Ang Pagdadalaga Ni Maximo Oliveros

Rating:	★★★
Category:	Movies
Genre:	Independent

BLOSSOMING

The 2006 Star Awards for Movies Digital Film of the Year, Ang Pagdadalaga Ni Maximo Oliveros by Auraeus Solito, has set the standards for independent filmmaking here in the country. And yes, it blossomed not only in the country.
With exceptional approach that tackles the ups and downs of life, the film is about Maximo Oliveros, a young, self-confessed and out gay in a treacherous neighborhood. The film starred Nathan Lopez as Maximo Oliveros, and JR Valentin as the hunk policeman. Among with the cast were Soliman Cruz, Neil Ryan Sese, and Ping Medina who played Maximo’s father and two siblings respectively.

The film is one of among the few indie films produced last year who was showcased on theatre houses, due to its appealing story and audiences’ nosiness as well.

Unlike others, the sequencing of the movie’s story is impressive. The writer managed to patch-up one situational scene to another, may it have flashbacks or not.

On the contrary, the editing was not as good as the construction of the film’s story. There were scenes which confuses audiences because proper execution was not successfully delivered. Also, there were scenes which looked very cheesy, making it ineffective and cheap. In other words, there were spoiled moments throughout the entire film. One particular scene which precisely points out this matter was the scene where Maximo and his friends did this beauty pageant thingamajig. The entire moment was a mess! It was one of the movie’s weak points, and it is because it lacks something which resulted to not having a connection with the viewers.

However, more often than not, characters were believable and effective here. Lopez’s portrayal as the blossoming gay was superb that the audiences can’t help but smile and love his character. As a neophyte on acting, he somehow gave justice to the film’s main player. The people who portrayed his family were also impressive. Viewers could distinguish the different traits of the father and his two other sons towards Maximo easily, and therefore making the actors behind these characters unquestionably effective. On the part of Valentin, the hunk policeman, he was unable to depict his character well. He showed lameness here for he resembled the trustworthy and kind policeman, but there were times that his lameness was too off for the scenes, or sometimes it looks too much. He was inconsistent on that part, but his acting was commendable as well.

Another inconsistent factor is the musical score. There were times that the background music soothes the scene, and there times that it does not. In this manner, it showed again another weak point of the movie.

But despite of some flaws of the film, it still managed to tickle and giggle viewers’ hearts, and of course, it still managed to grab nominations and awards from award-giving bodies – not only here, but also abroad. Truly, it is a film of exceptional quality and family values.

Up to now, Ang Pagdadalaga Ni Maximo Oliveros still blossoms, spreading like a disease, and continues to build a legacy of excellence in digital filmmaking on the film industry.