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Enjoying the laughter and ‘shokot’ of ‘Zombadings’

I will start my review by asking you, my dear reader, to throw your previous assumptions of what a gay indie film must look like. C'mon, you can do it. Done already? Good.

It is because the only way to enjoy the film "Zombadings 1: Patayin sa Shokot si Remington" is to come to the theater with an open mind. Producer Raymond Lee says, "The film deals with issues related to homosexuality and homophobia." Those are indeed sensitive issues—but the very witty script ensures that the audience has a good time. This movie doesn't have a formula, it breaks the mold. And that's a good thing.

Supernatural touch

Lee describes the film as "a comedy with supernatural elements." Its main character is Remington, a typical slacker who doesn't have big hopes and dreams. Lee says, "The character of Remington is basically content with his life (and) with himself. He has no ambitions. He is content in his hometown doing nothing."

But then Remington struggles to go beyond his shyness to woo the hometown beauty Hannah. However, he has been cursed to turn gay when he was still a kid. Now Remington must conquer his timidity and fight the "gay-ness" inside of him.

Add to all the craziness is the mysterious death of the gay people and the onslaught of gay zombies in his hometown. Is a serial killer on the loose? What do the gay zombies want? Will Remington be gay or be straight in the end?

Breakthrough performances

I will dare say that Martin Escudero gets the role of a lifetime in "Zombadings."

"The main character is straight. It's not a coming-out story," Lee says. Thus, it was a challenge for Escudero to find the balance between being straight and turning gay. Talk about an identity crisis!

In the hands of a lesser actor, this character could easily just have turned into a tacky and self-conscious boy. But Escudero played it so well that he made the most out his character's fear, confusion and vulnerabilities.

Lauren Young as the town sweetheart Hannah is a refreshing sight on screen. The moments when she is falling for Remington are funny, sweet and touching.

The film is indeed loaded with incredible supporting performances led by Janice de Belen as the chief of police, Eugene Domingo as a roller-skating lady and Daniel Fernando as a gay-hater.

However, the big scene stealer is John Regala as a compassionate father of Remington. Regala is able to make his character sensitive and selfless because of his love for his family.

Great production

The first gem of "Zombadings 1: Patayin sa Shokot si Remington" is its funny and out of this world script. This is hard to pull off especially for a film that tackles homosexuality and homophobia. The film is able to tell the story and show the prejudice without coming off as "preachy."

The cinematography on the other hand, reminds me of earlier Filipino movies like "Shake, Rattle and Roll" and "Panday" (when the zombadings come out) and the typical song-and-dance sequences (complete with colorful effects.) The good thing about the use of these techniques is that they actually work in the movie.

Indeed, movies like "Zombadings" doesn't come out often. But when they do, they come out in all their fabulous glory, zombies and all.