Ang Pagdadalaga ni Maximo Oliveros

Rating:	★★★★
Category:	Movies
Genre:	Independent

As if being a "Tween" wasn't awkward enough, here comes "Maxie" and he's gay.

Living in the city slums where drugs, gambling and theft are commonplace is the setting of this film. There are many clues to the story that are not dished out as many are used to in the more commercial movies. I watched this film with our maid and I was laughing at many parts but she'd only follow when I make my comment. So, really, this film isn't meant for mass appeal.

The story is poignant. The love the Oliveros family had was touching. They're all males. The mom had died years before from disease (even the disease wasn't mentioned), and the dad had to make ends meet after getting into heavy debt from the hospitalization and medicines. The eldest helped the dad and their choice of business was the enterprising world of cellphone "re-selling" and a form of local gambling known as "jueteng." You can just imagine how "safe" everything was for the youngest, Maxie.

But Maxie finds something admirable in everybody. His dad and brothers were thugs yet his sweetness never waned. They all doted on him (as is common for the youngest in the family), and he took care of them as the only "female" of the household. Outside the home, Maxie had friends everywhere, and soon finds his puppy love in a greenhorn policeman.

The film made it a point to establish the setting and the personalities. And this created an aura of familiarity. I felt drawn to the place and the people. In the end, the tragic circumstances of Maxie's family became a hopeful change. For once, I felt pretty good about such a situation as theirs-- Maxie was their baby and they would make sure he had a future.

All in all, I am happy to have seen such a good turn of Philippine film-making. I've often been mum about the Filipino films I see because I will only rant and get bitchy. But not in this case.

Kudos to Jeffrey Jeturian for his superb writing! And same to Nathan Lopez for being a very convincing the Tween-Gay, Maxie, as well as the rest of the cast. For once, the extras didn't seem like they were simply hired at P300 per day. Oh, and I thought the guy who played Bogs looked familiar -- turns out it's Ping Medina. Yup, great acting runs in his veins!