www.XXX.com

I was pleasantly surprised that a director finally tackled the burgeoning subculture of local pornography on the Net. It was also refreshing that the story wasn't another naive girl from the provinces who sought her fortune in the city and ends up as a prostitute.

Though told simply enough, www.XXX.com peeks into the world of internet prostitution. A Fil-Am girl (Palermo) escapes the consequences of her State-side abortion by going back to her home country.

With relatives greeting her with unwelcome arms, Joanna tries to make sense of her life and gets into the clutches of a smooth cybercafe owner (Gary Estrada) who introduces her to Web Diva.Com. She eventually becomes their big money-maker while catching a tentative affair with Spike (Carlo Maceda) -- a misguided hacker who (cheekily enough) created the Love virus in the movie.

The first thing that I noticed about this movie is its moody and threatening depiction of Manila. When it is dark, the scenes become brooding and unyielding. When there is light, the subjects cast a sick pallor, almost washed up and impotent. The cameraman also seemed to be drunk as each frame has no steady bearing. Though I know this is the vogue among filmmakers, I was initially put off by this. I'm no techie but the movie apparently was filmed on digital camera (or made to look that way). This is the same technique used by those Dogma filmmakers (see Breaking the Waves or The Anniversary Party as an example) in Northern Europe to bring out mood and character. However, as I proceeded to watch the movie, this askewed and grainy film-making style had become appropriate and fitting to the story. The dull colors and rich shadows on unkempt and filthy scenery created a certain obliqueness and gloom, which only highlighted the prevalent physical and spiritual decay of the setting and its characters.

There were also nice touches in the story that I enjoyed. There was no gratuitous rape scene. There was no histrionic scene between female characters. There was no stereotypical "Am-girl" trying to pass herself of as somebody better than her fellows. I particularly liked the idea of Joanna shopping in Quiapo instead of a mall. No real pretension here.

The script was refreshingly understated with naturalistic dialogue (except the gay assistant, Badong, who was so perky that he perfectly fit the role of the gay pimp). Speaking of the gay pimp, there was a humorous scene where Badong initiated a fire drill. But unlike the usual one, this occurs only when they feel the "heat" of the police upon their secret lair. The scene with the Survival Kit was quietly funny too.

Throughout the movie, there is also that subtext regarding this ongoing tug-of-war between the sanctimoniously myopic conservatives (represented by a cigar-chomping NBI Special Units Officer Mark Dionisio, played by Rey PJ Abellana) and the exploitative, money-grubbing technocrats (portrayed by a canny Rick -- Gary Estrada) as refereed by the media (Ces Drilon, playing herself).

Aguiluz doesn't take sides here and may tend to antagonize each of them. What he seems to be saying is that, each side seems to be no different from the other. The problem of internet censorship clashing with free speech cannot be fully balanced when it is marred with self-interest and greed.

As a side note, the idea in casting Estrada as the sleazy porn site owner was masterful. The character uses his sexual appeal and business cunning to manipulate his "talents." His father, the late great George Estregan, would have been proud.

The other subtext that I noticed was how internet porn can actually be a potent form of female empowerment. In relative terms, this is a new concept in Philippine movies. Maybe Aguiluz has read the likes of Camille Paglia and Susie Bright while noticing the explosion of female-owned porn sites in the internet. In the not-so-old notion of using one's sexuality as a base of power, we actually see that the online g.r.o.'s can actually be the ones who have the upper hand.

This is made more evident in Palermo, who makes a striking debut. She looks like a young Divina Valencia but with less attitude and more soul. It would have been easier to resort to cheesiness when she performs on the Web camera. But her restrained performance only makes the experience truly sensual and fascinating. She doesn't look like the victim. In this case, the men are.

Not entirely perfect, I overlooked the jarring cuts during the sex scenes that were meant to build tension while Spike was trying to contact Joanna at the end. I also ignored the way Joanna and Spike interacted cybersexually when they had to describe what each one was wearing when they can look into each other thru the Web cam. I was also put off with the ending, which seemed too abrupt and open-ended for its own sake. But then, the pluses, in this case, outweigh these minuses.

www.XXX.com relishes the abject alienation of a disenfranchised girl who attempts to build a life for her own while forces outside her attempt to demolish it and fail. The internet is used here as a metaphor for society's inability to be resilient in the face of social disintegration. But, can also be a tool that would mean the salvation of others. Simple in telling and visually stimulating (pardon the pun), Tikoy Aguiluz has made work that is layered with meaning on what it means to be a Filipino in this day and age.

