♫ Esprit de Corps, Esprit de Corps, Can’t
hold it back anymore ♫
To tell you the truth, I’m quite a homophobe when
it comes to this kind of film. As much as people are praising Quick Change,
Kasal and other films with men-to-men nudity, I still didn’t see them. I love
Maximo Oliveros and Rent but there was something inside of me that’s afraid of
seeing gay films in a theatre. Because of the intriguing teaser and positive
reviews from some of my friends, I finally went out and saw a gay-themed film
on the big screen.
Even if it’s full of nudity and homosexual lust, it’s not your typical
“Recto film” (an underground indie that’s made for horny gays and male
prostitutes). The long takes, I mean 30 minutes looong takes, are magnificent
and thrilling even if you know how it builds up to. It’s like watching a Lars
Von Trier and not having an erection because of its fascinating execution. Yeah,
I can confidently say that I was not aroused at the sex and erotic convos. What
I do felt was Sandino Martin (Abel) and Lharby Policarpio’s (Cain) exhaustion.
We may have a threesome for the Best Actor award but JC Santos (Mac) is
definitely the alpha male among them. He has that charismatic angst that makes
you wanna follow all his crap. The film is good in showing the contrasting
characteristics of Cain and Abel and I have to praise Kanakan-Balintagos for
his impressive direction on these actors and the camerawork. My favourite scene
was when Abel recited the “What’s a Kiss” poem and the camera is just circling
them in an 'infinity sign' motion. I also like how it ended in a sincere way.
Lastly, I remembered Mike De Leon’s Batch ’81 while watching this. They have
the same theme of traditional punishment.
However, the short scenes felt flat and cheesy.
They have something to say, but they weren’t subversive enough. Take for
instance the Cain and Abel swimming pool convo. They are saying something about
being bold and free but the poses they do while saying these are distracting.
It’s like they’re advertising an underwear garment. Also, Mac’s flashback
should have been deleted. Lastly, there was no gayot na gayot (super macho)
dude. Clearly, there has to be a homophobe among these soldiers.
Esprit de Corps will give you a bold illustration of
what is the essence of being a man. You can become as manly as you want. No
one can force you to change your sexual preference but love knows no bounds and
a real man faces them with pride.
Bigyan ng burger ang matakaw na si Shawn,
ti-tibay ‘yon...
BIG MAC TASTY BURGER 3.5/5!
If public nudity will be legal
for one day, where would you go first?
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if you enjoy the review. Thanks for reading! J
