Pride and the city

Pride and the city | Daily Tribune

No, they didn’t save — nor attempted to save — an entire city from perdition of some kind. They did everything to bring back to some distant rural town a co-worker nicknamed “Ge” for Angelito (Gold Aseron), who died from a drug overdose pulled on him by a customer who left him in a parking lot afterwards. It was the dying young man’s last wish whispered to a co-worker (singer Miguel Odron in his first movie) who had just joined the “oldest profession.”

The new guy is nicknamed Zion. It is a strongly religious concept associated with unity and righteousness. Petersen Vargas, the film’s director and scriptwriter, is into ironic (oxymoronic?) naming of his characters, eh!

They don’t have the cash to pay for a funeral service to bring the body to the boondocks. They could not even get him a death certificate since they couldn’t bring him to a hospital because they knew they would surely be questioned about the drug use of the dead patient. The boys cleaned the body at the impressive pad of the newcomer to the trade, whom they’d later find out is a son of a general. Was he just spying on them?

The daring public bus trip of the boys with a dead body inside a huge bag takes up about half of the film. During that trip, the newcomer and one of the “old-timers” (Jomari Angeles, nicknamed in the story as “Uno”) in the profession would realize they are falling for each other, a feeling which seems to have begun when a customer (at the film’s beginning) paid them to engage in sex in front of him. (It’s not an unusual preference for some gay “clients.”)

They made it to the distant town, found a coterie of transwomen celebrating the town fiesta at a place secluded from the townspeople who find their cross-dressing ways repulsive. They also found Ge’s older brother to be the town’s pastor. The brother is repelled by Ge’s remains as he considers Ge an evil person. According to him, the young man is evil for deliberately moving to the city so he can be a sex worker.

The film is praised by foreign reviewers and critics for its cinematography, lighting effects, sound design and engineering that contrast the ambiance of the congested city with that of breezy towns whose folks are fiesta-loving and given to garish decors. They are also well-impressed with the acting of the lead actors, who seem natural both in their macho ways and tenderness. The actors look their youthful best.

They took note of Odron’s confident acting, even as it is only his first film. His character does not have to be a streetwalker, but some nights came to him and made him feel like walking. It satisfied the latent gay in him. It’s most likely the same covert homosexual urge that made Ge feel like walking some nights in the city and abandoning his distant town.

The aesthetics of the film mentioned above are enough to please the fans. At the Gateway cinema, all three screenings of the film on the festival’s first day sold out. The two screenings on the festival’s third day may have easily sold out, too.

But the foreign reviewers and the critics demanded more substance in the narrative, particularly on the background and family life of the characters who were pushed into forming a family-like relationship among themselves by living together in the city. The critics and the reviewers concluded that the film is unsuccessful.

The film is an international co-production among the Philippines, Singapore, and Italy, bringing together Asian powerhouse producers Daluyong Studios (Plan 75), Origin8 (Norte, the End of History), Ten17p (A Lullaby to the Sorrowful Mystery), Giraffe Pictures (Wet Season), Momo Films Co (Don’t Cry, Butterfly) and Volos Italia (Viet and Nam).

It premiered at the Talinn Black Nights Film Festival in November last year and screened at the Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival in the same month. It was shown the following month at the Singapore International Film Festival.

QCinema movies are approved by the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board. Some Nights I Feel Like Walking must be restricted to a certain age and might be released only in Ayala Mall theaters since SM cinemas are leery of decidedly sensual and controversial movies, which possibly serve as a cruising and hunting ground for streetwalkers.

The film’s impressive lead actors include Tommy Alejandrino and former Pinoy Big Brother contestant Argel Saycon, whose real first name begins with Prince. He does have a princely body now (though the film was shot way back in 2022).

QCinema screened nine other movies and several short films.

Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte highlighted the importance of this cultural milestone, thus: “QCinema is one of our city’s most anticipated cultural events — bringing together film lovers and creatives alike. This year, we proudly introduce RainbowQC, a special edition that celebrates not just the art of cinema, but the spirit of Pride and inclusion.”

Curated by QCinema artistic director Ed Lejano, the festival featured a blend of local and international titles. Highlights included The Wedding Banquet (USA), Cocoon (Germany) and Consequences (Slovenia).

The festival concluded on 27 June with a free screening of short films under the Rainbow QCShorts section, curated by Jason Tan Liwag. Featured works were:

Abutan Man Tayo ng House Lights by Apa Agbayani; A Catholic Schoolgirl by Myra Angeline Soriaso; The River that Never Ends by JT Trinidad; Microplastics by Lino Balmes; and Water Sports by Whammy Alcazaren.”

“Film is a powerful tool for empathy and understanding,” Mayor Belmonte said. “By amplifying the stories of the LGBTQ+ community, we promote visibility, break barriers, and advance our shared goals of equality and inclusion.”

Lejano added, “RainbowQC marks QCinema’s first foray into dedicated Pride programming. As a new annual tradition, it will serve as a key part of the city’s Pride Month calendar, leading up to the Lov3 Laban Pride March on 28 June at the UP Diliman campus, the country’s largest LGBTQ+ celebration.”