The Politics of Art & Authenticity

“Bwakaw” is by far one of the most original and heartwarming films I ever encountered, involving a man and his dog.

The story revolves around this rather peculiar character, Rene (played by Eddie Garcia). Having had enough of his life, Rene pushes people around and is never hesitant to ‘bite,’ use harsh words. He prepares for his death while going to church only when he has something to change in his will. Without a family, a true understanding of his sexual orientation and a place good enough to call home, his life seems meaningless and he just seems so ready to get over with it whenever possible. However, even for Rene, he appears to have a soft side, especially when he is with “Bwakaw” and his ex-girl friend, Alicia.

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Personally, Rene reminds me of a watermelon. He puts on big old grumpy face while having such sweet and soft personality inside, as a watermelon seems intimidating with its eerie black stripes on top of its smooth yet solid cover while keeping the real deal within. As the story continues, he goes through much painful sequence of events. Slowly, he redeems himself as he goes through series of losses and eventually becomes whole with his softer side.

Jun Robles Lana, the director conveys this concept with the utmost subtlety. His choice of camera angle, sounds, color and humor all adds up to successfully show the transition of Rene. Placed in a rural setting, the relative stillness helps the audience focus on the character and the story. Delivering a story based on human life and emotions, Lana makes somewhat distant and exotic settings relatable for all audience. For instance, Rene, the protagonist, is an aged gay man who lives in the countryside. I, for once, am a young, straight woman from the city. However, despite all the differences, I could somehow understand and relate to most of he was going through watching the movie.

Story-wise, feature-wise, it is almost the direct opposite from what we are used to, Hollywood blockbuster movies. The background is not necessarily grandiose; the storyline does not contain such climax analogous to that of a Hollywood commercial film, nor is it based on extreme situations. It’s about life and draws on those small but meaningful moments we can experience in our lives and Lana does an excellent job with his use of bucolic, almost rustic settings, soft color and music.

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Stylistically, Lana tends to use full shots from the corner of the room, but most of the time the room is not always full of decorations. A lot of the times, the walls are without paint and decent furniture. He takes full advantage of nature; its simplicity in scene and sound. He does not use grandiose orchestrated music to control our emotions, but uses monophonic music often played by traditional instrument that is barely distinguishable from the sound of the crickets and wind. He also does not use strong colors rather he uses the lighting to convey the emotion of the characters. When the mood is light, pastel colored walls and bright lighting is shown while it becomes more serious the scene becomes darker than usual making the other colors fade out as well.  Lana uses these transitions as he attempts to amplify the effect when showing the transition of Rene’s character and attitude toward life. Of course, Eddie Garcia’s 60 years of acting and directing also contributed so much to the delivery.

This movie successfully handles the two genres: comedy, and drama as it deals with the theme life and death while showing small details of ironic humor as well. It makes you laugh but then again makes you think of the morals behind.

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As for the poster and the title, I am somewhat equivocal. For a moment when I knew it was going to be about a dog, I instinctively thought of the movie “Hachiko: A dog’s tale”, which is also about an old man and a dog (based on true story). Hachiko is literally about the dog’s life and journey. Bwakaw however, although its role is critical in Rene’s life does not have much focus in the film. The real focus is in fact, Rene. I only saw the poster after watching the movie but I do not think it fully serves the theme of the film. However, as for the title, I guess there would not have been any better title to describe the film for it is Bwakaw’s death, which symbolizes Rene’s change towards life and society, finally accepting and becoming whole with his soft side.

http://myaukun.wordpress.com/2012/09/27/hachiko-the-moving-story-of-a-faithful-dog-of-shibuya-tokyo/hachi05/

http://theaprblog.blogspot.com/2012/08/movie-review-hachi-dogs-tale-2009.html

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There is no more obscure of a movie to watch at the New York Film Festival than Bwakaw, a Filipino film about an old homosexual man and his loving dog. The story revolves around the old man, Rene, and his various interactions with old friends, new ones, and his little stray dog Bwakaw. Although the film is named after the wonderfully trained dog, the real focus is on this old man’s attachment to her and his seemingly unattached behavior toward every one else. But I believe that Rene’s eventual change of heart about his world and his attitude toward his dog isn’t because he is lonely now, rather, he is trying to make up for lost time in his wasted life.

