Unrealized,
Not Just Unspoken
By Kiki Tan

Ronaldo Bertubin’s Sikil (international title: Unspoken Passion) is – and this should perhaps be expected since it was made years after the others were – way, way, above earlier Filipino indie gay films like Duda/Doubt and Bathhouse, among others.

This is not to say it is great, or even THAT good, however.

The story is simple – Enzo (Ken Escudero), a closeted gay guy (at least he’s out to himself, somehow), is in love with his childhood best friend Adong (Will Sandejas), who, in turn, is in love with their childhood girl friend Melay.  Because Melay’s family isn’t for Adong, Enzo helped the couple run away to Metro Manila.  The gayness of the story actually starts here, as Adong became a sex worker as soon as he arrived in Metro Manila for him to finance his young family (Melay immediately had a kid) – a theme perfected by Lino Brocka, so that those mimicking the attempt to portray probinsiyanos becoming sex workers need to do more, more, more.  When Enzo decided to go to Metro Manila himself, largely to go after Adong, he, too, became a sex worker – in fact, they only accidentally met when they had to do a live show together.

Now the analysis.

First, the good.

For one, the simplicity of the story helps in its telling.  Yes, it’s basically about a gay guy in love with a guy, and will go to hell to follow him.  Everything else (e.g. Melay, the daughter, the rape, et cetera) are extraneous variables that could easily be dismissed as just that.

Secondly, some – stress on some – of the camera work is good, showing that, hey, the budget for this indie film isn’t THAT indie, after all.  It definitely has better film stock than Bathhouse, that’s for sure; and especially in the province, while the three main characters were still young, it managed to capture the place’s rustic feel.

And thirdly, the support cast is, to be expected, impeccable (even if under-utilized).  But then again, that much is to be expected from the likes of Anita Linda…

Now, the bad.

For one, just because one is good looking doesn’t mean he’d make a good actor.  The likes of Richard Gutierrez, Daniel Radcliffe, and the Pinoy Dream Academy graduates, among others, should have taught Bertubin this – alas, yummy-looking as he may be, Will Sandejas is as stiff as, hopefully, his woody: he is so aware he is acting in a film, he delivers his lines so unrealistically, which was something the director should have picked during filming.  But then again, he’s way, way better than Richard Gutierrez, so I guess, in his own way, he’s good…

Secondly, why do probinsiyanos coming to Metro Manila always become sex workers?  They do in films – as they do in Sikil.  This, by the way, isn’t true I’d daresay 95% of the time; but since it makes for a good story, it usually is used and abused by many.  A stereotype that is continued to be spread, unfortunately – by Sikil included.  And not that this is the only stereotype promoted by the film, with others including the gay guy ending up as the woman in the relationship (Enzo ended up looking after Adong and his kid – oh, he’s a bottom in bed, too, yet another stereotype); and the need to show flesh even when the story doesn’t call for them, so that, really, the film is there to titillate more than to tell a story (learn from Y Tu Mama Tambien – we see penises, yes, but the story is stronger because of these shots; in Sikil, they just look, well, like they were placed there to get someone off).

And thirdly, the film has flaws that could have been fixed in the editing room – sounds that could hardly be heard, irrelevant scenes (that gay guy killed in a toilet, and then thrown to the moviegoers – WTF was that for, really?), and clichéd approaches not needing rehashing (hazy camerawork to show helplessness of Adong getting raped – for that matter, even the rape scene seemed to be there only to be gratuitous).

But for all its flaws, Sikil is worth watching.

It isn’t a waste of time, that’s for sure.

Again because it’s way, way better than those that popularized Filipino gay indie films.

The likes of Viva Films’ Pantasya should, at least, start (just start) learning from Sikil.