Like how his Kalayaan brought confusion last year, director Adolfo Alix, Jr. made it again to challenge the audience with his Director's Showcase entry to the 9th Cinemalaya Festival, Porno. The title itself, as obscene as it might sound, attracted viewers whose X-rated expectations were not put in vain. Yes, sex was exhibited right from the very onset of the film until beyond the half of it. But above superficiality, sex was merely the point.
The story circled around the three individuals of the same names, Alex (Yul Servo, Carlo Aquino, and Angel Aquino), whose lives were considered "empty" as they tried to fill them up with something as pleasurable as sex or Porno. But no matter how much they strove to conceal the emptiness within them, their souls kept reminding them of what did they truly long for.
Characters
Yul Servo was an inmate who strove for his freedom by assassinating a priest but had failed. Given the days outside the jail for his mission, he succumbed to prostitutes. Carlo Aquino was a virgin porn dubber who was tired of his job. He tried to please himself by seducing girls into webcam cybersex before blackmailing them, and found himself in pleasure by masturbating. Angel Aquino was a transgender father and deeply longed for his son who barely recognized him. He busied himself with performing in a gay bar and took pleasure with sex toys.
Lighting
The viewers might mistook the characters as the same person throughout the film. However, it could be noticed that there were specific colors that hovered each one of them. Most of the scenes of Yul were undertaken inside the motel where the color violet was prominent. The color red would always hover Carlo inside his bedroom and during his work. Lastly, the color that represented Angel was as bright as his long blond hair. The differences in lights might suggest that each had different identities.
Symbolism
There appeared supernatural entities that seemed to be inexplicable at first, but further rumination could lead to suffice interpretation.
A glowing dog came out from the same motel room after Yul was shot; a ghost like figure formed in Carlo's desktop before he had a convulsion; and a shadow hovered over the mirror while Angel was weeping. These entities could be the characters' souls that reminded them about the certain parts of their lives which they tried to change, replace or forget, but would always hunt them.
Yul was begging for a 'take two' of the assassination because he desperately wanted to be free. He begged and told Roco that he was going to make things right if he could have that second chance. The dog escaping the motel room represented him as he wanted to escape from the prison.
The story of Carlo's past was not clear, but perhaps he hurt someone in the past which was why the ghost like figure of a girl appeared very outrageous. There was something in his past that sat heavy on his conscience and he could barely take it much longer that he pass out while looking at Sto. Nino during the Novena. It could be his conscience haunting him.
The last was Angel's shadow. Instead of seeing himself in the mirror, he saw his shadow. Perhaps the thought of never to be known and accepted by his son had caused her breakdown. The shadow signified that even though he was able to transform himself according to her sexual preference, without his son, he remains to be a shadow that barely could identify his being.
Indeed, this indie film was very critical that every frame was alive and breathing. It was something that one should not miss this year- a critical story out of porn.
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