L'éveil de Maximo Oliveros

Though its a thoroughly Catholic-dominated country, the Philippines is said to have a more lax attitude towards "the gay" than other more liberal, democratic countries, like the one I live in. Many point to its cinema as evidence of this. Of course, this is from the outside looking in. LGBT folks, particularly the effeminate "bakla" male, might be commonplace in Philippine film, but the ones we don't see on screen face a particular type of oppression. They are often an object of ridicule, stereotyped as shallow, loud-talking and outrageously "mayabang," and usually sex-crazed. And a lot of folks, gay or straight, eat it up.

Despite its deceptive marketing (from the DVD cover/promo poster to the trailer), Auraeus Solito's Ang Pagdadalaga ni Maximo Oliveros/The Blossoming of Maximo Oliveros (2006) isn't at all about a flamboyantly gay boy's crush on the hunky neighborhood police officer that happens to be set in a third world barrio. The story is the barrio, and all its contradictions, initially dressed up as a neorealist comedy evoking both Lino Brocka and Bagets at once before taking a darker turn halfway through.

Like all good (worthwhile) Philippine stories, its aware of acute third world contradictions without overtly speaking on it. If Brillante Mendoza's work emphasizes people's idealism despite wretched conditions, Solito's flips the formula. His Philippines is one where the people are wretched but the settings, still unmistakably impoverished, can also be a magical, wonderfully pastel-colored place.

Maxi (Nathan Lopez) is 12-years old, gay, and plays surrogate mother to his family of petty thieves: tatay Paco (Soliman Cruz) and his older brothers Boy and Bog. The barrio is his playground, until one night he's assaulted by some knuckleheads. Policeman Victor (JR Valentin) comes to his rescue, and they become friends much to his family's objection. Matters complicate when Boy ends up killing somebody in a botched robbery attempt. Lopez brings remarkable ease to the title character, embodying urban poor Philippines with simplicity and struggle. His selfless need/want to care for others is carried by a fragile balance between a naive confidence of who he is and a growing insecurity of where he is (and where he's heading). He dreams in a bubble in the process of bursting, asking his father "Wala na bang ibang paraan itay?" (Is there no other way, dad?)

On the surface, he's nothing like his macho, gun-toting father. However, beneath the princess demeanor, he is his father's son, perhaps more so than his brothers. Conditions have forced Paco to consider what is more dignified: starving with a factory job, or getting by as a petty thief. Maxi has inherited his father's most lasting trait: a commitment to keep the family together. Or at least fed, clothed and sheltered, even if it means doing the "wrong" thing. Thus, Maxi's "blossoming" has less to do with dealing with his rejected affections for Victor and more with facing down the reality of his family's livelihood.

Restrained by necessity rather than stylistic choice, Solito shows us what could be done with a digital camera, $10,000US and 13 days of shooting. It's a style of film that can never be overdone in the Philippines, where lack of support from the media industry and government and resources forces an organic creativity.

Solito's execution is matched by writer Michiko Yamamoto's (Magnifico, 2003) gift for compact, delightful drama/comedy without teetering to far in either direction. Thanks to this collaboration, Ang Pagdadalaga ni Maximo Oliveros is a leap forward from the gay caricatures we've gotten too used to, and yet another piece of a compelling argument that Philippine cinema isn't all cornball and melodrama. Or, that a movie can still have those elements and not be shitty.

Absolutely delightful film, its story centering around Maxi (Nathan Lopez), a beguiling 12 year old boy who wants to be a girl, and his various flirtations, including an unlikely one with a rookie cop on the neighborhood beat. Maxi's Dad and two older brothers are criminal lowlifes capable of very bad deeds, including murder, but they are entirely devoted to Maxi, who cooks and keeps house for them (Mom died a few years before). The feeling is mutual: as Maxi says, there may be a lot of crooked people around, but he's only got one Dad.

The film is chock full of arresting street scenes in metropolitan Manila, and intriguing tensions among the principals. It is most refreshing to see loving, tender feelings binding a marginal family together, rather than the usual melodramatic dysphoria that infects, but does not inform, many movies about the underclass. (This year's "Quinceañera" is another film that plays up the positive aspects of family life in L.A.'s Echo Park Mexican-American barrio.) An exotic, spellbinding, bounteous bouquet of a film. Won several awards at the Berlin and Cinemalaya Film Festivals, among others, and was nominated for the Grand Jury Award this year at Sundance. (In Filipino, Tagalog & English) My grades: 8.5/10, A- (Seen on 11/21/06)

Regardless the controversial topic and my non-knowledge of the reality of those events (for example, volume of corruption within police and acceptance of gays in the Phillippines), as for a film as such, it was skilfully accomplished: good/great performances by major actors, versatile direction and appropriate choice of music made Ang pagdadalaga ni Maximo Oliveros a smooth watch.

Due to limited space and time, however, the film had several documentary elements, and several events happening in the dark did not allow to follow them carefully (perhaps by virtue of modest technology used?). Thus, not a total contentment for me, but definitely a distinguishing and challenging creation to be screened in various festivals.

This film tells the story of a young effeminate boy from a criminal family, who falls for a hunky local policeman in a deprived part of Manila.

A young transvestite boy, possibly transgendered as well,falling in love with a policeman. And it is hinted that the policeman has equal feelings towards him too! I would have thought such a topic should be taboo. The family is so accepting of Maximos that I find it really touching. I am quite in awe that the Filipino society is so accepting of the gay and transgender people.

As for the film, they use loads of natural lighting almost exclusively, so scenes are too dark most of the time. There is even a scene when the family watches TV without lights on! And they did not use a wide enough lens to film scenes in the house either. But these are only minor issues. The main thing is that the story itself is beautiful and brutal at the same time. "The Blossoming of Maximo Oliveros" is quite an eye opener for me.

Just by watching this film, one can understand inside-out about what's going on in a so-called developing country. All the odds. All the blurry lines. And the great parallel of morality and survivability. This film tells a life story well beyond homosexuality and human attraction, as indicated in the camouflage. Maximo or Maxi represents every soul on earth, who needs time, and perhaps a tragedy, to comprehend the life bestowed on him by others, and another life he may be given a chance to choose. His criminal but ultimately decent family is on one side, and the naively honest and devilishly handsome police officer on the other. And, to cry out loud, he is only 12 years old, living in a slum area and without a mother. Forcing him to choose is cruel. I myself am from Thailand. Not so different from the Philippines portrayed excellently here. I think I can relate very well to the sense of trapping one may feel, having born into a brothel of life like that. I dare an inexperienced westerner to predict the film plot, and how it might end. I do not think you can figure out one move to another. This film is honest, with the story well-told and incredibly fair. It should be nominated for major film awards on behalf of ASEAN, as opposed to the Philippines alone, as it tells an ASEAN story, except for Singapore, as few films can. Maximo walks past the charming Victor on his way to re-enter school. Believe it or not, it is indeed a hard decision to make, in a society less than fair and democratic. He is indeed blossoming.