[film review] ang pagdadalaga ni maximo oliveros
annasibs, who'd just come from a day out shooting pics of manila. we had such a good time we forgot to take pics of glorietta!it's the kind of film i would like to do a full-blown review of, but i'm pressed for time at the moment. will just post whatever i can manage because honestly, everyone needs to see this movie.
summary: maximo oliveros, better known as "maxie," is an all-out gay 12-year-old - warm, caring, vibrant, and a treasure to his family. he is the only "girl" in a household of thieves and self-righteous neighborhood thugs, who lovingly watch over him. maxie cooks, cleans, washes dishes and waits patiently for his father and two older brothers to bring home the bacon.
maxie's life would be quiet and simple if only he hadn't found himself falling for a new cop on the block: the good-hearted young victor. the driven victor sets out to rid the neighborhood of criminal entities. forced into a corner, maxie must choose between his family and his first love.
thoughts: people who wish to avoid spoilers may wish to stop reading now.
i think "pagdadalaga" more closely translates to "blossoming," even if i'd be more comfortable translating it as "coming of age." the term takes root from "dalaga," which means "maiden/unmarried woman" (as opposed to "binata," which means "youth/bachelor"). therefore when you say someone is "nagdadalaga," you would be talking about a young woman coming out of puberty.
and "maximo" is one of the most masculine names i have ever heard.
maximo oliveros started off as an independent venture... then after it hauled a staggering number of awards all over the world, it came home and was shown mainstream. philippine cinema would have lost a great deal if this had not happened. maximo oliveros deals with a controversial theme, which is otherwise an ordinary deal for many families: nurturing a gay child through what is possibly the most difficult stage of his/her life.
dialogue is brilliant. there are some very hard-hitting lines, and even harder-hitting silences. nathan lopez, the 14-year-old child they got to play the 12-year-old maxie, has the most poignant silences of all. when he turns introspective you can hear his eyes speak, you can feel his indecision with each movement of his head, the distance in his split-second smiles.
photography is awesome. there are some awkward moments in the direction, but i can't fault the photography. nathan has an aristocratic profile, which the camera faithfully captures. nathan makes maxie sit very still in a poised, dignified, wrists and legs crossed manner, very princess-like, which is a true pleasure to stare at if there's nothing else going on within the frame.
the movie tells a lot about life in the concrete jungle of manila. many scenes are well-researched, but there are some parts that still seem rather naive. ex.: "don't i get a phone call?" maxie's brother asks in prison. i don't know if he was joking - he must have been. petty crooks don't get phone calls in this country. the confrontation between maxie's dad, victor and the new chief of police is straight out of a stage play; it was too drama to even be interesting.
the way maxie's macho family spoils him as an only girl-child is a strange thing. their everyday camaraderie is easy enough to digest, but when maxie starts cuddling up to his father, or emoting in a way that tugs at his brothers' heartstrings, i have to raise an eyebrow. i can't speak for all families, of course, but i don't know many male-dominated rural families that indulge their gay male children so much. i've seen families set limits when a child starts being affectionate or uncontrollably emotional, telling him to "toughen up, be a man" and even to "stay away from me, you little queer." often it will be in a joking tone, but with a clear edge that reminds one how all jokes are half-meant.
even family members are under pressure from society to condition their children to behave predictably; very few families are secure enough with each other to ignore social pressure - i guess what the filmmakers are trying to say is that maxie is very lucky.
maxie is a spoiled little girl. this is not a common scenario. one rationale i can see for him getting away with being a genuine feminine influence is that his mother had asked his father and brothers to accept him fully for what he is, and to guard his virtue with the entire family arsenal. for homosexual children frequently are accepted members of the filipino family, except their transition into adulthood comes with more pressure from all around to end up "normal."
the movie drags toward the end, but the beginning is funny and heartwarming. you won't be able to help giving your heart to a kid like maxie. nathan lopez delivers a stellar performance, something you just shouldn't miss.
for playdates and venues, see this page in Clickthecity.com.
update: from today's inq7.net: "maximo" is Best Film in singapore fest