The Politics of Art & Authenticity

A review of Bwakaw

A film by Jun Robles Lana

Starring Eddie Garcia

Bwakaw isn’t the typical comedy you see in theaters today.

First of all, it is not American in any way, shape, or form.  And second, it explores many themes that in our society [American] are not yet accepted openly.

Bwakaw was directed by Jun Robles Lana. It was his first independent film after working on the creative aspect of many films in Hollywood. Bwakaw is about an old homosexual man and his dog Bwakaw. The film is set in the Philippines, in one of the villages outside Manila.

Rene is a sixty-something man whose only goal in life is to wait the day of his death. In the opening scene, Lana shows Rene as a man of routine. There are shots of his house and all the stuff packed away in boxes. Rene gets up, gets ready to work, even though he is retired already, and takes a tricycle to work. At this point, we aren’t sure of what kind of life Rene has lived, but from his demeanor, it seems that he is a very harsh man- in some ways very outspoken.

As the story unfolds, we learn more of who Rene is as a human being. Even though he seems like he is very harsh and kind of fits the stereotype of the grumpy old man, we come to the realization that there is more to him than meets the eye.  He is a loving man that came to accept himself very late in life, and as result never really experienced happiness. Although Lana intended Bwakaw to be central to the plotline, in some parts of the film her role can be set aside as to focus on the interactions between the main character and his environment.

We are introduced to the plot of the film very early, when in the opening scene, as Rene makes his way to the post office [where he still works even after being retired], and the tricycle driver charges him the fare of two because of the dog. This leads to constant bickering and even rudeness between Rene and the tricycle driver, Sol. Yet, when Bwakaw gets sick, Sol offers to drive Rene to the veterinarian and a friendship is born. Although, to Rene, he feels it’s more than just a friendship. He feels he is in love. Through several twists in the story, Rene realizes that maybe there is more to life than waiting for it to end after failing to comply with society’s expectation of what life is supposed to be.

All these themes form part of a society that has come to be more accepting of homosexuals. Albeit, Rene isn’t openly gay, other characters such as Mother, who is a man Rene’s age with pink hair who lives with a transgender whom he treats as his daughter.  If we look at all of these themes, the light in which homosexuality is presented is completely different from how homosexuality is portrayed in American films, if it is actually mentioned. The only example I can think of is Brokeback Mountain, in which two gay cowboys have an affair while they are both married to women. The relationship and the portrayal of such men is different in such a way that one has come to terms with who he is, while the cowboys can’t accept themselves, and try to live according to what society thinks is the right way.

Bwakaw isn’t the typical comedy. Instead it is able to explore the human condition in such a way that we learn how to be more accepting of ourselves.