Published in Business World, 9/12/2003

Tikoy Aguiluz is regarded as one of the Philippine movie Industry's top art film makers. But if the saying that "all artists are insane, but geniuses" is true, then tikoy Aguiluz is a clear exception to this. This movie shows a lot of his artistic side as a director, nonetheless with regards to screenplay and story handling, he was completely moronic. Its the same comment I would give if I wrote a review on his earlier film tatarin (Nick Juaquin should sue Aguiluz for his lame brained adaptation of his short story).

I honestly did not know how to begin reviewing this movie, because there really is nothing much to review. Let me just begin by stating the plot of this Movie. Joanne (Palermo) is an Americanized filipina who comes back to the Philippines, to live with her somewhat estranged Aunt and cousin, after her Boyfriend in LA impregnates her. Confused, damaged (by the fact that her boyfriend would not take responsibility for the baby), and broke she has no Idea how to start her life in a God forsaken country that has nothing to offer her. Enter Rick (Estrada) a web-based pornographer, who uses his Internet cafe as a front for his underground business where Joanne happens to hangout most of the time. In no time Joanne easily confides in Rick (being americanized liberated himself), and in no time becomes one of Rick's top on line prostitutes for his business right after aborting her baby. Enter Habibe (De leon) a former top on line prostitute, who befriends Joanne. And being a mother herself, manages to put Joanne in a Dilemma regarding the moral consequences of her choice to abort the her child. Meanwhile we are also presented with the story about an NBI Agent (Abellana) who is tasked to investigate Internet crimes, and recruits a somewhat retired computer hacker named Spike (maceda) as a means to an end. Spike however happens to be an enthusiasts of pornographic web sites and one of them happens to be Joanne's site. What begins as a simple kinky escapade turns into infatuation. In no time they engage in an online roller coaster bondage that sets no limits. And because of this we see Spike in a dilemma regarding the implications with his collaborations with the NBI.

As far as visuals and cinematography is concern, it is failrly good. It is very creative and innovative, and takes us inside the mind of the main characters (Spike and Joanne). The camera works also can tell stories themselves even without the dialogues. The shots can show us the loop holes of our own Filipino cultures and the moral dilemmas that are with it.

Pallermo's acting was also fairly convincing, being Americanized herself in real life. In other words she gives justice to the character of Joanne. Estrada and Deleon's, acting was a bit rusty on this one, but Macedas portrayal of a computer nerd is definitely an all time worst. The way I see it spike is a nerd, has a very poor self esteem, that is why he prefers to spend most of his time in front a computer. Not only was Maceda's acting terrible, he shouldn't have even been casted for this role. Maceda looks more of a street punk than a computer geek. I guess it would be a shame to make a skin flick with actors who wont look good naked in front of the camera. Other than that, I do not see a justification for Macedas casting in this movie.

Here's where the Bad is. The story itself pulls us to so many directions that at times we would be confused where we would go. We are first taken into the dilemma of Joanne, then Rick's Perversion, then the situation of on-line crimes in the Philippines, and the lack of internet laws that makes it difficult to catch culprits. Moreover, the story is being pulled at so many directions that at the middle of the film I said "to hell with all of you"! Lets be clear about one thing, as an audience we have to care what will happen to the characters at the end. If its an action flick, we have to care if the protagonist makes it alive after wasting all the bad guys. If its a romance, we have to care if the lovers will have a happy ending. But this movie did not leave me anything to care for what would happen to the characters in the end.

Bottom line is, Tikoy Aguiluz should have saved money by making a documentary regarding on-line pornography. Because there is really not much entertainment value in this movie. If you want to find entertainment in fancy camera work, then I suggest that you go and pick a silent movie instead. I guess Aguiluz shouldn't equate fancy camera work with a good movie.