges. 

This is why watching Champ tintinnabulate another guy's genitalia on video isn't too alien a concept. Not anymore. This leaves Mandy's story a bit stale, prosaic. Champ's proud member becomes part of a hundred others, nothing particularly special unless he has a gold-plated schlong the size of a molave branch. If I were Mandy, I'd go watch the video then move on. A mere sex video won't figure in any normal person's decisions - gay or straight. It baffles me why a silly video would make a dent on Mandy's marital plans, to be honest. The most that we should get from his story is its comic proclivities, a pampakwela more than a didactic exposition.  

This takes us to the elements surrounding Mandy's gay exorcism a.k.a. "conversion therapy". The design involves a series of "conditioning" meant to catechize or indoctrinate the mind into believing that homoerotic tendencies are distasteful and aberrant. It should averse the subject.

Thus "aversion therapy" is employed in the form of repetitive mantras ("I love the vagina", "Gay is not okay"); emesis therapy preconditions the subject to throw-up upon application of a visual stimulus, i.e. half-naked men. Then there's the more drastic and invasive electric shock therapy (ECT) employed similarly for schizophrenics and depressives unresponsive to medicine.

These treatments are, of course, considered archaic nowadays and have no scientific basis so it is rather odd that such ridiculous methods find their way in a modern, "educated" comic tale. But let's treat this as an artistic license to mine the comic possibilities. The result is a hit-and-miss affair. It would have been productive if they shortened these episodes in favor of a more grounded, albeit situational approach involving Mandy's surroundings and personal relationships. After all, it should be clear to every half-wit that no amount of rubber band punishment will change one's sexual preference. How do you combat an affliction too deeply ingrained in the genetic composition of a person? Immanuel Kant’s critique on metaphysics and conditioning doesn’t have a place in this diatribe. Surely, you don't psychoanalyze nature nor treat it as a pathological disease.

MOST SYMPATHETIC

Among the five characters, it is John Lapus' skillfully depicted and well-limned turn as Gorgeous we find most sympathetic, and for obvious reasons. Gorgeous doesn't deny his cross-dressing nature, and he acts and dresses like one, but this doesn't stop him from working hard for the people he loves. 

Neither does his homosexuality prevent him from becoming a decent person - and a productive member of society. In fact, it is his selflessness that defines him, not his being gay. It is in Gorgeous' story where we find the movie's cinematic worth and beating heart.

Like many Chris Martinez films, "Working Beks" bristles with wit and, in some way, cinematic urgency. Portions of it skid away carelessly, and stereotypical delineations sometimes get in the way of an insightful discourse. Nevertheless, it is a brave effort to showcase stories of the gender-benders otherwise relegated to comic support in mainstream films. While the arc of the narrative doesn't exactly allow it to soar, it is hard to dismiss the film as something less relevant. The stories fleetingly interconnect, but you get a decussatory feel among the characters; that there's a string that pulls them together to fuel cinematic preponderance.

     

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Jun Lana's Bwakaw - Small Town Hilarity

Rene (Eddie Garcia) is a grumpy old man living the twilight years of his life in solitude. With no family to speak of, he is in a protracted wait for his eventual demise. In fact, he has already bought himself a coffin (“Para ‘di ako ibalot sa banig”). His spare time is spent arranging his old magazine collection with idol Nora Aunor on the cover; getting free haircuts at a childhood friend’s beauty salon; volunteering for odd jobs at the Post Office where he used to work prior to his retirement; giving his best friend Alicia (who’s suffering from dementia) an occasional visit at a care home; and continuously updating his last will through an indulgent priest, Father Eddie (Gardo Versoza). Unlike most people his age, he doesn’t desire the “eternal life with God”. He detests “God” for making him gay, something that he belatedly accepted at the age of 60. In his advancing age, Rene has yet to experience intimacy, yet he refuses the young guys pimped by his childhood friend Zaldy (Soxy Topacio), the beauty salon owner.

But Rene isn’t so alone. A mongrel (stray dog) he calls “Bwakaw” has found her home in the querulous old man. Wherever he goes, Bwakaw follows. Rene is warming up to his amorous companion. Moreover, a miraculous Santo Entierro (a life-sized wooden statue hand crafted from Paete) lies beside him in his bed.  

One day, he befriends Sol (Rez Cortez), a finicky pedicab driver, who took him to a veterinarian when Bwakaw fell ill. Abdominal tumors were discovered. When the doctor suggested that Bwakaw be put to sleep, Rene balks. He takes her home to “recuperate”. Soon, Rene gets chummy with Sol who starts to help the geriatric gentleman repair his dilapidated abode. One day, he finds the burly (and happily married) trike driver asleep in his sala. Without much provocation, he steals a kiss on Sol’s lips. Sol wakes up and runs amuck. To make matters worse, Bwakaw’s condition worsens. She starts moving blood. What will Rene do? 

