An indie drama that explores the loneliness and missed opportunities of an ailing, 70-year-old gay man is testing Philippine sensibilities about sexuality and, if it passes the Academy Awards’ nomination process, may get a shot as the country’s entry in the best foreign-language film competition next year.
“Bwakaw,” or “Voracious,” has received positive reviews and local awards, and is doing the rounds of international film festivals in Toronto, New York, Hawaii and Tokyo.
Writer and director Jun Robles Lana says the movie is named after a stray dog with a voracious appetite for life that Rene, the main character, strikes a friendship with. Bwakaw’s zest for life contrasts with Rene’s grumpy disposition.
Rene came out of the closet in his twilight years, thinks it is too late for love and only awaits his own death. He has made a will and labeled his few possessions to be given away to his few friends. He even bought a coffin at a funeral home’s closing-out sale.
But when Bwakaw dies after an illness, Rene, played by veteran actor Eddie Garcia, finds new appreciation for life. “It’s the dog that basically teaches him to live life to the fullest,” Lana said in an interview Wednesday.
“It’s really more about loneliness, although you can’t help that some people or critics are branding it a gay film simply because the character is gay, but that’s really beside the point,” he said.
Lana admits that while Filipinos are generally gay-friendly — the most popular movie star is Vice Ganda, an out-and-out gay comedian — local mainstream audiences might not be too receptive to a serious take on homosexuality in the conservative and predominantly Roman Catholic society.
“We tend to look at gay characters as iconic, funny characters,” he said. “So when you make a movie like this, you really have to market it in such a way that it would be more appealing to them.”
He said that the movie focuses on the comedy aspect in order to appeal to a wider audience.
But the filmmaker hopes that between the laughs, moviegoers will find that it is more than a comedy.
He said he made the film with the intention to honor his mentor, writer Rene Villanueva, who died in 2007. He described Villanueva, who came out as gay later in his life, as generous and harsh at the same time, and an inspiration for the main character, Rene.
Lana said the drama “eventually became a story about growing old, missed opportunities, about how desire is inextricable from our lives.”
For Lana, who started in art house films but has for the last few years been mainly involved in commercial movies, “Bwakaw” was also “a return to my roots.”
“I did not expect this film which I made for very personal reasons would resonate with so many people and not just Filipinos,” he said. “I’m really just thankful for all the wonderful things going our way.”
The Philippines has submitted entries to the Academy Awards for many years but has never been nominated or even short-listed.
There are presently around 40 entries for the best foreign-language category. The list is to be pared down to 10 films late this year, and to five nominees by January.
Apple and Google Face UK Investigation Into Mobile Browser Dominance
Apple and Google aren't giving consumers a genuine choice of mobile web browsers, a British watchdog said Friday in a report that recommends they face an investigation under new U.K. digital rules taking effect next year.
The Competition and Markets Authority took aim at Apple, saying the iPhone maker's tactics hold back innovation by stopping rivals from giving users new features like faster webpage loading. Apple does this by restricting progressive web apps, which don't need to be downloaded from an app store and aren't subject to app store commissions, the report said.
"This technology is not able to fully take off on iOS devices," the watchdog said in a provisional report on its investigation into mobile browsers that it opened after an initial study concluded that Apple and Google effectively have a chokehold on "mobile ecosystems."
The CMA's report also found that Apple and Google manipulate the choices given to mobile phone users to make their own browsers "the clearest or easiest option."
And it said that the a revenue-sharing deal between the two U.S. Big Tech companies "significantly reduces their financial incentives" to compete in mobile browsers on Apple's iOS operating system for iPhones.
Both companies said they will "engage constructively" with the CMA.
Apple said it disagreed with the findings and said it was concerned that the recommendations would undermine user privacy and security.
Google said the openness of its Android mobile operating system "has helped to expand choice, reduce prices and democratize access to smartphones and apps" and that it's "committed to open platforms that empower consumers."
It's the latest move by regulators on both sides of the Atlantic to crack down on the... Read More