Skip to main content

Short Film Review: Julie

Picture from here.

This short film was written and directed by a friend of mine, my classmate from college, Clanch Dayve Belleza.  At the 2015 International Film Festival Manhattan (IFFM) in New York City, USA, Clanch's opus garnered an Honorable Mention and a Best Actor Award for Albert Chan Paran, who plays the titular character, Julie. Being a short film, it clocks in at barely thirty minutes and it's available for free streaming at VIDDSEE.

Click on the link. Watch it. Share it to your friends. Then come back here to talk about it.


THE STORY

Julian Capoy -- Julie to most people -- didn't mean to be a construction worker. In fact, it was the last thing he wanted to do. But having found his forte in this ultimate man's world, Julie tries to navigate his way through this sea of masculinity while hiding his true self from all but those closest to him. But can a person live like this for the rest of his life? Should he? In this short glimpse at a turning point in Julie's life, we see what beauty there is in being true.


THE REVIEW

 In the wake of the SCOTUS decision in Obergefell vs. Hodges, which declared that state-level bans on same-sex marraige are unconstitutional (in effect, legalizing same-sex marriage in the U.S.), it's easy to imagine a life where LGBTQ isn't LGBTQ but just, you know, people. But reality is much harsher.

In the Philippines, members of the LGBTQ community are tolerated for the most part -- for as long as they keep their same-sex relationships in the wraps. If they flaunt it, the snickers and the bigoted comments follow.

In the media, gay people are mostly portrayed as comic relief but with a slightly nasty overtone: the humor is always anchored on the fact that gays are apparently sexual predators, pursuing innocent straight people who rebuff their advances. It's a primitive concept, considering the era we live in, but we see it in our shows and we tolerate it.

But change is coming. GMA TV has made at least two shows with a same-sex couple in the lead. You might say, so what? TV shows from around the world has had LGBTQ characters in their roster for some time. While that is true, for Philippine TV, this is revolutionary. And the main couple being a same-sex couple? That is truly unique.

I don't know what's fueled this kind of bold move in Philippine TV. Is it a trend? A fad? Or are we finally taking that first step towards acceptance? We'll have to wait and see. What does make me believe the latter is how these shows portray same-sex relationships as special, not because the individuals belong to the same sex, but because all relationships are. And that is how it should be.

They're just people, people.

Thus, Belleza's Julie isn't so much a story about a gay man who works as a construction worker but a working man who is trying to make ends meet. His problems are ordinary. His job hunting in the beginning of the film is highly relatable. His family even more so. This is life. Sometimes, it's infuriating. Sometimes, it's funny. Sometimes, it makes you ask, "Why God?" And sometimes, it's heart-breaking. But always, it's beautiful and true.

I like this film, not only because it was made by my classmate, but because it's a nicely made film. I mean, sure the transition between scenes could be smoother and the comedic timing of the actors could be better but the humor is there, and I laughed. I genuinely laughed. It's a feel-good film with a wonderful, touching moment from Paran, which must be why he won best actor.

But my favorite is definitely Auntie Patty. She's very cool.


THE SCORE
Story - 6
Sound - 7
Cinematography - 5
Production Design - 6
Special Effects/Editing - 5
Acting - 7
Overall - 6/10



Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Moview Review: The Lady Shogun and Her Men

I've heard about this story for sometime now. The Japanese title is Ooku , which refers to the chamber in the shogun's castle where all the women of the shogun's harem are kept. However, Yoshinaga Fumi's manga, on which this movie is adapted, adds a twist: the shogun is a woman and beautiful men fill her harem. THE STORY In the year 1716 Japan, most of the men have died from a deadly disease that only affects men, resulting in their population dwindling to as much as 1/4 of the total population of women. Consequently, women fill in the traditional roles of men, performing hard labor, managing businesses and running government while men are pampered, protected and allowed only to indulge in light entertainment. In this nonexistent Japan lives Mizuno Yunoshin (Kazunari Ninomiya), a teenager from an impoverished samurai class family. He likes fencing and his childhood friend, O-Nobu (Horikita Maki), but because of his family's financial status (O-Nobu is a daugh...
3 comments
Read more

I have loved the stars too truly to be fearful of the night

THE OLD ASTRONOMER. - Sarah Williams R EACH me down my Tycho Brahé,—I would know him when we meet, When I share my later science, sitting humbly at his feet; He may know the law of all things, yet be ignorant of how We are working to completion, working on from then till now. Pray, remember, that I leave you all my theory complete, Lacking only certain data, for your adding, as is meet; And remember, men will scorn it, 'tis original and true, And the obloquy of newness may fall bitterly on you. But, my pupil, as my pupil you have learnt the worth of scorn; You have laughed with me at pity, we have joyed to be forlorn; What, for us, are all distractions of men's fellowship and smiles? What, for us, the goddess Pleasure, with her meretricious wiles? You may tell that German college that their honour comes too late. But they must not waste repentance on the grizzly savant's fate; Though my soul may set in darkness, it will rise in perfect light; I have loved the s...
Post a Comment
Read more

TV Review: The Queen's Classroom

Imagine a person with the emotional range of a terminator, the aura of Darth Vader and the Machiavellian mindset of Hitler. Now put her in a classroom. What you get is an unusual Japanese drama series that debunks the "heroic" teacher stereotype, presents searing commentaries about the state of the public school system, and gives you a character so evil and negative that the makers of the series had to show a clip at the ending transforming her back into just an actress. The show is called The Queen's Classroom and not for no reason. THE STORY Sixth grader Kanda Kazumi ( Shida Mirai ) is looking forward to spending her last year in grade school having fun and creating lasting memories with her friends. But problems arise when a strict new teacher, Akutsu Maya ( Amami Yuki ) is assigned as their homeroom adviser. Maya ranks her class strictly according to merit, punishing harshly those with the lowest grades while lavishly awarding those with the highest marks. So...
1 comment
Read more