Ang Pagdadalaga ni Maximo Oliveros

Ang Pagdadalaga ni Maximo Oliveros (The Blossoming of Maximo Oliveros), is an award winning comic, coming of age film about a teen gay who is torn between the love and loyalty to his family and a cop. Set in the urban slums in Manila, Philippines, the movie tackles sensitive issues such as gender equality, family, poverty, and justice.

The main characters of the film are men whose lives were interwoven due to conflicting views and ways of how to survive the harsh realities of living.

The representations of men in the film are highly affected by the Filipinos' cultural context in the ideal roles of men in the country.

REPRESENTATIONS OF MEN IN ANG PAGDADALAGA NI MAXIMO OLIVEROS

1. MAXI: THE DAMSEL IN THE WRONG BODY

Maximo Oliveros (Natahan Lopez), the main protagonist of the film is a reel representation of the real effeminate general gay teens in the country. The youngest in the kin of three, Maxi is soft spoken, loving and caring. He has a short hair but wears feminine clothing and accessories (hari clips, bangles etc.). He acts as the female in the family. He takes care of his brothers and father, do the household chores, and cooks food for them. He ultimately falls in love to a cop and was ready to assume the female responsibilities for him (e.g. cooks for him, takes care ofhim while he is sick.. etc).

2. VICTOR: THE KNIGHT IN SHINING ARMOR

Victor Perez (JR Valentin), Maxi's love interest, is the representation of the Action Hero in the film. He is tall, with broad shoulders, great build, and a handsome face. He does not have a girl friend and it was not clarified whether he is straight or not. Victor plays the role of the righteous man who will influence Maxi to go away with the illegal means of living and become a better person. However, despite efforts of doing the right thing, he will be tormented by his own demons and will be torn between his duties and his affectionate friendship with Maxi.

3. PACO: THE FATHER FIGURE

Paco Oliveros ( Soliman Cruz), is the representation of the ideal Filipino father. He is tough but accepts Maxi's sexuality and loves him deeply. He leads the household and his decision is respected by his three sons. He serves as the ultimate voice and decision maker of the family. Despite striving in illegal means, Paco remains to be a good father and provider of the family. To him, the duties in the family is of greater weight than the duties to the society.

4. BOY: THE STRONG SILENT TYPE

Boy Olveros (Neil Ryan Sese), represents the man of few words in the film. The eldest of the Oliveros brothers, Boy rarely talks and is perceived as the serious type among the three. However, despite being seemingly aloof, it was apparent that Boy loved Maxi dearly. This became apparent when he and his brother Bogs took revenge to the men who tried to molest and made fun of Maxi. Bogs is the representation of the Filipino's "Lalaking-lalaki" character. His strong facade however was diminished the moment he committed murder while trying to rob a student.

5. BOGS: THE COOL KUYA

Bogs Oliveros (Ping Medina), is the representation of another type of Filipino kuya. Unlike Boy, Bogs is more of the talkative elder brother who likes to talk and jokes around with Maxi. His hair is long and has tattoos on his arms. There personal bonding with Maxi involves watching pirated movies and Maxi braiding his long hair. Despite differences in behavior, both Bogs and Boy represents the ideal kuyas who are both willing to sacrifice a huge part of them for the welfare of their beloved younger brother, Maxi.

c) Janice 2/6/15

photos from Google