MMFF 2023 | Becky and Badette

 

Becky (Eugene Domingo) and Badette (Pokwang) live relatively humdrum lives as janitresses for a corporation. On the side, they try to pursue their dreams: Becky makes music and Badette goes to various auditions. But success is elusive for the duo, and they are mostly left either unrecognized or looked down upon by their peers.

That changes, however, when during a class reunion, Becky makes a drunken statement saying that she and Badette are in a relationsihp. Their story inspires many and the two gain the stardom they've always wished for - but success based on a lie eternally teeters on a precipice, and some people begin to plot their downfall.

First and foremost, Jun Lana's Becky and Badette is a comedy, and in my opinion, a good one - ever since I saw Pokwang and Eugene Domingo together earlier this year in Lana's Ten Little Mistresses, I wanted a film with these two. It works, though perhaps the comedy would be better served if Lana let go of his restraint a lot more (Wenn Deramas' absence is deeply felt here.) Nevertheless, there are references to many films both old and new, especially Danny Zialcita's T-Bird at Ako, from which this story draws inspiration.

There is a little quirk as the film reaches its climax, where Becky realizes something about herself, though sadly the thought isn't explored as much as I would have wanted.

But the film also asks a question of us: who should tell the stories of queer people? The obvious answer is that queer or LGBTQ+ people should be able to tell their own stories. In faking their relationship, not only are they profiting from this lie, but they contribute indirectly to the erasure of queer stories. Aside from that, Lana emphasizes the importance of accountability for such actions - otherwise, without it, people may be emboldened to do it again.

The ownership of stories is important. When one owns a story and when the work of art that emerges accurately portrays one's lived experiences, that is representation, and nothing is more important. My thoughts stray back towards T-Bird at Ako. It's writer, Portia Ilagan, is a member of the LGBTQ community. Even in the eighties, despite the limitations of a conservative and creatively limiting society, we gave spaces for queer and LGBTQ creatives to tell their stories. In a candy coated, 'mainstream' comedic wrapper, Becky and Badette reminds us that that idea will always be important.