Masahista - Brillante Mendoza
A friend commented that if a Filipino film ever gets recognized abroad, you wouldn't be surprised that its most probably a gay film. That says a lot about the current recognition Philippine cinema has in the eyes of foreign cineastes. For example, probably the most recognized Lino Brocka film in America would be
Macho Dancer, which is probably one of the great director's worst films. The only Filipino films available on DVD outside the shores of the islands are again,
Macho Dancer,
Midnight Dancers and
Burlesk King, which are all about male club dancers who engage in the profession to escape the poverty of Manila. This year alone, the two Philippine films that got recognized abroad are gay themed,
Ang Pagdadalaga ni Maximo Oliveros (
The Blossoming of Maximo Oliveros), which won a prize in Montreal, and
Masahista (
The Masseur), which co-shared the Golden Leopard for the video competition in Locarno.
Masahista treads closer to the traditions of
Macho Dancer, etc. as it tells the story of masseur (Coco Martin) who works for a gay massage parlor in Manila. Juxtaposed to his servicing a male client (Allan Paule), is his life in his province Pampanga where his estranged father dies of liver failure. One thing that separates
Masahista from the rest of the aforementioned macho dancer flicks I've mentioned that it grounds itself with a realistic, if not less interesting, plot that does not deny the fact that poverty may not be connected to the fate of a masseur, and that in such profession, relationships are merely skin deep, and that dual lives have to be lived to survive. Director Brillante Mendoza, who used to be a production designer, ponders and muses on his themes and characterizations in a relaxed fashion. His camera is a quiet observer, both in Pampanga and inside the shabby confines of the massage parlor. He takes time to capture little details like neighborhood kids playing ball, or the frank conversations between masseur and client, encapsulating further the lost humanity of these men.
Masahista, however, is no masterpiece. It's reiterated themes are not as original as I've expected them to be. Despite the great efforts of all the artists involved in the feature, the film fails to be more insightful than the material.
Masahista is still an interesting attempt, despite its plenty of flaws. I just wish that next time, the world notices that the Philippines can do more than churn out these gay-themed melodramas - that there is indeed something more. ***/*****
