Duda/Doubt

Andoy Ranay ... Cris
Paulo Gabriel ... Erick

There's something refreshing about Chris Pablo's full-length digital opus "Duda/Doubt (2004)." Produced by the Center for Restorative Justice in Asia, in cooperation with Grupong Sinehan and the UP Cineastes' Studio, the movie takes a closer look on the goings-on in the lives of gays without forcefully injecting drag queens or gyrating men in bulge-busting G-strings.

But noble as its intention is, the whole work is in itself quite a failure, what with a lousy score and a cinematography that gives one the pleasure of being able to count the pixels on the faces of the actors. It is technically flawed, and certain happy-happy characters make you want to cover your eyes and ears for fear that they might pop up and play a cameo in your nightmares. But otherwise, it is a brave attempt to break out of the mold and speak of truth sans cheap histrionics and homo manicurists. The lines are witty and straightforward, and the gay bunch are a raucous romp in both their travails and joys. It's virtually a film about gay men; the last scene where a woman locks lips with a butch seems like a rock that just fell straight out of the blue.

With characters played out by unknowns, "Duda/Doubt" is underscored by its rather expletive-peppered script and explicit rawness, which the MTRCB thankfully didn't hold against the work. Somehow the movie reminded me of Maryo J.'s "Sa Paraiso ni Efren" (1999), if only for its daring premise. "Duda/Doubt" could have most certainly been better, given enough resources to work on. It's just a pity that the output itself ended up reflective of the shoestring budget used to shoot it.

For what it's worth though, "Duda/Doubt" has doubtlessly been able to get on a good fight.