Warning: spoilers ahead
Binyag is a story about a rural man named Leo (Ran Domingo) who grew up
with a love for the ocean. As a child, he witnessed an eye-opening moment near
the shoreline that changes his life's perspective. But events in the movie
unravel upon the arrival of Lester (Paolo Rivero), a faux talent manager.
Lester lures the now grown-up, Leo to Manila with promises of fame and money.
In no time, Lester's true colors emerge and he abandons Leo to fend for himself
in the unforgiving city.
The provincial boy makes ends meet by selling his body in exchange
for sexual flavors and grows jaded after all the harsh realities he has
experienced. It took one unlikely encounter with an old gay man to turn his
life around. In the end, Leo makes a decision to return to the province and
reclaim his simple life.
Binyag utilizes the first-person narration technique
to drive the movie. In the beginning, the narration was endearing and in fact,
dramatically appealing. The heart-felt accounts throughout the entire movie can
be credited to the voice talent who was successful in imparting the feelings
and thoughts of the main character. But as the movie progresses, this same
narration grew long and too repetitive. As a viewer, I tuned out from the
endless narration some way in the middle of the movie. Not only did it make the
film heavier, it also took the easy way out in telling the story. Binyag
did not SHOW us the story of Leo. It TOLD us.
I also felt that Binyag's creators should have edited the narration more
and allowed Ran Domingo (the newcomer who plays the main character) to showcase
his acting skills. It was disappointing to be able to count the number of lines
Ran voiced out with the fingers in my hand. Also, there were moments in the
movie where Ran's character was left awkwardly without lines as characters
conversed and related with him. While
this may be the characterization of Leo, I could not help but feel this was
done to compensate for the neophyte acting abilities of the lead actor. Maybe
the production should have made sure that their actor was duly prepared through
workshops and coaching. This is not to say that Ran Domingo failed in
portraying his role. In fact, he captured the image of a provincial boy without
effort. It was just too bad his potential was not maximized.
A feature of the film that I liked was its comedic breaks. It came in the form of funny lines from support characters that helped make the movie lighter. Also, I liked how "binyag" was used as a symbol in the movie. It utilized water elements throughout the film and ends with Leo coming home from his harsh experiences in Manila to go for a swim in the ocean—thereby gaining back his innocence. For the gay audience, they will not be disappointed. A lot of the movie scenes showed Ran Domingo stark naked and engaged in tastefully shot intimate scenes with the same sex. A caveat on this though. I watched this film on its premiere in U.P. Theater and who knows how it will be edited in the commercial showing.
While I will not say I was overly impressed with Binyag,
neither was I disappointed. It is a film that I could watch and recommend to
people but its simplicity will not leave anyone moved or elated. Perhaps the
material would have best suited as a TV telecast through a program like Maalala
Mo Kaya. But go and watch the film
for yourself and be the judge.
Aside from Ran, Binyag also stars Paolo Rivero (a gay talent manager), Kenjie Garcia (a city dweller), Simon Ibarra (a fisherman), Lou Veloso (an aging homsexual) and Ynez Veneracion (a childhood friend of Leo).
Written and directed by Miko Jacinto, Binyag will be screened in select Metro Manila theaters starting October 8. This film produced by Greenlight Entertainment will be screened at Robinsons Galleria, Robinsons Ermita, Grand Central, Isetann, and Remar.