AFTER years of not working with Viva Entertainment, internationally acclaimed director Brillante Ma. Mendoza is back to the fold of the company.
Brillante Ma. Mendoza’s last movie with Viva was a digital outing, “Provoke,” a gay film.
This time, Brillante has embraced the live streaming format when he and Viva Films’ bosses agreed to do an independent film to be streamed at Vivamax, the newly installed global platform of communication of the production.
According to observers, this is Mendoza’s first time to work in a mainstream media outlet although working with a major film company like Viva has also its own share of independence as far as Dante Mendoza’s preferences were concerned.
In the past, there were offers to Brillante to do film or even television projects from major movie factories but all of them had been thwarted by intervention from the formulaic tendencies of commercial filmmaking which sadly buckled down business as well as aesthetic talks from both side of the producer-artist spectrum.
In “Palitan”—a foray into the intersected lives of four young men and women who have committed with one another’s faith, love and loyalty but gender differentials had come into play—a different type of sex cinema was conceived, managed and pulled off by Mendoza.
“Palitan” might have tones of sex scenes of diverse persuasions like lesbianism and homoeroticism but they were essentials in the development of the narrative which was truly abundant of insights and ideas to the liberation of man’s bondage from bigotry, violence against women, chauvinism etc.
In this holiday season, the movie is a treat to viewers even if it is not entirely about Christmas but the periphery of the number of Filipino Christians can relate to the whole story of marriage, covenant and family life.
According to Dante, his latest outing might see some international film festivals but for the moment, the Vivamax streaming domain is the main source of its showing since December 10.
It stars four new daring actors and actresses, namely Cara Gonzales, Rash Flores, Luis Hontiveros and Jela Cuenca.
“Pinaghirapan namin ang pelikulang ito at inihahandog namin sa buong mundo (We invested blood, sweat and tears on this movie which is our gift to the world),” said Brillante.
A Christmas gift, indeed.