The film’s director, Jun Robles Lana, does a great job of conveying Rene’s self-endused loneliness. In the beginning he is all alone, he pushes people like his neighbor and his fellow workers away from him, making him look like an angry old man. Instead of sitting on his porch yelling at children to get off his lawn, he instead goes after the people around him and actively pushes them away, at one point even hitting his old friend’s son/daughter’s nose because he was making fun of Rene’s hair. As the story progresses you see a gradual change in the way he acts toward the people around him, Rene begins to understand he needs these people, and his dog Bwakaw who begins to sleep in the house with him. Rene opens up more and more to his friends as he attempts to win back his life, which he realizes he has little left of when a co-worker of his passes away in a very comedic scene.

The film’s very dramatic undertone coated with various comedic scenes creates a more realistic world for Rene. His entire life is coated with an inner struggle, his homosexuality, which Rene didn’t embrace until late in his life. The inner struggle of the film between a comedy and drama mirrors Rene’s own life long struggle. The film takes a more dramatic turn at the same point Rene’s inner struggle is faced head on, which lays out the rest of the movie as solely dramatic as Rene’s struggles become more prominent. But Rene himself is the best example of how life has passed him by yet he begins it all over again. Rene was never truly alone, he always had friends and someone by his side, such as Bwakaw who is by his side late in his life. When he begins to see life fading away, such as a very comedic scene where he ends up putting his own burial casket in his living room because the funeral home closed down, Rene sees new opportunities in his life. He connects more with his old friends, tries to win over the affection of a former enemy, and grows closer than ever to his ever faithful dog Bwakaw.

I see Rene’s life beginning at a very old age. His growing connections weren’t manifested from loneliness, they sprouted from a need to live, a need to breath, feel, love the same way every one else did; the same simple way his dog lived her life, eating, relaxing, and being with her best friend. Rene isn’t the old man yelling at kids from his porch anymore, now he is the young boy playing in the grass.

Bwakaw, a foreign dramedy, takes the viewer on a journey into the Philippines to explore the concepts old age, loneliness, and self-acceptance. The acting for Bwakaw has no huge names like Angelina Jolie or Brad Pitt, but it delivers great acting from Eddie Garcia who plays the role of Rene an elderly homosexual man. Jun Robles Lana, the brilliant director of Bwakaw, reveals something enlightening about the human condition. He reveals that we should live life without regrets. Rene lives his life with regrets and he is miserable and lonely because of it.

Bwakaw is a heartbreaking tale about an old man and his dog. Rene’s dog, Bwakaw, serves as the classic symbol of man’s best friend, and Bwakaw’s illness symbolizes the evolution of Rene. Bwakaw’s terminal illness changes Rene from a bitter old man into a tender and caring individual. Rene shows his tender side by caring for his best friend by taking her to the vet several times, allowing her to sleep on his bed, and spending most of his pension on her. Change is also seen in Rene after he is brought together with Sol, a tricycle driver, through Bwakaw’s illness. Rene realizes that he will have no one to share his life with after Bwakaw dies and tries to remedy his sorrows by falling in love with Sol. This finally allows Rene to accept the fact that he is a homosexual. The fear of loneliness also brings about this change in Rene because before taking Bwakaw for granted, Rene could not accept who he really was. Rene tries to reverse time by getting his hair dyed, and he tries to woo his companion by overpaying him and making him dinner.  Despite the humor in this film, loneliness is no laughing matter, and Lana depicts this theme by using Rene’s life as an example.

Lana’s thematic approach uses comedy to literally make death a laughing matter. Rene’s loneliness, regrets, and old age allows him to embrace death. Rene turns death into a job by constantly changing his will, buying a casket years in advance , and having his personal possessions already packaged in boxes. Lana tries to show his audience that living with regrets is no way to live life. But after Bwakaw’s death, Rene starts to live life without regrets by unpackaging his boxes full of his worldly possessions.

