Unspoken Passion
(2007/Water Bearer DVD)
Picture: C
Sound: C+ Extras: C- Film: C+
Some
people have bonding relationships that start as young as childhood and
sometimes these later become romantic and sexual. Rare, but it happens and it is something not
spoken about much because it does not fit the phony model of how “things are
supposed to be” but it happens and Juan Artemio Barron III’s Unspoken Passion (2007) is a release
from the Phillipines that deals with a gay male relationship thereof. The acting is not bad, situations convincing,
but many of the situations are too familiar.
Yet,
there are some interesting, believable moments that punctuate the long 109
minutes that if there were more of them, this could have been a pleasant
surprise. However, the angle that one
becomes part of the somewhat underground sex business falls into “hooker with a
heart of gold” territory and once some good ideas play out, it becomes the
story we have seen (straight and gay) many times before. However, if interested, enjoy it for what
does work.
The anamorphically
enhanced 1.78 X 1 image was originally videotaped and is loaded with aliasing
errors and inconsistent image quality, but it is a given that this was not an
easy production to do and filming it might have been harder with government
censorship. The Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo
location sound has some awkward, inconsistent moments, but fares well under the
circumstances. The only extra is a
stills section.
- Nicholas Sheffo
