Nuel Naval’s The Last Beer Gin, written by Mell del Rosario-Mendoza and produced by Cineko Productions and Obra Cinema Productions, is the most apt movie to watch this October, as it will be shown in cinemas nationwide on its first day. 

It is the month that celebrates the festival where the rolling out of beer barrels, guzzled as if there were no tomorrow, paired with bar appetizers or pulutan, made more memorable thanks to the boasts, roasts, tales and truths shared during the drinking celebration. 

Director Naval said: “This is not a movie that will shock members of Alcoholics Anonymous and definitely not a promotion of the beer-gin alcoholic concoction. Yes, the potent alcoholic beverage is present, but what the audiences will see are five strangers who bond for no apparent reason and as they begin the drinking spree, tongues become more relaxed and loose, personal facades and walls slowly but surely erode, beans and teas spill at first, then comes the drama and mushy reveals. It is like watching your closest friends as they unravel their most sacred secrets and truths about love and life.”

“The movie is a toast to vulnerability, barkada-level bonding,” Naval added. “It is a raw portrayal of modern Filipino life, inviting audiences to raise a glass and ask themselves: how much truth can you really take in one sitting?”

Quintet of strangers

The quintet of strangers in the movie are Tere (Cherry Pie Picache), a caregiver feeling the pressure of love and responsibility; RG (JC Santos), the relatively young man whose heart is locked, no room for feels and mush; Isaac (Zaijian Jaranilla), who gives love a bad name because what he holds on to and pines for the unrequited kind; Sandy (Xyriel Manabat), who enjoys being a “female, female” though there is more to her than what meets the eye; and Hilo (Pepe Herrera), a husband and father who wants to escape his singsong kind of life and its many trappings.

“The characters in this movie are all based on people I encountered, observed and watched during drinking sessions,” said screenplay writer Mendoza. “My reality is I don’t drink anything that intoxicates. So, what happens is I nibble the pulutan, I make mental notes on what I see, and that is how these characters were born, and I wrote the story.  All of the five are relatable and as their drinking escalates, the truths they reveal many can identify and say that I was a Tere or Hilo.”

‘Pag may alak, may balak’

Asked if the cast believes in the popular saying, ‘“Pag may alak, may balak (When there is alcohol, there are intentions),” and Santos replied: “I think the intent really is to just drink, have fun, laugh, shed tears if you want to, or just be the person that they can place their head on.”

“I am a happy talker when I drink and I make sure that when I converse with someone, my focus is just the person,” Santos said. “When they know and sense that you are there as a respectful person and gentleman, the hanky panky balak will not happen.”

Picache’s candid answer: “Of course. We are no longer kids. We all know that drinking alcohol makes someone bolder and less inhibited.”

Jaranilla said: “Well, I think that not all has that balak kind of agenda when drinking. It depends on the person and the situation. Some drink because they want to unwind and take the stress away. Others drink for catching up and making friendships work and stronger. The shady balak, I guess what matters is that you are in good company and that they will not dare you to do something that will of course, have consequences. And to avoid such a scenario, always drink in moderation and know when to stop and say no.”

What The Last Beer Gin affirms is the fact that it is not easy to be a modern-day Pinoy. There are bills and due dates, physical, emotional, financial and psychological, personal and domestic daily grinds, polarizing politics, but still we wake up, face the challenges, do our versions of goodness, and give toast to this crazy planet, its people with the wonderful beverage made of beer and gin.