Action and comedy make a satisfying marriage in this Darryl Yap feature that tackles hate crimes against gay people.
VIVA FILMS
Actors: Baron Geisler, Mark Anthony Fernandez, Jeric Raval, Joel Torre, John Lapuz, Cecil Paz, Francine Garcia, Carlo Mendoza, Lance Obero, Janrey Torres
Genre: Action, Comedy
Premise: Three gay gangsters mourn the death of their gay guardian but end up celebrating his bright and colorful life.
Running Time: 75 minutes
Director: Darryl Yap
Watch it on: web.vivamax.net, Vivamax app
Why You Should See It:
Action and comedy blend well in this new Darryl Yap feature amid uneven plotting and predictable script. Like his previous films with Vivamax, Yap’s directorial signatures are all over this film. He takes yet another socio-relevant theme to tackle; this time, he sheds light on the plights of gay people, including being discriminated against and becoming the convenient target of hate crimes.
Izzy (Jeric Raval), Jopay (Mark Anthony Fernandez), and Rochelle (Baron Geisler), however, are not plainly loud gay men. They are gangsters whose masculine features are more prominent than their feminine side. In the story, they are adopted by fashion designer and dress shop owner Mother Joy (Joel Torre), who sees the need to save the three kids from gangster fights by training them to become gay beauty queens. Mother Joy, however, is wrong, as the three quickly realize pageantry is not for them.
One night, Izzy, Jopay, and Rochelle, get abducted by a secret group headed by a certain ‘Queenpin’ (John Lapuz), who recruits gay children to train them to become assassins. Under Queenpin’s direction, the three grow up to become skilled assassins and call themselves ‘Barumbadings’. Barumbadings are not simple assassins, as they only kill homophobic men who discriminate and commit hate crimes against gay people.
Their killing spree ultimately makes the public regard them as modern-day vigilantes, but it also earns the ire of another violent group comprised of lesbians, called ‘Condom Assassins’. Buchi (Cecil Paz), Queenpin’s ex-lover, is led the group, which targets high-profile gay men. When Mother Joy’s name appears on the Condom Assassins’ list, the Barumbadings recovered, Izzy, Jopay, and Rochelle, become determined to reunite with their former guardian and make sure he is safe.
The strength of the film lies largely in the performances of the lead actors. Barumbadings feels unmistakably written for Geisler, Fernandez, and Raval, as their roles do not necessarily require them to act feminine. Geisler didn’t surprise with his compelling take on Rochelle, but Fernandez and Raval did very well in pulling off Izzy and Jopay, respectively. Joel Torre shined as the mother figure, Mother Joy, but that isn’t surprising too.
On the whole, Barumbadings is a good film. There surely are spots that can be improved, but there is something here that warrants attention. Performances, alone, demand the film to be seen, but what it is all about may be a bigger reason to give it a try. This film is labeled as ‘Volume 1’, which means that it’s just a part of a film series.
5 – Excellent
4 – Very Good
3 – Good
2 – Tolerable
1 – Terrible
Barumbadings now streams on web.vivamax.net and Vivamax app.