Bwakaw’s plot might be predictable at times, but I would highly recommend it to anyone that would like to see a film with highly original concepts. Lana does a great job of blending the elements of comedy and drama together to create a dramedy. His ability to do this makes him an Auteur. His signature stylistic approach has the audience laughing instead of crying at serious moments, but still manages to capture the serious moments as well. Lana pulled this off quite well, despite being his first film.  One thing that I noticed about the film was the stunning quality of cinematography which made the film look life-like. Bwakaw might be a little slow at the beginning, but the plot grows on you towards the end.

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Bwakaw  is a film that is a cross-genre between a comedy and a tragedy. The director, Jun Robles Lana, handles this approach by making the tragedy portrayed through the main character, Rene. Rene is constantly being surrounded by death. He actually waits for death to come upon him and consistently checks and writes his will. However, death actually approaches everyone before himself.

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The comedy part of the film is portrayed through the characterization of Rene. Rene can be characterized as bitter because he doesn’t want to interact with people. He refuses to talk to people because he wants to just leave the world and be alone. The reason for his bitterness is because his inability to accept who he is as a person and that he lied about his life for the one girl he has ever been with. He tries to run away from the person he truly is. Due to his bitterness, Rene constantly gives back witty remarks to the people he does interact with such as his neighbor, his best friend, and the cab driver who he soon realizes that he falls in love with. Not only does Lana use witty comments for the use of comedy, he also uses Rene’s actions to provide a sense of humor in a somewhat tragic situation. For example, when the funeral home closes down and they tell Rene that he must take his coffin home. Rene lives in the coffin in the living room and decides to see how it feels to be laying in the coffin. Of course, it’s not something a person would normally do, but it just shows  the comedic approach the director tries to bring to the audience in a serious matter such as death. The use of a comedy as a relief through a serious moment, I believe, is what makes Lana an auteur.

The title character, Bwakaw, is a symbol throughout the film. Bwakaw is the only interaction that Rene has that is genuine and shows the soft side of him. When Bwakaw gets cancer, Rene to see that death is approaching everyone around him, but himself. He even says that Bwakaw wasn’t suppose to die before him. The moment Rene finds out about Bwakaw sickness, he starts to change his habits and the way he is. Bwakaw is a symbol of Rene’s turning point. At first, Rene was bitter and didn’t want to have anything to do with the world anymore which is why he continued to push people out of his life. Along with pushing people out of his life, he put everything he owned in boxes and made a list as to what box would go to who after he passed. However, the moment Rene finds out that Bwakaw has cancer, he realizes that he can’t live for death, he has to live life and not wait for death to come. That is when he decides to redecorate his house and fix all the broken falls and floors around his house. The moment Bwakaw dies, Rene realizes that life is too short to just sit and wait for death and that is where he starts to unpack all his boxes and decorate his house. Bwakaw is symbolic of Rene’s change from a bitter, old man to trying to live what he has left of his life rather than waiting for death to approach him.

Bwakaw was a very comedic yet serious film that I enjoyed watching. Not only was it comedic, but it brings to light that people should not wait for death or wait for something and they should just live the life they have.

The film “Bwakaw” by Jun Robles Lana is a tear jerking comedy.  This film not only had the audience laughing so hard that they were crying but also contained depressing scenes so sad that that the audience was moved to tears.  There were many different themes in this movie but one stood out more than the rest: never judge a book by it’s cover or else you may not get to meet the nicer people in life.

There are many scenes in the movie that portray this idea.  At first Rene is shown as having a rough exterior and an argumentative side.  There are many scenes of him arguing and fighting with Tracy.  After Sol places a sign on his car saying “no dogs allowed” Rene makes a sign to combat this when Sol rides by.  Rene’s hardened exterior is far from his true caring self.  There is a scene where Rene gives his lunch to Sol when Sol drove him around and Rene even paid Bwakaw’s fare without an argument, this genuinely stood out.  When Minda expresses her worries about being alone after surgery, Rene throws her a small party.

Lana is a unique auteur.  He was able to bring Bwakaw to life through the emotions he conveyed.  In most of the movies he directed, the story lines seem to revolve around dialogue and troubled lovers, not action.

