Poignant in its simplicity

How lucky of Maxi to grow up in a family where gays are not bashed, humiliated, scorned, or mutilated. How many gays have shrunk in the shadows because a large part of society still thinks homosexuality is a terrible and contagious disease? For centuries, society has pathologized homosexuality. To undo this injustice is to part the Red Sea again. And how many more gays have remained inside their closets for fear of censure not just by society but by family? Seeing Maxi grow up into a young lass, showered with familial love that allows him to blossom, makes me jump in jubilation that if all families were like Maxi’s then we will have a gay, happy world!

Maxi is Maximo in Auraeus Solito’s winning film, Ang Pagdadalaga ni Maximo Oliveros. The film is set in the slums of Manila, with Maxi’s family (composed of his widowed father played by Sol Cruz, older brothers played by Neil Ryan Sese and Ping Medina) as one of the neigborhood’s resident criminals. They earn a living through petty crimes. Thus, when one son, Boy kills a 16-year-old while being held-up, Maxi’s father in desperation declared, "pinalaki ko kayong magnanakaw, hindi mamamatay tao."

Maxi’s idyllic life is interrupted when he meets a policeman, Victor, played by JR Valentin who rescues him from two neighborhood thugs who try to "rape" him. Having met a knight in shining armor, Maxi is infatuated with the good-looking policeman. When a new chief of police is assigned, he gets Maxi’s policeman friend as his assistant and soon they start their hunt to spare the neighborhood of criminals. Maxi’s father is liquidated.

Filial bonding and family ties overcome his ‘feelings" for the policeman. "Iisa lang ang papa ko," says Maxi, having witnessed how the chief of police with his friend in tow shot his father at close range.

The film is more than just about growing up and being gay. It is about love. Maxi grows up loved and doted on by his "macho" family. When the father dies, it is now the two older brothers who lovingly take charge of Maxi –cooking, ironing and washing clothes for him – chores that were then assigned to Maxi by the entire family. Maxi also goes back to school and outgrows his love for the police.

Ang Pagdadalaga ni Maximo Oliveros is a real winner. Michiko Yamamoto wove a seamless script. Auraeus Solito is brilliant. Nap Jamir’s cinematography is inspired. It doesn’t distract you from the scenes. Instead, it enhances the emotional fervor of the movie while giving it the necessary mood. Bayang Barrios is as always flawless in her rendition of the theme song.

The film is poignant in its simplicity. In another lifetime, I’d kill to be Maximo Oliveros. For Mother Nature Savour Nature 05 kicked off its month-long environmental awareness and fund-raising campaign for the conservation projects of World Wildlife Fund (WWF-Philippines), with the special screening of Deep Blue.

Deep Blue is a compendium of the most unforgettable and scintillating moments of the Blue Planet documentaries. Blue Planet is a ground-breaking documentary about the most mysterious and misunderstood realm of the planet – the ocean. The film raises viewers awareness of environmental issues, making the audience understand that the oceans are in trouble and their future lies in human hands.

Ayala Land and WWF together with Chikka.com will bring to the public an exclusive screening of Deep Blue at Greenbelt Cinema on Nov. 9 to15.

BBC worked on a budget of over $17 million for the film and TV series to come to life. Filmmakers Alastair Fothergill ( Life in the Freezer) and Andy Byatt ( Monsters We Met) directed and assembled 20 specialized camera teams, shot over 7,000 hours of footage in more than 200 locations around the world for more than five years and descended as far as 5,000 meters in the most powerful submersible crafts.

A full orchestral score was composed specifically for Deep Blue by five-time Oscar nominee George Fenton (Gandhi, Cry Freedom) and recorded by the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, its first ever recording of a film score.

Savour Nature activities include a photo exhibit by an internationally-acclaimed underwater photographer, a Panda merchandise booth of exclusive WWF items and others.