inter.m@tes

Inter.m@tes premiered at NewFest 2004. Audience comments, forwarded by Basil Tsiokos, Festival Director, ranged from the dismissive - "silly, insubstantial; embarrassingly stereotypical; clichéd" - to the supportive ... "very good, loved it; loved the bitchiness of some of the characters; interesting insights into how HIV/AIDS and gay identity is treated in other cultures; drama drama drama! I loved this movie; surprisingly full of humor; LOVED the melodramatic elements; a good lesson on promiscuity and its emotional, psychological and physical potential consequences; like a really fun soap opera that you never want to end; while many of the characters were the too-prevalent Asian queen stereotype, the film went beyond the stereotypes to show a nicely balanced group of gay Asian men; I would love to see these characters again." Reproduced with his permission, Oskar Atadero, in his 'gayrap' column (Mr. & Mrs. March 30, 2004) critiques: "Inter.m@tes is as complicated as the confusing and endlessly overlapping circles of friends and enemies in the Filipino gay community. The film cunningly imitates the nature of the internet chat itself.The twists and turns of the story about eight gay yuppies and a rent boy, who makes their life hell, resonate with the real-life 'dagdag-bawas' way we embellish reality with gossip. In the process, the cybergay community, in Inter.m@tes, creates idols, destroys reputations, introduces lovers and instigates treacherous splits. Suffice to say, Inter.m@tes, with its realistic portrayal of middle-class gay lifestyles, is a smashingly fine film."

The filmmaker can't decide exactly what language to use, whether Filipino or English. For example, the main character (played by Ian Veneracion) lets go of a one-word gay speak invective, so uncharacteristic of someone who sounds impeccably American. In another scene, the plain-spoken Filipino mother of one of the characters, engages his son's friend in a Tagalog conversation, interrupted by a surprising English sentence that comes very unnatural.

The movie's script is so wordy that it sounds like a radio drama.

In hindsight, the film plays too hard in using English that it smacks of artificiality because the context of the film's milieu supposedly showcases Filipino gay culture. The director should have just used subtitles instead.

The film is predictable, campy, soap-operatic, over-acted to comedic effect which contradicts its dramatic intent.

i thought that this movie was OK, it showed what life would be like if you really lived in Philippines and you were gay. it could have been a bit better if it was better made. i thought that the movies title: "inter.m@tes" did not give a clue as to what the movie would be about. if it had had a title like "Gay Manila" then it would have given a bigger clue and you could decide weather to watch it or not. ill admit that yes, it was a bit predictable and a bit boring at times but thats why i brought it down a couple points. all in all it was an alright movie with an interesting plot but if you enjoy a foreign film then i suggest you go and see it.

This is a solidly directed independent film which has some beautiful moments and is cleverly edited. It's clear to me the director has cut his teeth in theatre rather than film as the movie is heavily driven by the words and not enough time is spent exploring the characters through the camera lens alone. The story is thought provoking and moving and there are some nice subplots which could have been explored further such as the doctor and his wife for example or Starman's ex-beauty queen mother. The film is let down badly by the sound and dubbing which seems to have been tinkered with when maybe it should have been left alone. Anyway I would recommend this film, whatever your sexual preference I believe it provides a good insight into gay Manila life. The director certainly possesses raw talent and it will be interesting if he has learnt from his mistakes when his next picture is released.