In this film, Rene’s dog Bwakaw symbolizes “the will to live” much like the Pixar film “Up!”.  Much like Carl Fredricksen loves his wife Ellie, Rene seems to have a strong love for Bwakaw telling her she is the most important being in his life.  Unfortunately Bwakaw passes and at first Rene does seem depressed but he seems to get over it.  Before she died Ellie left this message for Carl, “thanks for adventure now go have a new one.”  Bwakaw seems to be symbolizing this with her death, for Rene seems to change.  Rene unpacks all of the labeled boxes and sets everything up around his house filling it with Life.  The last scene seems to be the brightest scene in the movie and it shows Rene walking down a path filled with green plants, passing people on the road, and greeting someone.  Much like how, after Ellie died, Carl goes on a once in a lifetime adventure to Paradise Falls.

This movie is about an older man, at first, choosing to live a sheltered life.  It is thanks to his loyal pet Bwakaw that he meets the first love of his life and slowly becomes more sociable.  Without this dog, Rene would not have learned what it truly means to live.

This was a movie worth watching.  The comedic and serious scenes in this film were balanced.  I cannot count how many times I laughed so hard I cried or found myself trying to hold back my tears.  However this movie was without a doubt this movie was cliché.  Before it happened I knew Rene was going to scare Tracy, Nitang, and Zaldy because they thought he was dead, that Minda would have a heart attack, and I knew Bwakaw would die in the end.  Even so, the movie was done so well that I still laughed when Rene scared them and I felt sad when Bwakaw died.  Now I have to wonder, what will happen to Rene next?  What type of adventure will life take him on now?

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The film Bwakaw, from Jun Robles Lana, conveys several motifs through the development of the main character Rene as well as his dog and best friend, Bwakaw. In this film we observe the grumpy personality of Rene right from the start when he sends his neighbor, Nitang, off barely acknowledging her nice gesture of corned beef in the process. This harshness is completely unwarranted especially because she is asking for something very important in this instance, to see his Santo Entierro, a life-sized statue of Jesus, to help heal her niece who has a tumor in her lung. The pairing of this gruffness with the innocent and loving characteristics of his dog show the importance of their friendship and lend evidence to the theme that they complete one another. One way in which Lana conveys this idea is through the disease of Bwakaw. When Rene is informed of the diagnosis, he is distraught and does all he can to help his best friend. Although Rene’s efforts are futile, he fights to save her until the very end; trying everything from medicine to using the Santo Entierro to improve her health. During this exchange with illness, Rene seems to be afflicted as well and suffers along with her. One stylistic approach that plays a major role in Bwakaw is the simplicity of life. Rene has no means of transportation and lives in a modest house. Being that he is retired, his life seems to lack structure allowing him to do as he pleases. This use of this simplistic approach allows for the acute observation of the character’s true tendencies without the rigors of work, something I believe Lana will include in future films.

Bwakaw, for whom the film is named, is a vehicle for many themes that Lana conveys. One such example is the idea of enjoying life while it lasts and living it to the fullest. For the majority of his life, Rene denied the fact that he was homosexual and even tried to hold a long relationship to prove himself wrong but to no avail. The way that Bwakaw ties into this motif of living life to the fullest is through her example of how fleeting it really is. Another theme we can see through Bwakaw is the happiness that relationships bring to someone’s life. Rene is bitter towards anyone that bothers, and by bothers I mean talks to, him except for Bwakaw. Not only because she cannot talk but because of the fact that she provides Rene with unconditional love no matter how he treats her which is exactly what he needs in his sad, lonely life. Finally one last thing that Lana portrays with great reverence is the institution of religion and its affect on everyone in the town. To Rene, going to the church is only to make changes to last will and testament mainly because of his sexual orientation and the belief that God no longer wants him. The intervention of god, or at least the belief of intervention, is also seen as Nitang runs to tell Rene of the miracle brought about by the Santo Entierro and also when Rene asks the priest if he thinks god if punishing Bwakaw for his homosexuality. Lana effectively conveys these themes in this film and seems to have a bright future in the film industry if he continues to create gems like Bwakaw.

