The Debut (2000)

The story revolves around Ben Mercado, a talented high school senior who has rejected his Filipino heritage. The long-simmering feud between Ben and his immigrant father Roland threatens to... See full summary »

Director:

Gene Cajayon

Writers:

Gene Cajayon, John Manal Castro

Stars:

Dante Basco, Jayson Schaal, Brian Card

4 wins.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Dante Basco	...	Ben Mercado (as Danté Basco)
Jayson Schaal	...	Doug
Brian Card	...	Dave
Mindy Spence	...	Jennifer
Nicole Hawkyard	...	Susie
Brandon Martinez	...	Rick
Ernie Zarate	...	Tito Lenny
Gina Alajar	...	Gina Mercado
Emelita Moll	...	Tita Connie
Gina Honda	...	Tita Florie
Tirso Cruz III	...	Roland Mercado
Bernadette Balagtas	...	Rose Mercado
Rawlins Apilado	...	Jun
Derek Basco	...	Edwin Mercado
Joy Bisco	...	Annabelle Manalo

Storyline

The story revolves around Ben Mercado, a talented high school senior who has rejected his Filipino heritage. The long-simmering feud between Ben and his immigrant father Roland threatens to boil over and ruin the 18th birthday party of Ben's sister Rose. But to Ben's surprise, his sister's celebration challenges his sense of misplaced identity, and the way he regards his father and grandfather. In one night, Ben faces the true nature of his relationships with his family, his friends, and himself.

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Plot Keywords:

high school | party | birthday party | father son relationship | beer | 

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Taglines:

One night can change a lifetime.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language

Details

Official Sites:

Gene Cajayon

Country:

USA

Language:

English Tagalog Filipino

Release Date:

13 August 2003 (Philippines)

Also Known As:

The Mercado Family Debut

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$12,784 (USA) (15 March 2002)

Gross:

$1,743,570 (USA) (8 November 2002)

Company Credits

Production Co:

5 Card Productions, Celestial Pictures, Center for Asian American Media (CAAM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

94 min

Sound Mix:

Ultra Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The close-up hands, at the end of the film, browsing through Ben's portfolio belong to writer John Manal Castro.

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Connections

Referenced in The Holiday (2006)

User Reviews

well worth the $8, a jewel of a film!

Thank goodness for indie films! Are you are sick and tired of stupid formulaic, cookie-cutter hollywood movies? Then this is a film you want to watch. If you're Fil-Am or have friends who are, you'll going to enjoy this immensely. It captures so many little facets of the Fil-Am culture clash/identity crisis that so many of us go through. I've read & heard about the great amount of difficulty it took to make this film (my daughter attended a Union City, CA screening where the director was present) and I'm not at all surprised that Hollywood displayed no interest in producing or distributing a film about `minorities'-not enough white faces in the film to attract a mainstream audience, right?

Thank you, Gene Cajayon, for making this film, and I wish you the best in your career as a director. Robert Rodriguez and Spike Lee started out doing small films, so I really hope this catches the eye of the industry. Maybe a screening at the Sundance? Perhaps the best thing this film will do is kindle interest in young Fil-Ams about their heritage, culture and history.

Do did you know that:

• before the Vietnam War, there was the Philippine `insurrection' that

claimed 100,000 Filipino lives

• the .45 was developed specifically to kill the Filipino `insurgent'



• the slang term `boonies' or `boondocks' used to describe a place located

way out in the countryside originates from the Tagalog word `bundok', meaning `mountain'

Filipinos are bit more interwoven in the American social fabric than we realize, and with this film, we're a little bit less invisible.