It’s just last week that I was finally able to catch one of the most talked-about films of 2011 entitled Zombadings: Patayin Sa Shokot Si Remington. Reason being is that I’m not really big on local films recently because they became too commercialized over the years. I’m glad that some films still offer something new or something fresh like this one. I even wrote a blog about this film that was shown during the Cinemalaya Film Festival last year and thought that the trailer was pretty funny but I didn’t really get the chance to watch its entirety.
The film is about a young boy named Remington who loves pokig fun on gay men (transvestite in general) until he insulted an old transvestite who put a curse on him stating that he’ll turn gay once he grow up. Without realizing it, on his 21st birthday – Remington knew something changed because he suddenly could speak gay-lingo without realizing it and was turning gay in the midst of gay men being hunted by a serial killer in their town.
I guess what I liked most about the film is its concept. It’s very original and very fresh as it uses Filipino gay lingo which are pretty funny. I also loved that they used subtitles for the gay lingos that made the film more relatable and funnier. I think that’s the main thing about the film. It’s not a gay film, it’s actually a movie for everyone. Of course there is the usual stereotyping of gay people such as wearing tacky clothing, working in beauty parlors, being effeminate and all. It was funny in that context but after that, you’d somehow wish that they didn’t show it in a general manner.
On a more positive note, Mart Escudero who played the lead role Remington was definitely the star of the film. The guy can really act and he played it beautifully while being supported by a very strong cast! Somehow, though, the film got lost in the end when the Zombadings (gay zombies) appeared. I guess it’s alright since altogether, the film delivered some good laughs, fresh ideas, great acting and just something new to the Filipino film industry. Kudos to the creator of this film and everyone involved in it.
Rating: 8.5/10
Director: Jade Castro
Starring: Martin Escudero, Lauren Young, Kerbie Zamora, Janice de Belen, John Regala, Angelina Kanapi, Leandro Baldemor, Daniel Fernando with the special participation of Roderick Paulate and Eugene Domingo
PADDYLAST INC. 