a review on "Huling Palabas"
2001 in Roblon, a small province in the Philippines. 16-year-old Andoy (Shun Mark Gomez) is about to take his final exams at school, which will bring with it many changes in his life. All the more he enjoys the last time with his best friend Pido (Bon Andrew Lentejas). Every day, Pido picks Andoy up from school on his rusty red-brown bike and they ride to the nearest film rental shop in town to spend hours reading through the film descriptions on the VHS tapes and thinking about which films they would rent and play if they had a VHS player. Almost every evening, the two go to a friend's house where he shows films on his small television. The films give Andoy a distraction from everyday life and at the same time space for the questions and topics that occupy the teenager. Will his mother, who lives and works in another town to give Andoy a good life, manage to come to his graduation ceremony? What will the time after school be like when Andoy moves away for college and no longer sees Pido every day? Why does Andoy still not know who his father is, who according to stories is cursed and lives in the forest, could he find and recognise him if he goes looking for him in the forest? What does Andoy want from his life anyway and what defines him?
In his dreams, Andoy keeps seeing his father as a tall, mystical figure, and his urge to answer the questions about his father and himself grows ever greater. When Andoy and Pido meet Isidro (Cedrick Juan) on their way home - a tall, long-haired man who has moved into his parents' house and also shows films on his VHS player in the evenings - Andoy immediately feels connected to Isidro and for a moment even has the thought that he could be his father. At the same time, Andoy's path crosses with Ariel (Senanda), a charismatic person who owns a small hair salon and also seems to know Isidro. Andoy spends more and more of his time with the two of them, and at the same time the friendship between him and Pido changes. Little by little, Andoy finds his way and answers to who he really is, and his journey almost becomes a film on VHS itself.
"Huling Palabas" gently takes the audience into the emotional world of an adolescent who finds himself and his identity with the help of the people around him. While the film blends genres such as coming of age, melodrama, comedy and even a bit of fantasy and mysticism, many system-critical and relevant themes are woven in without coming across as forced: the poor economic situation of many families, psychological pressure and violence in the family, even the colonisation by Europe and the US of the Philippines through the created metaphor of the cursed. Many of these themes are so deeply and subliminally integrated into the film that they only become apparent upon further reflection or through the audience discussion, which means that "Huling Palabas" will definitely stay in your mind for a time.
In my opinion, the queerness of the characters is particularly well done and refreshing - without focussing on it, being queer simply exists. As the director Ryan Machado, who grew up in Roblon as a queer person himself, reveals in the Q&A, with "Huling Palabas" he wanted to create a world that works without discrimination, without microaggressions in everyday life. And he succeeds incredibly well. Without directly addressing the queerness of the characters, the characters can develop freely; problems, fears and discrimination, which are placed at the centre of the plot in many other queer films, are not addressed, acceptance and free expression are taken for granted. As a result, "Huling Palabas" feels like a safer space in which Andoy, but also all viewers, can explore and develop freely and feel seen.
Thanks to the warm sepia colours and the calm camera work, which often focuses on small details, "Huling Palabas" radiates an inviting and safe atmosphere in most moments, which further reinforces the safer space. This is often accompanied by calm piano music and beautiful landscapes as Andoy and Pido stroll along the country lanes on their bicycles.Huling Palabas“ in den meisten Momenten eine einladende und sichere Stimmung aus, die den Safer Space noch verstärken. Untermalt wird das häufig mit ruhiger Klaviermusik und Bildern einer schöner Landschaft, während Andoy und Pido mit dem Fahrrad über die Feldwege schlendern.
In between, "Huling Palabas" definitely has its long moments - especially at the beginning, I wonder where the film is actually going, what it's leading up to. The dream scenes in particular, in which mysticism and reality merge, are sometimes a little tiring, strange and break out of the otherwise calm and cosy atmosphere. However, these unpleasant, sometimes strange scenes are quickly replaced by heart-warming and beautiful scenes. And "Huling Palabas" doesn't seem to be aiming for anything at all, the film is rather a snapshot of a young person on his way to exploring himself and his interpersonal relationships.
Huling Palabas" is definitely a film worth seeing, which is perhaps a little exhausting at times, but once you get into the narrative style it is an incredibly well-created story with added value that will stay with you for a long time.
During the Berlinale you can still see "Huling Palabas" on Thursday (22 February) at 10:00 in the HKW (Miriam Makeba Auditorium) or on Friday (23 February) at 15:45 in Cubix 8.
