‘UnFRIEND’ Review: Of love and other demons

MANILA, Philippines – Joselito Altarejos opens UnFRIEND with the black and white image of two boys in a perfect state of romantic bliss. On top of an abandoned building, they exchange gestures of longing. It is as if they were the only lovers left in the world.

The opening image is of course far from reality. Altarejos deliberately segues to the same two boys having sex in a dingy and dimly lit room where the walls are peppered with posters bearing demons and other video game monsters. Gone are the serenity, sincerity, and the euphoria of the film’s opening dream sequence, to be replaced by the sweaty and graceless tryst between two men at the end of their relationship.

The break-up does not sit well with David (Sandino Martin), who at 15 is the younger of the lovers. He retires to his room, where he keeps a shrine dedicated to his former boyfriend (Angelo Ilagan), and for the next few hours, initiates an attempt to win him back through desperate text messages and Skype calls. When reuniting seems impossible, he embarks on a mission to broadcast to the world the love that his ex-lover just threw away. 

Looking back 

Altarejos, in collaboration with Lex Bonife, has etched quite a successful career tackling gay-themed concerns in the country through his films. Ang Lalake sa Parola (2007), his first film, put in its center a homosexual romance in the midst of traditional intolerance. Altarejos was able to confront his audience with the possibility of tackling certain issues without exoticizing or sensationalizing the lifestyle. 

Ang Lihim ni Antonio, Kambyo, and Little Boy, Big Boy, despite the variety of approach, were all created with the same intent of depicting gay lifestyle absent the typical cross-dressing, brash humor, and other commonly conceived notions of homosexuality depicted by much of mainstream media.

Ang Laro ng Buhay ni Juan combined Altarejos’ knack for exploring gay themes with the blend of real-time filmmaking and focus on social realism that’s gaining popularity among Filipino independent filmmakers. Pink Halo Halo, released 2010, was the director’s tender account of his own coming-of-age as a homosexual boy growing up in a military family, living in a very rural area.

On the other hand, Laruang Lalake, by documenting the struggles of a director from production to exhibition, had Altarejos tackling the prejudice that the type of cinema he is specializing in has been receiving from most sectors. Without abandoning the main concerns that define gay themes in cinema, Altarejos was able to widen his canvas by tackling ticklish issues that are inherent to the lifestyle but do not pertain specifically to it. 

UnFRIEND

UnFRIEND, on one hand, is an indictment of the modern world that is fast becoming too reliant on technology. By focusing on a protagonist who is inseparable from his various gadgets, the film criticizes the very illusion of connectivity that most communication technology propagates.

In one scene, David, on a mission to purchase credits to resume his online stalking of his ex-boyfriend, is oblivious to the intolerant insults being thrown by his neighbors. When he temporarily snaps out of the spell and responds to the insults, he becomes aware of his surroundings. At that point, David withdraws from his self-wallowing and becomes witness to problems that seem greater than his own. 

The film, on the other hand, is also a potent observation of obsession. As soon as Altarejos retracts from the blatant romanticism of the film’s introduction, he proceeds to detail the less endearing qualities of the specific homosexual relationship defined by the virtual world it exists in.

Altarejos seems to blame the blurring of the line between love and fatal obsession on the convenience technology provides. David, with his consistent and quick switching between pained lover and sex-starved cruiser, exemplifies the youth that has been conditioned to trivialize emotions.

UnFRIEND shocks not because of the event that would eventually unfold after such a protracted depiction of a very banal life. The film’s culminating event is after all hardly a surprise since – spoiler alert – Altarejos has made it clear that the inspiration for the film is the much-publicized shooting incident that happened inside a mall a couple of years ago.

The film shocks precisely because its unabashed portrayal of current attitudes and demeanors are too close to reality for any comfort. Infused with love and all other demons, there is no predicting what kind of monsters we may all become. – Rappler.com

Francis Joseph Cruz litigates for a living and writes about cinema for fun. The first Filipino movie he saw in the theaters is Carlo J. Caparas’ “Tirad Pass.” Since then, he’s been on a mission to find better memories with Philippine cinema.