Gameboys: The Movie

ATYPICAL MASTERY OF RESILIENCE... IN THE PRESENT TIME.

The Philippine scene (of all the Asian one) is unknown to us in the West. Maybe there are films/series that will have fans (like those who wrote before me) but in general terms, it is perfectly unknown... And this fact is wrong.

Investigating, I realized that it is a film version of a series. In the West this could go well or go badly. There are no intermediate points but here is proof that in Asia, things are different. And they do not follow rules...

Well, let's do a test: mix any Latin American soap opera melodrama (mainly from the early 2000's) with a super free version of the epic It's My Party (USA - 1996) and voila! We have this feature film. A formula that many in the West (mainly North Americans) will not like at all, but it is the Philippines... and they are our first cousins, because they have a culture similar to us Latin Americans, but as part of Asia, the Western rules and recipes do not have (and did not want to) follow any kind of guideline and that is great! Because it refreshes a bit, compared to so many proposals today, which lack everything, which is not worth mentioning.

The performances were the huge support of this film. Bravo! They deserve an 11/10 because the psychology and structure of their characters were explosively good, so much so that you can see that they lived their characters to the fullest. This is very, very atypical in many parts of the world. But here there was an atypical professionalism that deserves more exposure.

Although the script stumbled at first, as the substantial elements seemed a bit forced and were placed as a kind of "we have to fit part of a series here", this does not take away from the fact that later, circumstances made the performances fly high and without stops, it is as if the film came back to life after a beginning that did not promise anything (or at least for me) but fortunately it rose to the top. If it were not for this event that is a kind of "stone in the shoe" I would have easily given it a 10.

As I did not see the series, in fact, it is the first time I see a work from the Philippines, I was quite surprised... and how good that it was for the better. A mastery of good cinema and of loving resilience in general, although I hope they continue to refine it because it is not perfect and it must be said coldly and without fanaticism.

The title of my review is taken from the song "Entregra" by Grupo Niche.

So I bought a ticket and yes it's worth it. I don't know what to say about these two but to watch them you'd think they loved each other deeply. Their story is beautiful, Pearl is my absolute favorite. I could have done without the side stories but it is what it is. Gav and Cai forever my favorite BL couple.

Gameboys The Movie did that! They were able touch certain topics that is relevant in the lives of young LGBTQ+ peeps in the Philippines without being morally imposing. And what's seperate this BL from other Pinoy BL is their topnotch acting.

Props to every member of the Gameboys team. You guys did an exceptional job! This is the gold standard of Pinoy BL.

It's not very often that we get to see a drama in the Philippines that goes against all the usual tropes of kidnappings, back stabbings, and jealous mistresses. Gameboys had proven even back in 2020 that they can create a story that's both entertaining and relatable for a generation of teens and young adults that suddenly found themselves confined in their own homes. This is a value that they managed to continue in the film, and I absolutely loved it!

The simple show of domesticity and familiarity felt like home, something that I know very well but still remained exciting and unpredictable. The film managed to break me and heal me in the span of less than two hours. It was beautiful, riveting, and inspiring, and it left me wishing even harder for the characters to find their happy endings.

I heard about the series through a YouTube review and decided to check it out for myself. I found the series cute, fresh, lively. However, to me, the only thing missing in the series was the lack of physical interaction between all the actors. This movie delivered on that aspect and did not disappoint! You feel the closeness and friendship between the young actors throughout the movie. The chemistry between Cai and Gav is genuine, and I was pleasantly surprised to see how well Kokoy de Santos (Gav) played the serious parts - a change from his character's upbeat silliness. And yes, I was snotty and teary eyed at the end because this movie reminded me of that time in my life when I first met my special circle of friends that are still an important part of my life today. Thoroughly enjoyed this!!!