Bathhouse:
Review
The
way there
Review
Proper
This
opus by Crisaldo Pablo is one painful film… it captured all that is the
life of a gay man—Philippine setting. Exposing every soul, every
frustration, insecurity, the loneliness… the fear… the pain… lost
hope, after which you realize you have no choice but to hope again… after
the film, I was yearning to be held.
The
film was about a naïve, young man name Rico who fell in love with a
bathhouse hustler, Cris, who is ten years older than him and have suffered
enough… wanting to hope but fearful of getting hurt again. Slowly, Rico
was lured to the lustful world of bathhouse and the polygamous lifestyle the
gays enjoy.
The
film showed many facets of the gay community, the different types of gay
men, thus breaking stereotyping. But then the film also showed that no
matter what you are, what type you belong… no matter how different you
are… still you wouldn’t help but to hope… hope, this time, the man
whom your skin is touching would be the one. (It reminds me of a French film
that I saw, I can’t remember the title, but a hooker was asked if she
still believes in love, she asked back, “Do we really have a choice?”).
The
film, I’m sorry but I must say was rubbish—bad lighting, bad editing,
bad sound, bad actors. It’s one of the worst film you would see but then
we are talking about a very low budgeted film here and that it’s a digital
movie. So still, kudos to the people involved in the film! But I think I
would rather read it in print than see it. Crisaldo Pablo was one great
writer. More than anything else in the film, it was the story, the script
that made me love it.
It
was the writing that hit me, made me squirm… made me feel. I don’t think
the film would get an A at film school but the writing could be proclaimed
as one of the greats. Crisaldo Pablo I think should no longer put his works
into film unless it would be properly funded and handled properly but
instead have it on paper. God, it’s Palanca worthy!
But
since, it’s not yet in paper… the film would run at Robinsons Galleria
until the twenty-fifth of January. If you’re gay, you should see it.
That’s
another thing. The film is not for the straights… I don’t think the film
was made to promote awareness and acceptance of homosexuality by the
straight people. It was made to promote awareness and acceptance of
homosexuality amongst homosexuals. That is really the theme of the film.
After
The Movie
January
20, 2005/Thursday