Co-winner of Locarno's video competition, Brillante Mendoza's feature debut was a testament to what was about to follow, although truth is, this film seems even more daring than his next ones.
20-year-old Iliac works at a gay massage/prostitution parlor in order to support his family after his father left them. As the movie begins, his father has just died, and the young man has to return to his hometown to take care of the funeral rituals along with his mother, Naty, who does not seem to care that her husband has previously abandoned them. In the parlor, he may not be the most asked-for employee but just the previous night, he ended up “servicing” a romance novelist, who had a real impact on him, in contrast to his girlfriend, who seems distant.
Mendoza creates an intriguing narrative which is essentially a constant montage between the events in the parlor and the funeral proceedings, with the two being juxtaposed through an approach that can only be described as brutally realistic. Particularly the parlor part, where the loud voice of the manager who promotes his employees to gay businessmen by showing off their abs, is juxtaposed with the sex sounds from the dark, cramped rooms the “therapy” takes place, is a wonder to look at, both for its rawness but also for the unprecedented realism on a topic that could be easily described as taboo. Compared to this, the funeral part looks much more tame, but it is this part that essentially analyzes Iliac, and how his relationship with his mother and the absence of his father has shaped him.
In that fashion, the second part could have been melodramatic, but the documentary-approach here, with the many close-ups through the hand-held camera, the detail in the presentation of the ritual and the stoic demeanor of the mother, do not allow for any kind of fictitious elements. As such, Jaclyn Jose's wonderfully measured performance as Naty emerges as indicative of the overall style here, while Timmy Jimenez and Monchie Redoble's cinematography captures both axes in the most fittingly raw and low-budget way, without any kind of punches pulled. Furthermore, the difference between the two settings creates a rather entertaining antithesis that carries the movie for the whole of its duration.
Check out the interview with Brillante Mendoza
Probably the best technical aspect of the movie, however, is Herbert Navasca's editing, with the juxtaposition of the two parts being exceptional, adding a sense of movement to a film that essentially takes place in very few locations. Furthermore, and although one could say, the gay massage/sex moments do become a bit repetitive after a fashion, at 76 minutes, the film definitely does not overextend its welcome, while the episodes interspersed throughout also add to the entertainment it offers, and also a sense of humor.
This review would not be complete without mentioning the great performance of Coco Martin in the role of Iliac, whose eagerness to please his boss and his customers, the way he starts developing feelings for the writer, and the contradictory sentiments he experiences during his father's funeral (of taking care of his mother and hating his father) are all exceptionally portrayed, again with the same sense of measure and realism.
“The Masseur” is an excellent film that highlights the intricate rawness that would become Mendoza's trademark in the following years and the great starting point of following the Filipino's impressive career.