The film Bwakaw, directed by newcomer Jun Robles Lana, tells the story of an old man, Rene, basically living each day as if he’s preparing to die.  He is distant from people, and his only companion is his dog, Bwakaw.  It is not until Rene faces situations of death that he learns how withdrawn he’s been from his life.  Jun Robles Lana illustrates the important lesson of living life to the fullest by creating his own, unique style of filmmaking.

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Bwakaw opens with Rene getting ready for the day ahead.  Lana gives an insight into Rene’s simple life by having camera shots of objects in his home.  I noticed how all his possessions were packed away in boxes, which he would give to people in his will, once he died.  From the start we see that Rene is living his life waiting to die, and doesn’t even care when his neighbor, Nitang, greets him with food in the morning.

There are also other people in his life who care about him, including the workers at the postal office and his two flamboyant friends, Zaldy and Tracy, but it’s as if Rene finds them to be a nuisance in his life.  The only creature he actually cares about is his dog, Bwakaw.  Bwakaw symbolizes the small amount of will power that Rene has to continue to live.  Without Bwakaw, Rene would have no other companion in his life and would basically have no reason to live.

Throughout the film, Lana conveys the idea of Rene’s epiphany through moments of death.  One of them being when he good friend, Minda,  from the post office dies of a heart attack.  He didn’t think that she would die before him, and it makes Rene see that your life can be taken away from you in a split second.  Also, when Bwakaw begins to get ill Rene finally starts to care.  He sees how he doesn’t always have enough time to be with the people he really cares about.  It is at these moments of his hard times that Rene transforms his life into something more.  He begins to reach out to people he might not have before, such as the cab driver who he later befriends.  Rene is able to express his homosexuality and love himself for who he truly is.  *Spoiler Alert* After Bwakaw’s death, Rene realizes that he cannot go on being alone for the rest of his life, and he starts to finally live.  He takes everything out of his boxes, and once again we see the camera shots of objects in his home.  It helps to illustrate this new life for Rene.

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With each scene of the film, Jun Robles Lana style is seen through the simplicity of the camerawork, which adds to the simple life that Rene lives.  Lana makes the plot very basic, but is still able to capture the audience’s attention through his cross-genre approach to the film.

My critique might make it seem as though this movie was very depressing, but it was quite the contrary.  Every moment of sadness had some sort of comical relief, whether it was Zaldy and Tracy acting as their crazy selves or the weird face Minda was making while she died.  Lana was very successful at making the two opposites cohesive.  He used the irony of Rene sleeping in a coffin basically waiting for his death hysterical, by having his neighbors and loved ones crying over his body.  At moments in the film, I couldn’t tell if I was crying from laughter or from the upsetting event that occurred.

Besides the fantastic work of the director, the actors were very authentic.  Eddie Garcia, the actor who played the role of Rene, is very well known in the Philippines and was able to take on a role that he never has before and execute it perfectly.  I especially loved Tracy and Zaldy.  Their performances were hilarious and made me laugh every time they were in a scene.

For Jun Robles Lana’s first film, I would definitely say it was a success.  He was able to show how people can find reason to live after experiencing death.  It makes me think of what my friend once told me; when we hit our lowest point, we are open to the greatest change.  Rene was able to change the way he lived his life after he faced the death of his one companion, Bwakaw.  Overall the film was amazing and I can’t wait to see what Lana creates in the future.

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Death, death and more death is the one thing that is constant throughout this film. Renee,the main character, played by Eddie Garcia is faced with death at every turn in this film. Yet Jun Robles Lana finds a way too add humor and wit that help lighten the mood and has several scenes that provide comic relief for the audience. Even though the film is filled with death it is not overly depressing or solemn. Lana neither portrays death as an extremely grim or an overly humorous occurrence. It is simply inevitable and a fact of life. I loved that this was easily accepted by the main character and that Lana did not use death in order to create a sob fest. Rather the death of a character was reflected upon and actually impacted Renee in a positive manner as he learned from those deaths.

