Pantasya
(2007/Philippines/Gay Anthology/Water Bearer)
Picture:
C Sound: C Extras: C- Shorts feature: C+
Pantasya is a feature release that cannot
make its mind up on what it wants to do.
Is it a collection of five shorts, anthology or a miniature gay version
of a Robert Altman film where the stories tie together? They barely do here in Director Brilliante
Mendoza’s tale(s) of five encounters that suddenly turn into gay sex. Unfortunately, they don’t turn up anything
else and are not even interesting enough to be voyeuristic, much as they try.
Each
segment also has voice over work, which is subtitled, but either way seems like
an admission that Boots Agbyani Pastor’s script is just trying to do an upscale
version of soft core sex, though this never gets too explicit. This is still R-rated enough, but very
awkward at best. The locations are a
plus, that is before the given sex scenes, which are in closed spaces.
The
anamorphically enhanced 1.78 X 1 image is a digital video shoot in low definition
and has softness throughout that may even be complicated by the
enhancement. Fleshtones and definition
are off, so those looking for nudity and whatever will be disappointed, but all
the shots lack depth and even have color range limits anyhow. The Dolby Digital 2.0 sound is barely stereo,
often has echo and is the kind of location audio that you’d find on many a home
movie. Stills set to music are the only
extras.
- Nicholas Sheffo
