A film about a typical masculine family man who is embroiled with a secret - he is a homosexual. He tries to hide his true nature by exalting what society deems much more redeemable - be a lady's man, to the contempt of everyone involved. But things turns around when he discovers a gold-digging 'gigolo' that he could not refuse.
An interesting cultural artifact.
Brocka who is notorious for his homosexual content, really ups the ante with this one. It is explicit and ungodly afraid in its portrayal of Don Benito's d*ckmatization to Mario O'Hara's Diego. It also interestingly comments on expectations of toxic masculinity like how Don Benito would rather be seen as a playboy but anything homosexual. Or just how Ilagan's young Santi just conveys his wanting to have sex regardless of having an actual partner. How every character is just ungodly homophobic with little to no remorse of their want for violence against them. Even Diego really goes in the jugular.
In true Lino Brocka fashion, he went there AND did not care for subtlety. I think that is his true great strength. Even the ending was ungodly brutal. Ironically, the film ends with a Producer message for "Wholesome entertainment" - maybe Brocka shading that the ending was more of a moral high ground enforced to him. His dead, so no one knows.
On the other hand, I would criticize its choppiness in styling though. It kind of reminisce his classic Insiang - who is notorious for its choppy music cues and edits though I found the styling here a bit more distracting than usual. There were literal multiple edits that does not make sense at all lol. It jumps for no reason. The overall framing is also could be better. It really does feel a bit stagy at times. It does feel amateurish at times. This might be caused by the fact that I watched a BOTCHED 2hr version of the film.
Also, words like "dyahe" and "echos" existing in 1970. Did not know that. I taught they were at least nineties inventions to be honest.
Again, acting wise. Eddie Garcia and Mario O'Hara were walking in circles of everyone. They literally made this film. Kudos to for Jay Ilagan and Lolita Rodriguez.
Recommended.