Strangely enough, the appeal of this film is not due to its plot. If this film were being judged solely on its plot it would be a lousy production. However it is not the plot that is important in this film but rather who the plot revolves around. That would be Renee. Renee is a bitter, homosexual, elderly man that is filled with regret and who looks forward to death’s sweet embrace. His character is eerily reminiscent of Clint Eastwood’s character in Gran Tarino, with one obvious difference. Renee is a homosexual. As the film progresses we are given an insight as to why Renee is so bitter.We learn that he came out of “the closet” at sixty years old. Sadly, by then it was too little too late and he fell into despair as he accepted the fact that he would always be alone. Bwakaw, his dog, being his only true companion.

Lana paints a pretty bleak picture of Renee’s life. Renee lives in a broken down house with all his possessions placed neatly in boxes so that they can be distributed with ease after he dies. He pretty much gave up hope on living a happy life. He is even forced to leave his will with the priest because he has no family or friends left. Renee is neurotic about preparing for death and he changes his will so many times throughout the movie its actually funny.

This is where Lana truly shines as an auteur as he creates scenes that are horrific yet comedic. He is capable of creating a scene that is so tragic and yet so funny that you are unsure as to wether you should laugh or cry. For example in the film Renee was forced to take his casket because the funeral home was going out of business and so he decides to sleep in the casket. The sight of him in the casket surrounded by his boxed possessions is creepy, horrific and depressing yet strangely hilarious. Especially when the neighbors find him asleep in the casket and believe that he is dead.

Another signature style of Lana’s in this film was the lack of music and over dramatization. There was no music in the death scenes nor was there music when he announced he was homosexual to the priest. Instead Eddie Garcia was responsible for evoking emotion in the audience without the help of any theatrics. Personally I was thrilled by this technique. It was the first time I was able to truly relate to a death scene in film. There were no ominous tones or depressing songs playing in the background. There was no cheesy eulogy playing in the background. There was just death, plain and simple. I thought that was a brilliant tactic because for most people death of a loved one is not usually followed by a montage with a song by The Fray playing in the background.  I also liked the fact that Renee actually reflected on these deaths and decided to unpack his belongings and move on with his life rather than wallowing into a fit of depression.

Overall this film was a masterpiece. The combination of Lana’s directing and Garcia’s stellar acting made this film a pleasure to watch. Lana’s realistic portrayal of death without music and his ability to do so with humor distinguishes him as an auteur. I have no doubt he will be a fixture in the film community for years to come.

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Jun Robles Lana’s film, Bwakaw, can be considered a “dramedy” as it makes what could be very serious material light and comical, yet adds weight and honesty when appropriate. As a result of Bwakaw’s “dramedy-nature,” Lana at times loses balance between these two elements. The film requires consistency and balance in order to be successful. And in losing command of tone, he loses likability and believability in his main character.

   Early on, Lana illustrates what a curmudgeon, old man Rene, played by Eddie Garcia, is. He avoids speaking to neighbors at all costs, physically assaults the drag-wearing hair stylists who he is friendly with, and finds excuses to make rude remarks to people he meets on the street. In one scene a lady asks if Rene’s dog, whose name is Bwakaw, bites. And Rene replies with, “No, but I do!” This isn’t to say Rene is one-dimensional; he is much more than that. Lana shows us how Rene cares for his dog, and how he takes time to see an old friend who has fallen ill. In addition to being sensitive, Lana reveals that Rene is tormented; he has not come to grips with his sexual orientation, and is in a sense waiting for death.

   As the film progresses and we learn more about Rene, Lana allows the plot to become more and more serious, ending with an enlightened Rene who becomes self-respecting and open to life (a very dynamic change in the character). But as successful as Lana is in appropriately balancing his cross-genre script in the first two-thirds of his film, he precipitously allows seriousness to envelop the storyline. Towards the beginning of the film there is a scene where Rene gives a eulogy at a friend’s funeral and says, “She will be remembered as a great cook first, and a loving mother second.” This is hilarious and is such a typical Rene moment. But towards the end of the film, when Bwakaw dies, there is no humor. Though this is the death of the one thing Rene consistently showed compassion for, and no irreverence should have been shown towards the dog, I felt Lana could have provided some comic relief through Rene. After all, that was the trend he set in the film up to that point. Have Rene yell at the two drag stylists who are crying off to the side! Give the audience something (something that’s not the two sobbing idiots)!

