“Alimuom ng Kahapon” aims to deliver a bold take on politics, corruption, activism, and everything within the scopes of social cancers that keep the society rotten. This idea isn’t new, neither is making a gay love story central to its narrative, but there’s something in its searing depiction of the lives of its characters that gathers affection, and this is where “Alimuom ng Kahapon” is at its best.
It’s not so easy to guess whether the movie has arrived to where it aimed to go or has gone to somewhere else equally satisfying. Either way, it doesn’t mean it has failed to give something sensible. The motives of this movie, somehow, feel disproportionately immense to the the actors’ capacity to deliver them. It’s quite unsettling, but this kind of cinematic experiment has always been calling for utmost attention for you to feel and understand whatever it longs to relay.
In “Alimuom ng Kahapon”, it’s difficult to fixate attention on the details without getting distracted by the ununiform performances of the actors. While it’s probably not his best, Angelo Ilagan proves to be the most capable. His portrayal as a student activist caught up between the love of his life and country, is highly commendable. Manuel Chua as an activist leader can’t be dismissed too. The rest are either average or below. However, these are lesser concerns that can’t make the entirity easy to be disliked.
At its core, it tackles more delicate subjects that mirror the present state of society. These subjects call attention, and whatever flaws the movie has, can’t make the audience easily dismiss them. While this is both a socio-political drama and a gay-themed movie, it proves to be able to balance its concerns by paying attention to both themes. Sure it can’t be said equal, but whatever it has given, feels enough for both sides, nonetheless.
Interestingly, this isn’t your average gay-themed movie whose major, if not sole, purpose is to present vulgarity and lewdness, or stir sexual curiosity among audience. More to it, is a poignant dissection of same sex-romance, caught up between competing priorities. There is still a greater purpose that overshadows the “gay” aspect of the film, and many of the highlights still rest on its being a socio-political commentary. It is also interesting to note that all its attempts to expose these social cancers are neither dictatorial nor self-righteous in nature, but rather just informing, and to some extents, liberating.
This is not to say the material is perfect, nor to say it’s new, but for the most part, where the movie lays down compelling arguments and honestly voices out its concerns and purposes, “Alimuom ng Kahapon”, is never less commendable.
RATING: 7/10 (JE)
“Alimuom ng Kahapon” is now showing in selected cinemas nationwide.
