"You'll feel more at home here than in any previous drag-queen movie. If you don't, you'll laugh, you'll gasp, you may even hurl. But you'll come out a better person." -
SYNOPSIS:
"The 'Thank You' Girls" is a Visayan film with a gay lingo twist. (with subtitles)
Tired of losing in all the beauty competitions in
Passing through the breathtaking landscapes and cultural vignettes of the Mindanao provinces, each queer need not only struggle to win a single title but also battles against his individual internal demon raring its ugly head behind their pink masks.
During their travel, the ultimate gay adventure of the characters brings them to back to the basics of themselves and of each other.
While they are blinded by their belief in the power of their so-called beauty, they still have to prove that whether on or off stage, beauty doesn't just come in packages wrapped in foundation, mascara, eyeliners and witty beauty pageant answers. What they will discover about themselves could be fitting and that being a run-away loser is not at all ugly.
Because what is essential is VISIBLE to the naked eye.
Directed by: Charliebebs Gohetia
Produced by:
Starring:
Gie Salonga, July Jimenez, EJ Pantujan, Pidot Villocino
Kit Poliquit, Kim Vergara, Ari Bancale, Joan Soco
HINDI LANG 'CHAR LANG'
Quotable quote: "I may never become a real woman; I may never be your mother, I may never be your sister, but for all you know I could be... your long lost father."
In a Philippine gay film scene which worships the masculine as an object of desire and eschews the effeminate as unworthy of attention, Charliebebs Gohetia's The Thank You Girls (TYG) stands out like a sore thumb--of approval.
TYG is neither pretentious nor melodramatic about its homosexuality and pageantry. Its characters are strong yet not without their weaknesses; they do not invite your pity, nor do they scream for your acceptance. TYG's storytelling shows, and doesn't tell--an achievement which is hard to find among many of the film's dialogue-driven indie/digital contemporaries.
It is interesting to see a film from a director with a background in editing. Clearly, the film shows a mastery of editing not only in the form of putting together shots cohesively, but also in the overall skill in working and reworking its material. Its unique and complex structure enriches the plot--the repetition of sequences is functional rather than merely artsy, since it reveals a more rounded perspective of each scene.
The casting and direction of the actors is convincing, the script clear and the delivery very natural and authentic. The rock sound of the scoring and theme songs temper the material's overt flamboyance. And of course, the wonderful costumes, styling and production design are invaluable in a film about gay beauty pageants.
The regional/gay aspect of the film gives it an interesting dimension and sets it apart from the urban-centric gay films of late. This is most glaring in its language, which is a very specific mix of swardspeak and Visayan/Chavacano/ beauty pageant English. The Thank You Girls is a journey film around
While seemingly superficial, TYG's exploration of MG culture is a very keen observation of provincial homosexual identity. The characters travel around
The motley and endearing crew of Mommy Paola, Chris, Vanette, Allyson, Macario and Bernadette calls to mind the New York City houses/families in Jennie Livingston's Paris Is Burning. The queer family is a means of recreating kinship for homosexuals rejected by their families. Yet in spite of their closeness to each other, there remains things which cannot be shared. Even Paola, who has inadvertently shared the most intimate (really, really intimate) things with his youthful son Chris, cannot make him fully comprehend the anxieties and anguish of an over-the-hill homosexual ("Pag matanda ka na, bawal ka na magkamali").
Which is not to say that gays in the film are all loving and witty and kind. In the backstage, the fissures in the gay community appear. Class is a primary issue--in one scene, a contestant asserts the superiority of the pageant hobbyist over the "pobreng bayot" who joins pageants for a living. We see a portrait of a queer community which is too busy trying to find everyday comfort and acceptance to even get to seriously thinking about larger issues like their political and socio-economic rights. The complexity of the multifaceted, multi-layered struggle of homosexuals is laid out onscreen, albeit hidden behind happy masks and gaudy headdresses.
Make no mistake, however. The Thank You Girls is a very light and laugh-out-loud film. The pageants are very entertaining affairs, and the contestants will leave you laughing hard and clapping in appreciation. Indeed, TYG is structured so that pageant humor sustains interest in between the decidedly more melancholic and quotidian though nonetheless funny jeepney rides between venues. Watch out for the definition of darkness, the lipstick game, and the churchur song.
Yet the films' happiness belies the sorrow of homosexuals. The Thank You Girls shows a culture where gays find comfort in constantly answering trivial questions because the serious ones--'what would you say to the President,' 'what can you contribute to society other than your beauty,' 'why are we here'--have elusive answers and are not as happy to dwell on. This is a culture where gays aspire to become their female superstar idols because they themselves cannot attain that position in a homophobic culture like ours. In TYG, we see characters who dream of fame and fortune, but will gladly settle for a life of acceptance and simplicity.
"Char lang" is a phrase prominently used in The Thank You Girls, expressed in an array of contexts. (Even the most serious conversations end in "char lang.") But beyond the term's casual connotation, it is also a means of coping. That is, it is a means of dispelling the gravity of the situation, a way of putting on a brave face. It may appear shallow at first, but upon closer inspection, there is so much more to it. This, perhaps, is the essence of The Thank You Girls.
