Some delights and disappointments in QCinema

The first-ever QCinema (Quezon City Film Festival) opted to start humbly, showcasing only 3 full-length films each given a film grant by the Quezon City Film Development Council a little more than a year ago. Judging from the 2 festival entries that this film junkie was able to see during the event's 3-day run, it is my humble opinion as well that the festival did not really stand out that much among the number of film festivals being held annually here in our country (though it also featured a number of New Breed entries from this year's Cinemalaya;but we are talking here of QCinema's own entries). Hopefully, as what Mayor Herbert Bautista mentioned in the event's promotional video, QCinema will be able to have a lot more films by next year (and in the coming years). By that way, our gauge of the quality of the festival's output will be more wide-ranging and well-informed. Nevertheless, the event was an earnest start and should definitely encourage our growing number of talented filmmakers and attract the attention of film enthusiasts from all walks of life in the years to come. And we say still, should become better.

Let's now take a look at those two films: 

"Hello, World" by Joel Ferrer 

Just like Gino Santos with "The Animals" (a New Breed entry in last year's Cinemalaya), Joel Ferrer has a keen eye and ear for the culture of today's youth. But whereas the former's film took a dark and tragic turn, the latter's (his debut work) geared towards the lighter and funnier side. Still, "Hello, World" is a coming-of-age tale that is similarly raw, frank and pulsating. At times, with its utter verbosity and free-spirited attitude, the film approaches the sensibility of a French New Wave film. On some occasions, we were even thinking that the 2 teenage boys (Jeff and Johan) were the soul brothers of Gael Garcia Bernal and Diego Luna in Alfonso Cuaron's "Y Tu Mama Tambien", sans the explicit sexual acts. Yet, we can't still help thinking that young boys (or girls) going through the joys and pains of adolescence are something that we have seen countless times in the cinema before;something that even a veteran filmmaker like Jose Javier Reyes is capable of doing without batting an eyelash. But then, given the film's oh-so-casual verbal exchanges (excellently delivered by the young performers), improvisational and free-wheeling vibe, and no-holds-barred take on today's youth's attitude towards love, sex, family, career, friendship and what-have-you, all formally realized by way of steady frames and long takes, it still achieves a certain level of freshness. The young blood running through the film can certainly be felt, coming from someone who is definitely among the very persons that he portrays. 

"Gaydar" by Alvin Yapan 

If "Debosyon" made this film junkie's spirit soaring high, that same spirit was lamentably dampened by Alvin Yapan's latest work, "Gaydar". I have to admit that I had high expectations from this new film, just coming right after the masterwork that was "Debosyon". But then, I realized time and again that one should learn to set aside expectations every once in a while, probably as a way of giving "space" to the thing or person being expected from. To let them loose, so to speak. And it is such a reward to us if such a "space" brought advantages to that thing or person. Because I don't know if the director is just "loosening up", but everything in "Gaydar" appears sketchy and haphazard, as if the troupe is in the middle still of a rehearsal, where everyone is still getting some pointers and everything is in need of some more polishing. The title can be deceptive as well;in fact, it doesn't really figure in the film that much. For what we may initially think of as a film about homosexuality, identity crisis and sexual orientation is actually about being romantically starry-eyed. Yes, there's a gay character in it, but he's close to just being an incidental, rather than an integral, player. The triumvirate of Pauleen Luna (the lovelorn), Rafael Rosel (the secret admirer) and Tom Rodriguez (the object of desire) do all that they can to make the best out of their roles, but their characters are so lacklusterly written that no matter their earnestness, they come across more as scribbles and sketches than as flesh and blood. Alvin is able to put in occasional touches of quirkiness and absurdity (like the "blind chorus" and the "same" set of actors appearing in a few scenes), but in this occasion they just don't jive in that they come off more as production blunders than as technical innovations. I don't know if I was just over-reading it, but there's a plot "turn" in the film that appears to be patterned after the kind found in Abbas Kiarostami's "Certified Copy", but rather than becoming an added riddle, it only piles up the film's mess. "Debosyon" offered mysteries and puzzles whose partial exhaustiveness is at the core of its genuine pleasure;while "Gaydar"'s attempt at deception and pretense only serve to counterflow from the desired effect. It becomes more confusing than enlightening. Whereas "Sana Dati"'s seeming banality and simplicity paved the way for deep insights into relationships and commitment, "Gaydar"'s attempt at "deconstructing" the facade of artificiality left us with an even shallower wisdom about love and desire, if there's one at all. But the film does not in any way diminish my admiration for the director. I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. It could be just one of his "lazy" times. His next film, "Mga Anino ng Kahapon" (to be shown also this October), could be his back to form. Oh, here's another expectation.