“At Your Serbis”

I was busy beating the deadline last Saturday so I just left our television set in the newsroom on while I went on closing Hugyaw, Banat’s entertainment section. But I was appalled when I heard XXX host Julius Babao described as “bading na kawatan” a male thief who was caught by a surveillance camera entering a residence, apparently to steal. The subject was sporting a long hair and was walking as if doing the catwalk.

I really did not like it. I found the reference offensive because I believe it was not necessary that the report had to point out that the thief was gay. Did it matter? Was it an essential detail in the story? Such description disappointed me because in a subsequent report, a man was shown destroying the glass window of a parked car and Julius described him simply as a male thief. So why not simply say that the one who barged into the house was a thief? The point is he was caught on video. His sexuality was not the issue.

Let me clarify, though, that I have nothing against Julius. He was even among those that encouraged me to take up mass communication in college. It’s just that I felt that the report was somewhat discriminating.

That report eventually reminded me of the many discussions and arguments raised by fraternities and Muslims in Cebu. I was a news reporter then covering the police and military beats from 2001-2005. Our brothers from Mindanao felt discriminated every time a drug suspect was described in a report as “Muslim,” because they said the reference should be specific- either the suspect was Maranao or Tausug.

High ranking officers of warring fraternities Akrho and Tau Gamma also complained why their groups had to be directly linked to a crime committed by a member, even if the incident was not fraternity-related. In fact, during the many peace talks held at the regional police office and city hall, these fraternities appealed to the media not to quickly link a crime committed by a member to the entire organization until an investigation has been conducted.

Our Muslim brothers and the members of the fraternities simply wanted no generalization, that the fault of Juan isn’t necessarily the fault of the entire organization. In relation to the XXX report, the mention of thief’s sexuality, which inadvertently grazed the spotlight on the gay community, should not have been alluded to in the story.

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I have said this before and I’ll say this again. The best stories that would make quality movies are those that depict social relevance and realities of life, stories that point out the sufferings, failures and shortcomings of humanity in a hypocritical society. And this is what the highly acclaimed movie Serbis is all about. Well-applauded during the 61st Cannes Film Festival in France last May, this Brillante Mendoza masterpiece made Filipinos ecstatic, it being the third film from the Philippines that has competed in the very prestigious film festival. The first two were both by the multi-awarded Lino Brocka- Jaguar in 1980 and Kapit sa Patalim in 1984.

Browsing through the Cannes website, Serbis’ synopsis reads: Morality has two sides-absolute and relative. The Pineda family operates a run-down movie house in a city in the province which shows dated sexy double-feature films. The family has taken up actual residence in the old building as well. The matriarch Nanay Flor, her daughter Nayda, son-in-law Lando and adopted daughter Jewel take turns manning the ticket booth and the canteen. Her nephews Alan and Ronald are the billboard painter and projectionist respectively. Nanay Flor had filed a bigamy case against her estranged husband and is attending the court hearing today when, after a number of years, the decision will be finally handed down. It is within this context that the story unfolds. As the rest of the members go about their daily activities, we get a glimpse of how they suffer and deal with each other’s sins and vices -relational, economic or sexual.

As to how morality becomes absolute and relative, it’s for us to find out very soon, as the movie opens in selected theaters nationwide. By then, we will understand why foreigners gave Serbis a standing ovation at the Cannes. Together, lets discover why the stellar cast of Gina Pareño, Jaclyn Jose, Coco Martin, Kristoffer King and Mercedes Cabral was lauded by international film critics and enthusiasts despite the movie missing the top plum. 

Let’s find out the truth behind the positive reviews made by prominent foreign movie critics such as Jean-Michael Frodon of Cashiers du Cinema, Maggie Lee of The Hollywood Reporter, Jerome Vermelin of Metro Cannes Daily, Sukhdev Sandhu of Telegraph UK and Kong Ritdee of Bangkok Post. If these critics and those who have watched the film in France were touched, humbled, and awed by Serbis, I don’t think there is reason for us Filipinos not to feel the same, as we witness the unfolding of a story many of us can relate to. This is a story that mirrors the struggle of every Filipino to survive in a careworn country like the Philippines.

By the way,  I have just learned that Serbis has already been sold to various countries such as Belgium, Netherlands, Germany, Portugal, Greece, Israel, Thailand, Singapore and Brunei. Likewise, negotiations are underway for distribution of the film in the United States and the United Kingdom. 

Serbis will be exclusively shown at Ultravistarama along Pelaez Street starting July 9, Wednesday.

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Hey! Catch Bea Alonzo live, 6:30pm today at the Gaisano Country Mall Parking lot for the final draw of Gaisano Main and Country Mall’s Shop for Scholarship raffle promo.

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