Diday serves Kiko hot dog. But Kiko takes a spoon full of veggies and starts eating. The smile blooms on Diday's face. Kiko combs his hairs, tightens his shoe laces and leaves for school. Kiko has grown up in just few days. Though his father has left without intimating him, but the scent of bonding stays with him. The debutant director Thop Nazareno portrays the subtle bonding between a son and his estranged father brilliantly in “Kiko Boksingero” with a unique and gentle storytelling approach that touches the mind of the audience with a lasting impression.
Kiko Bosingero screened at the 8th Annual San Diego Asian Film Festival Spring Showcase
Kiko (Noel Comia, Jr ) is an eleven year old boy, who lives in beautiful and scenic city of Baguio with his nanny, Diday (Yayo Aguila) after losing his mother . Kiko wants to be a boxer like his estranged father and visits his father's deserted house everyday, while coming back from school, and punches the boxing bags there to satisfy his thirst for the sport . One day, Kiko suddenly meets George (Yul Servo), his father, inside the house premises, who is back in town to sell his house. And a new narrative moves through the path of father-son bonding with a touch of emotion and love. The script unveils the love of Kiko for his father, who might or might not stay with him in the future, through different shades of life. And Kiko's mind grows with a prefect coming-of-age narrative, brilliantly scripted by Denise O'Hara along with Heber Justin O' Hara, Ash Malanum and Emmanuel Espejo Jr.
Noel Comia is brilliant as Kiko. His character flows through the
difficult shades of shyness and inquisitiveness in every scene and Comia
portrays it effectively. There are few intriguing scenes between Comia
and Yul Servo and Comia stands out convincingly with his sensitive
portrayal of Kiko. Yayo Aguila is brilliant as Diday and Yul Servo lives
up to the expectations as the father.
Thop Nazareno has shot the movie in the beautiful city of Baguio, in just eight days. The movie is shot with high quality cameras, more sensitive to low lighting conditions, which gives cinematographer Marvin Reyes ample opportunity to exploit the marvelous scenic of the area. There are many beautifully crafted long shots in the movie with perfect framing, which deem it a visual treat.
Thop Nazareno uses a simple story to portray the father-son bonding in an even simpler manner. He uses the natural rapport of a father and son in life to express the deep-rooted emotions convincingly, without any melodrama or excess. The narrative unfolds around three characters only and it allows Thop to paint his thoughts perfectly through the mind-canvas of Kiko. “Kiko Boksingero” is a brilliant movie with superlative performances of all three main characters under the flagship of an exceptionally talented director. Kudos to Thop Nazareno for such a brilliant directorial debut.
