Danny has just returned from Dubai after losing his job because of pandemic. Instead of spending 14 days in quarantine facility, he runs away to his coastal community where he first spends the night with his girlfriend and then goes home to the shack of his own family. His father is very sick and his medical bills are piling up. Pandemic has reduced everyone's income. Despite numerous tries, when he fails to get a legit job, he reaches out to a an ex gay benefactor whom Danny used to sleep with occasionally for money. Through him, he in produced to the world of cyber sex prostitution ring run by Mama Rene catering to foreign clients. Though Danny is very disgusted by this, he has no other choice but to make money. He cries when he is lonely thereby making us feel his deep humiliation. When the establishment gets raided, the police chief takes him home and further humiliates him and almost rapes at threat of his family well being. This completely breaks Danny down and the film ends with him going to the quarantine facility to protect himself.
The subject matter of the film is quite dark, something I have not seen so far based in pandemic. The stories have been mostly positive but this story also feels quite real. We all know of many people who have lost their means of income during this time and many of them had to take various routes to sustain their families. It has not been easy. The production quality of the film may not meet the high standards and it may seem a bit rough around the edges, but I think the heart of the film maker is in the right place. The script and scenes are raw and not melodramatic. It gives a high feeling of authenticity, an effective and honest look at poverty, police corruption, and cybersex trade in Philippines. The actor playing Danny is the heart and soul of the film. You can clearly see him as the loving son wanting to take care of his family, as a frustrated adult who is struggling to find a job despite his experience which leaves him the only way he can find to make money. He carries the film well and let us peek thoroughly to the plight of a poor man that was hardly hit by the lockdown. The actor does a fantastic job. You can really feel all the pain and abuse he goes through. Even the ending of the film is not on a happy note. We pity Danny because the future for him is probably still dark. The other supporting actors also do a good job. Besides Danny, the one person who stands out is Mama Rene who although employing these young boys is also exploiting them to a certain extent. These are the kind of scenarios which blur the lines between providing and exploiting. I mean, where does things like thing fall on a moral spectrum!
The film is an interesting case study on poverty, unequal wealth distribution, suffering of disadvantaged folks and the vicious depredations of the urban jungle where perverted predators prey on the willing victims are focused with devastating clarity. Keep aside the very basic production quality of this film, it is still a moving melodrama laced with gritty realism, that will make you think and probably appreciate you to be grateful for the privilege that we have. (7/10)
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