Ang Tatay kong Nanay (or more literally translated as My Dad whose also My Mother) tells the story of Coring, a gay beautician, who is tasked by a one time lover (Dennis played by Brocka favorite P. Salvador) to take care of his son as he chose a new life as a US Navy man.
She grapples with the role of a guardian to his newly adopted son Nonoy (Nino Muhlach in a star-making role) AND finds herself grappling if whether to portray herself as an flamboyant gay man or just be straight passing when is around. But things take a turn, when the long lost mother of Nonoy, who is now rich after her foreign husband's death, returns to the fray and decides to maybe take his son back.
This is ANOTHER classic and well made film from Brocka. His economic melodrama about a gay man AND the idea of chosen families and gender biases is as expected premier AND well observed. Even though it is simple melodrama in reality (and very kitschy at that), Brocka focuses on creating this resonating themes that transcends even to this day.
I do have some reservations towards how Delgado's mother character is written. IT is haphazardly written as BAD and coded as fake from start to finish AND that is definitely lazy writing. Sadly, it takes down the weakest third of the film. Even small scenes, such as commentary about how gayness is not something a child learns from a gay guy within the beauticians, is something that still transcends in time.
Performance wise, It just well tuned performances from top to bottom EVEN with clear lack of budget. One of two Dolphy great gay drama's, and he shows he really has acting chops in this. He just have the emotional face needed to create so much character for this role. Nino Muhlach plays Nonoy beyond his years and shows why he is the premier child star of that era.
A beautiful film, its not his most perfect (the last third is weak) BUT this definitely has more heart than his average film. Highly recommended.
