NETIZENS have uttered their ire over this year’s Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) entry titled “My Father, Myself” starring Jake Cuenca, Dimples Romana, and Sean De Guzman over the alleged misrepresentation of Boys’ Love (BL) and the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, and Asexual (LGBTQIA+) community.
Award-winning filmmaker Joel Lamangan directed the film.
What about it?
It tells the story of Matthew (Sean De Guzman), a newly adopted child, who is introduced to Jake and family, and quickly fits in. But Matthew, a closeted queer young man, eventually falls in love with his adoptive father, Jake.
He admits his romantic affection for his father during a heated argument.
“I notice how you look at me, “Matthew told his father in Filipino. “You still remember my (real) father. Am I not enough to take his place in your heart?”
Matthew accuses Jake of once having a romantic affair with his biological father before he died. In short, he thinks Jake is also gay.
The movie has lots of twists and turns.
Inside the house, Matthew and Jake’s daughter figured in an intimate relationship. He got her pregnant. When Jake and wife (Dimples Romana) discover it, they decide to prepare a wedding for them.
There is also this scene showing how the pregnant young woman witnessed her would-be husband Matthew and his dad Jake kissing, too, making things more complicated.
“I can’t believe my own father is having an affair with my boyfriend,” the daughter says.
Another scene reveals that the mom is also made aware of this tangled relationship “Even if I knew, from the bottom of my heart, that you’re gay, I still chose to love you!” Romana tells Jake.
The father asks Matthew, “Wasn’t I enough?” before walking away from him as the trailer comes to a close.
Why does the internet get enraged over this fictional film?
Aside from the perverse yet absurd incest plot twist shown in the trailer, members of the LGBTQIA+ community were quick to spot the dangers of the film including dated and hurtful stereotypes and seeing queer relationships as “threats to heterosexual ones.”
In an interview via email, Anjelica Duenas, a literary critic and member of the LGBT community, minces no words.
“People in the community are aware that they themselves cannot be associated with the issue in that film but people who aren’t are already comfortable with branding people in that community with said “sexually deviant” issues/traits so, of course, it’s harmful,” she said
Duenas said before making “controversial” films like those for whatever impact the creators want, the director “should know that they won’t be able to control who consumes their content.”
RepublicAsia has reached out to Director Joel Lamangan for an interview regarding the controversial trailer but has yet to receive a response as of writing time.
