With "Bhoy Intsik", Frontrow Entertainment makes it presence felt as one of the big players in delivering quality films in the near future. Despite the insidiousness of the Sinag Maynila film festival it is part of (is anyone even aware it ends tomorrow?), it has managed to have decent box office returns as per its screenwriter Ronald Carballo.
The film's director is Joel Lamangan who hails from Cavite. Like his more recent works in the independent film scene, this is set in that province and the titular character Bhoy Intsik was inspired by the exploits of a real-life criminal. Raymond Francisco's as the lead really sinks his teeth into this multifaceted character which won him a Best Actor award recently from the festival, tied with Kristoffer King for Kristo.
His co-star here is Ronwaldo Martin, Coco Martin's younger brother who gained acclaim for having portrayed a similar role of a street rat in Pamilya Ordinaryo, Marlon Pogi. The young actor was very effective as the pesky and hot-headed syndicate underling, but needed more spark in his scenes with Elora Espano who plah yed the flirtatious middle-class daughter of a pastor who harbors affection for Marlon from the get-go.
The two small-time criminals of the small community of illegal dwellers who made their home inside the cemetery meet in the wrong place at the wrong time. The relationship which started out with two people ready claw each other's eyes out become more familial as both discover that to make the the future theirs, they have to make amends with their past.
Overall, the film has a number of sweeping shots that would almost make one want to try living in the slums and do something unconventional on a tomb as highlighted by one breathtaking shot using a crane. Another intelligent directorial decision was the use of a drone shot in the opening scene right away, establishing Bhoy Intsik's world which is splashed with bits of color among the gravestones.
The production design benefits the film greatly with its meticulous execution. However, though the color combination per scene is really easy on the eyes, some of Bhoy's outfits are sometimes kind of improbable for his socioeconomic status, and even look like someone would buy from Zara.
When one looks at the film as a whole, one will see that it effectively comes full circle with its focus on a world where only the fittest survive, and unlikely alliances might change the way one perceives things. Although one may find its multiple attempts at humor kind of a self-conscious brand of writing, the organic delivery of the actors makes this characteristic oblivious and instead it heightens the duo's excellent onscreen chemistry even more.
Bhoy Intsik may look like just another story of a transgender, but this tale of a butterfly from the slums treads the path less taken and explores the beauty of a platonic relationship between two wayward individuals who are among the society's bane.
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