Ang pagdadalaga ni Maximo Oliveros (2005)

Director:

Auraeus Solito

Writer:

Michiko Yamamoto (story)

Release Date:

4 April 2007 (France)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Plot:

A 12-year-old gay who comes from a criminal family falls in love with a handsome policeman.

Plot Keywords:

Gay | Criminal | Friend | Petty Criminal | Policeman

Awards:

19 wins & 14 nominations

Cast

Nathan Lopez	...	Maxi
Soliman Cruz	...	Paco
J.R. Valentin	...	Victor
Neil Ryan Sese	...	Boy
Ping Medina	...	Bogs
Bodjie Pascua	...	New Sergeant
Elmo Redrico	...	Sarge
Ivan Camacho	...	Art
Lucito Lopez	...	Pulis
Sir Jett Desalesa	...	Leslie - Maxi's friend
Anastacio Cruz	...	Nar - Maxi's friend
Raychell Torre	...	Monique - Maxi's friend
Peter Anthony Tombasa	...	Peter - Maxi's friend
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Claudine Najera	...	Janet

Also Known As:

The Blossoming of Maximo Oliveros (International: English title)

Runtime:

100 min

Country:

Philippines

Language:

English | Filipino | Tagalog

Color:

Color

Certification:

Singapore:NC-16 | Philippines:PG-13 | UK:15

Filming Locations:

Manila, Metro Manila, Luzon, Philippines

Company:

Cinemalaya Foundation

Trivia:

Victor's house in the movie is actually where the director and his boyfriend currently live.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Ako ang simula: The ABS-CBN News and Current Affairs Yearend Special (2006) (TV)

The film is about first love and centers on a preteen gay living in the slums with his father and two brothers who are involved in petty crimes.

Although the main character is gay, this is not a gay film. The beauty of the film is that it does not make fun of the gay character. Maxi is well-loved and accepted by his family and the community.

There is plenty of humor but this light treatment of the story does not at all trivialize the message that the film wants to bring across to the audience. Scriptwriter Michiko Yamamoto who also wrote the award-winning "Magnifico" has improved her skill in storytelling and is not at all melodramatic this time. She has done away with subplots that don't move the main story much, a weakness of many Filipino scriptwriters who want to tell everything, including the entire history of the Philippines, in one movie. Her characters are all balanced – no one is all-evil or all-saint. The most touching scenes are those that show the tenderness of Maxi's tough-guy family to him. However, there are technical glitches that need to be fixed, and with digital technology editing may still be possible, e.g. scenes that are too dark or the screen going black for too long, making the oldies in the audience worry that perhaps the "lagarista" has been caught in traffic with the next roll of film. It is not often that Filipinos abroad get to see a rare gem like this film. Thanks to digital film-making and indie cinema and the film festivals in many countries.