Film Review, Zombadings 1: Patayin sa Shokot si Remington* (Castro, 2011)

It was one of the most riotous moments within CCP’s Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo last night: people laughing their heads off, clapping their hands, and drowning out the audio while watching the Cinemalaya premiere of Jade Castro’s Zombadings 1: Patayin sa Shokot si Remington.

Story goes: a young boy named Remington (Mart Escudero), who has a knack for taunting gays, gets cursed by an aged homosexual (Roderick Paulate). Years later, Remington begins to experience attacks from masked macho-men, allowing him to wake up the next morning having undergone involuntary changes in his body, way of talking, and, yes, sexual preference. More alarming is the fact that an unknown killer is mysteriously murdering gays in their once idyllic village. Now Remington and his friends must find a way to re-transform to his old self before he gets killed next.

Yes, humor stemming from the antics of gays or homosexuals might be possibly overused already, but as a Filipino comedy movie, Zombadings does not fail its comicality by presenting humor most of us have never seen before in local releases. Eugene Domingo’s short yet memorable scenes show Director Castro’s understanding of how absurd humor is to be done. In fact, one can simply watch and laugh at how irrational certain situations are, and the best part is that this brand of humor never seems to falter, bringing one laugh-out-loud moment after another.

But everything would not have been half as funny without Mart Escudero who is, without a doubt, a stunning revelation here. A likeable actor in a likeable role, he proves his worth by portraying Remington without any signs of personal inhibition prevalent among young mainstream actors nowadays. Aljur Abrenica should see his reality show batchmate and realize how badly he needs to reassess his own abilities. The supporting actors, meanwhile, provide plenty of additional laughter. Unlike I-libings, the screenplay knows how to utilize each without wasting a single one. Lauren Young and Kerbie Zamora both play their parts well, and the same can be said to Janice de Belen and John Regala. Roderick Paulate will always be Roderick Paulate, and his short exposure will never undermine his brilliance.

The rise of the zombified gays is where things go down a notch. Amidst all the wit, camp and jokes packing the film, how ironic to say that the presence of the Zombadings themselves proves a bit cumbersome even to Castro’s sleek direction. Many would find the first act enough to support the entire movie that it feels a shame to include the zombies. Moreover, the implementation at this point is a bit awkward, showing characters being present for the sake of being present while placing against the background the widespread social (taumbayan) consequences of the Zombadings’ rise. Then again, I am simply being overcritical, for I feel that the movie would have been near-perfect if it were not for its clumsy third act.

Though first impression tells us that the story is taking an anti-gay message by showing a character rejecting his fate as a homosexual, it soon demonstrates a sort of self-awareness of such likelihood by turning things completely around in its second half. Yes, this will garner controversies and heated debates, which makes it all more exciting and relevant. It is amazing how screenplay writers Raymond Lee and Michiko Yamamoto managed to come up with a premise that is as effective as it is hilarious. Frankly, Zombadings 1: Patayin sa Shokot si Remington is one of the funniest films one would have the privilege to watch, and those who would not smile at least once all throughout is either asleep or psychologically depressed.

* In theaters on August 31, 2011.