Director Jun Lana’s dramedy is a brilliant character study that pays homage to Lana’s mentor (playwright and children’s book author) Rene O. Villanueva. In fact, he based the story from the popular author’s character. More than homage, Lana weaves a tale rich with snippets of both unbridled hilarity and regulated emotional bearing. These small town attachments are so palpable you can’t help but sympathize with the plight of each character: parloristas Zaldy (endearing Soxy Topacio) and feisty Tracy (the amazing Joey Paras); fanatical neighbor Nitang (Beverly Salviejo); maton tricycle driver Sol (Rez Cortez); lonely mother Melba (Luz Valdez); and former girlfriend Alicia (Armida Siguion-Reyna). Each one is written with well moderated scenes. These characters helped move the narrative to an engaging finish without overwhelming the flick with needless character embellishment.  

Endearing scenes will easily thrust this flick among other crowd favorites. In fact, the temperament is similar to Topacio’s “Ded na si Lolo” – light, breezy, intimate, hilarious, and at times even sentimental. The scene involving Rene while he sleeps in his coffin - and Zaldy, Tracy and Nitang’s unexpected visit had me laughing so hard. Ditto to scenes at the beauty parlor with Rene hitting Tracy’s nose with a hair blower. Also, there’s Melba’s surprise party (she’s set to have her by-pass operation prior to joining her daughter in Canada) – and how she was given her “special” make-up and hair design after the celebrations. The film easily shifts to somber or warm, emotive moments, like the first night Rene lights up his ramshackle home – or when he finally allows the loyal canine up his home.

I didn’t expect much from Bwakaw because the impression it emits is one resonating with indulgent sentimentality. But this couldn’t be farther from the truth. The film actually avoids maudlin sentimentality and by doing so, finds its perfect atmosphere. Eddie Garcia is simply marvelous as the late-blooming homosexual. He masterfully circumvents the stereotypical picture of a washed up faggot. We last saw his brilliance in “I.C.U. Bed #7” and we feel honored to witness a level of artistry achieved only by years of insightful experience. Garcia is exquisite in his grief and cantankerous manner. He is delight nonpareil. Another out-of-the-box portrayal is turned in by Joey Paras, adorable and downright entertaining as Tracy, Rene’s “nemesis”. Paras evades exaggerations, a common pitfall for cinematic gay characters. Mostly, the ensemble is well tempered and unforgettable.

“Bwakaw” thoroughly entertains so please do yourself a favor. Don't miss it! The film deftly shares insights on how a solitary, but productive life is lived. More importantly, it inspires the hopeless soul.

Rene argues with Tracy and Mother Zaldy.

Rene finds a "best friend" in a stray dog he calls Bwakaw (the dog's real name is Princess who's brilliantly trained).

Rene and Alicia

Last Supper No. 3 - Great Cinema Suffers From a Rotten System

It was bound to happen.

When you field a movie for commercial screening without much preparation for publicity, you will end up getting pulled out of cinemas unceremoniously. Good thing I saw it on its very first day - last Wednesday. Unfortunately, Veronica B. Velasco's "Last Supper No.3" is 2010's very first really great Filipino movie shown on commercial theaters. And it enjoyed a mere 2 day screening at the Galleria.

Sure, it won last year's Best Picture at the Cinemalaya Filmfest, but I really don't care about festival films that aren't even offered to the public. I don't even give a shit about those glorious awards won by other Pinoy indies abroad for they only serve to celebrate the indie filmmaker's gargantuan egos. Pakialam ko ba kung napalabas ang mga 'to sa Venice, Locarno, Toronto, Timbuktu, Fiji, Congo or Kyoto? What I care for are the ones that are being offered on commercial theaters! Thus I pay to watch these indies - although several of them have proven how unworthy they are of my money!

"Last Supper No.3" follows the series of misfortunes that befall a gay production assistant Wilson Nanawa (the brilliant Joey Paras) and his cohort Andoy Pamatid (J.M. de Guzman) when they misplace a tapestry of the Last Supper. The owners (Jojit Lorenzo and Beverly Salviejo) eventually take them to court when they refuse to pay the trumped up value of P25,000. As things are gradually and religiously settled, Wilson learns that the ugly bureaucratic tentacles of a fucked up legal system won't let him off that easily - until this had to stretch on for more than 2 years!

Allegedly based on a true story, the movie deftly depicts the moribund state of the Philippine justice system as well as that of man's avaricious proclivity to take advantage of the misfortunes of others. This is serious cinema disguised as comedy, and I take my hats off to the exemplary performance of an amazing cast lead by Joey Paras who's exceptionally and spontaneously funny and sympathetic - a perfect mix that translated to excellent cinema!

On view are great cameos by Maricel Soriano as a government clerk who's not immune to bribes and Liza Lorena as the unstable court lady!

That Galleria had to pull out a really great film like "Last Supper No.3" after just 2 days of screening smacks of charade and the blatant pretense to help indie cinema. There were just 3 of us inside the cinema when I watched, but can't they even wait for the weekend before taking it out to pasture - while the horrible "Pilantik" (there were only 4 of us inside the theater when I saw this) is still being shown as I write this?

Sad state we are in!