“Kung hindi ka natatalo, hindi ka na gumagalaw.”
This quote from from the movie perfectly sums up the life of almost everyone of us.
College life is one of the most crucial phases in a person's life. A lot of first times happen during these years. It's the point of life when you start realizing that you are finally become an adult. This is also the time when one discovers his/ her real self. That's why a lot of us can really relate to the Kip Oebanda's youth-priented film Bar Boys (2017). I've learned about this film way back 2016 after seeing it's trailer and I was already looking forward to watching it back then. It took a year before the film finally got picked up for distribution through Quantum Films, after it was selected to be one of the twelve entries for the very first Pista ng Pelikulang Pilipino. Described as an academic law school comedy-drama, the film follows a barkada of four and their lives after they enter college (or some of them). The film is produced by TropicFrills Film Productions in cooperation with Wild Sound Studios and SM Foundation and features an ensemble cast starring Rocco Nacino, Carlo Aquino, Enzo Pineda and Kean Cipriano, together with Odette Khan and Anna Luna.
To start off, the characters we follow in the film are quite familiar already to us. Torran Garcia (Rocco Nacino) is the cool guy in the barkada, witty and always gets very lucky. Chris Carlson (Enzo Pineda) is the group's rich amboy whose father (also a lawyer) keeps on trying to mold him to be his clone. Erik Vicencio (Carlo Aquino) is the not so privileged guy of the group, a son of an elderly security guard whose biggest dream is for his son to become a lawyer, whatever it takes. Then, there's Joshua Zuniga (Kean Cipriano), the slacker of the group who ends up failing to pass the admission exam and gets left out by his peers. But despite being archetypes, these characters are very relatable and interesting in their own ways. This is because director/ writer Kip Oebanda made sure that each one of them (with the exception of Josh) will get his own story line to follow.
Torran ends up joining a frat, Chris has to hide his relationship with his girlfriend from his demanding father and Erik has to deal with financial issues, on top of having a hard time in school despite working his ass off in studying. Of all these three characters, I did not expected to end up falling for Erik (Carlo Aquino). It was his story that really hit me hard that I end up crying for him while watching the film. I guess it's because it's him that I could really relate to. I could really see myself in his shoes because we share the same story. I also had difficulty going through my college life due to financial issues, causing me to stop my studies and get a job instead of finishing college. But unlike me, Erik pushed through with his study despite the hardships.
Kip Oebanda's script was very witty and funny. Despite having to juggle three separate yet connected story lines for each of the three main characters, he was able to make the whole movie coherent. He had these segments for each characters, some focusing on each individual character's life at home or at school, and some while they are together. I loved those moments whenever Toran is at home with his mom (played by Patay Na Si Hesus' Mailes Kanapi) because they're always hilarious. There's also some heartwarming moments featuring Erik and his Dad at home as they struggle to keep him at school. We also get to see Chris and his quirky girlfriend (played by Unrequited's Anna Luna) while they try their best to keep their relationship despite his father's orders. But my most favorite would be those moments when they are inside the classroom, dealing with their terror teachers. These would be those scenes with a gay professor, Atty. Victor Cruz (played by 4 Days' Sebastian Castro) who has a crush on Erik which led to one of the most hilarious moments of the film. Then, there's those scenes with the classic terror professor that every student is mostly afraid of Atty. Hernandez (played in a wonderful performance by Odette Khan).
But aside from the usual comical gags, the film also tackles some really serious matter. Friendships will be strained. Family issues will get more complicated. Their morals will get tested. Slowly, these characters start to grow as individuals. Far different from the young guys they were before when they first entered the campus. This is what makes Bar Boys so endearing to watch. It's a classic coming-of-age story hidden underneath a hilarious comedy-drama about law school. You don't realize that you get so invested with these characters that you also grow as they move forward and turn into adults who are about to face the world. There's lots of lessons to be learned from this movie which makes it a must watch for younger people.
I must commend that this is the best ensemble I've seen in this year's Pista ng Pelikulang Pilipino. Aside from the main cast, the supporting actors were all perfect for their roles. Mailes Kanapi was a delightful surprise as Toran's crazy and funny mother. Anna Luna was also fun to watch as the English-challenged direct salesgirl Rachel (girlfriend of Chris). Sebastian Castro was a stand-out as the gay professor Atty. Cruz. His office scene where Erik tries to seduce him (I'm not gonna reveal a lot to avoid spoiling it) was downright insane and hysterically funny. and then, there's Odette Khan. I'm telling you, she was amazing.
Of course, the main cast deserves a lot of praise for fun performance in the film. Kean Cipriano didn't get a lot of screen time but he was fun to watch as Josh. Enzo Pineda was good in playing the amboy rich kid Chris. Rocco Nacino played his role of Toran with ease. But it was Carlo Aquino who was the stand-out among the four. His portrayal of Erik was so affecting and heartfelt. I honestly did not expect that he will be my favorite character from this movie. I actually wished he and Sebastian Castro had more scenes together because I'm pretty sure their characters would be hilarious together. Also, I love how each of these characters had closure by the time the story ended. That ending is one of the best I've seen in a local film recently. It's was so inspiring and just perfect.
I guess this will be my top pick from this year's Pista ng Pelikulang Piilipino (next is Triptiko). Everything in this movie is just perfect, from it's slick, production design to it's awesome soundtrack (that sequence featuring APO Hiking Society's San Na Nga Bang Barkada triggered my memory of my school days!) to it's outstanding direction and bravura performances. Kip Oebanda's Bar Boys (2017) is no doubt my most favorite entry of all the films I was able to watch. It's a youth-oriented comedy drama, a coming-of-age story, and a throwback barkada flick rolled into one. For me, it's one of the best Filipino films of the year. This is the film in this year's PPP that I would love to give more than a perfect five star rating. It's a hilarious, heartwarming, emotional, and inspiring feel-good joyride that will leave more than what you expect.
Rating: ✰✰✰✰✰ of 5
Bar Boys (2017)
Directed by Kip Oebanda,
starring Carlo Aquino, Rocco Nacino, Enzo Pineda and Kean Cipriano
***
The "Pista ng Pelikulang Pilipino" was a nationwide week-long celebration where all movie theaters exclusively screened Filipino films in line with the Buwan ng Wika. This festive event was organized by the Film Development Council of the Philippines in partnership with theaters nationwide and ran from August 16-22, 2017.
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