Pista ng Pelikulang Pilipino 2018 | Bakwit Boys is a charming musical about living dreams and the cost of privilege

When a typhoon ravages the home of four brothers, they have to spend their days in their grandfather's house while the family tries to pick up the pieces. While there, they mostly just hang around the house. But opportunity knocks when they are tapped to sing in a local talent contest, and their performance catches the eye of Rose (Devon Seron), who sees the talent in them and decides to help them record their own songs.

There's a lot to like about Jason Laxamana's Bakwit Boys: it's a musical, featuring songs sung by Devon Seron and the titular boys. And its also a bit of a romance: younger brother Phillip (Nikko Natividad) falls for Rose, putting him at odds with the eldest brother Elias (Vance Larena), who may have feelings for Rose as well. There's a nice clash between the older, more responsible brother, and the younger brother with his head in the clouds. The film is much lighter than Laxamana's usual fare, and things don't take a dark turn near the end of that film.

That said, the film tackles a lot more than just music. Rose is very well off financially, but when we find out the source of her funds, the film then addresses the responsibility of people in positions of privilege and power, and the effects that power can have on others, effects that seem inconsequential but trickle down into something more profound. The film also espouses the value of the ends justifying the means, which is something that could apply to the case in the film, but probably shouldn't apply to all cases, and is something I found a bit problematic.

The musical numbers are outstanding; the film takes full advantage of the cast's talent and it shows.  Devon Seron, Mackie Empuerto (from Tawag ng Tanghalan) and Vance Larena in particular all shine. However, I wish the film could have done more imaginative things with its musical numbers. There's one particular song where I thought the visuals kept up with the song being sung, but in others, all we see are people reacting to the song being sung, and nothing much else.

Bakwit Boys is a lighthearted and charming film, though with another layer of meaning added to it. It's not a perfect film by any means, but a worthy addition to this year's festival nevertheless.