   Where was the edge I liked about Renee that existed early on in the movie? Even if Lana was trying to illustrate a change in his character, would the change realistically be so dramatic? Instead of drawing me into and through the climax, I was gradually losing my connection with the character. I didn’t like him so much anymore. Heroes without flaws are boring and unlikable, even after they are “enlightened.” Rene was no longer a curmudgeon, funny, yet compassionate old man. He was just… an old man. And in allowing this shift in tone, Lana lost what made this film, his film– great balance between comedy and drama.

   Even with its shortcomings, Lana’s film is successful. It’s for the most part funny, very sincere, and surprising to say the least. Through the antics of Renee, Lana teaches us what it means to be happy and develops an emotionally powerful story. Though I believe this to be Lana’s first major directing voyage, it’s not likely to be his last. Bwakaw is worth seeing.

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Companionship. Do any of us truly enjoy being alone ALL the time? Sure, sometimes we need some time for reflection, or perhaps some of us enjoy spending time in solitude more frequently, but we all need that “someone to lean on.” Throughout the film Bwakaw represents how important companionship is.

At the thought of losing the one friend he has, Rene takes action. He leaves his hatred for society aside and asks for help. He reaches out to the person he taunted throughout the film and that person ends up becoming not only crucial in demonstrating to the audience the complexity of Rene’s character, but also the importance of companionship. Sol, the previously taunted cab driver becomes his go to man. His only other friend. As soon as Sol suggests that perhaps Bwakaw is sick because Rene’s house is so run down, Rene immediately begins to renovate his home.

Jun Robles Lana’s focus on action to convey emotions is one style that he may use in future films. He doesn’t have to tell us that he loves his dog for us to come to this conclusion. He doesn’t have to state that the reason he begins to seek companionship with Sol is because he fears losing his beloved dog.

Thematically, he might focus on this idea of companionship, loneliness, death, and sexuality. These were all themes exposed in Bwakaw that may resurface in future films. They are all very realistic and relatable topics that can speak to many different people.

Returning to the idea of companionship, Bwakaw is both a comedy and a drama. The film shifts from a comedic beginning to dramatic end. Lana plays around with the idea that perhaps people don’t need companionship. In one scene, Rene hits his hair dresser with a blow dryer on the nose and makes (him/her? I’m still not sure) bleed. It was almost as if Lana was saying, “Hey, it’s okay to be alone, who cares if I’m making people angry, all I need is my dog.” At this point he really doesn’t need anyone in his life. Towards the end however when Bwakaw is diagnosed with cancer, the entire mood of the film shifts into a more serious and somber one. It develops the complexity of Rene as an individual and shows us what measures Rene is willing to take in order to keep his best friend alive.

Bwakaw in the beginning of the film represents exactly what it was meant to convey. An old man’s best friend. She symbolized the lack of need for contact with the outside world. Bwakaw was the center of Rene’s life and as long as she was trotting along by his side, everything and everyone else was irrelevant. As the film progressed, she grew to represent the complete opposite. “If she dies, whom will I turn to? Will I die alone?” seemed to be the unspoken questions echoing through Rene’s thoughts.  Bwakaw turns into a symbol for the need for support. A dog isn’t enough. Reaching out to others for help is okay. Interacting with society is crucial. Waiting to die is not what life if about. He seeks Sol’s help to renovate his home in the hopes of curing Bwakaw, he finally allows his neighbor to touch his Santo Entierro to cure her grandchild, those hairdressers he so fervently pushed away, become a support system in his time of need. The very last time we see Rene, he has unpacked the boxes full of things to give away after he died and decorates his room instead. Rene experiences an epiphany by the end of the film, and it wouldn’t have been possible without the development of Bwakaw’s symbolism.

This was an entertaining and heart wrenching film. Many things were incredibly predictable, and the acting wasn’t amazing but Lana successfully made his point through his focus on action rather than dialogue. He made me laugh, he made me want to cry, but most importantly he made me want to run home, hug my puppy, and make sure he didn’t have any bumps on his stomach.