I would have imagined that being part Filipino, I would have already seen a movie from the Philippines by now. With all of the foreign language films I've seen, the Philippines was one of the few countries that I hadn't experienced a film from before. Netflix listed the country in their foreign language section, and The Blossoming of Maximo Oliveros came highly recommended to me.

The movie is about a 12-year old effeminate boy named Maximo (Nathan Lopez), or Maxi for short, who lives in the slum area of Manila. While his sexuality seems like it would be a big deal, it really isn't. For the most part Maxi has to deal with the pressures of helping maintain the house while his father Paco (Soliman Cruz) and his two brothers Boy (Neil Ryan Sese) and Bogs (Ping Medina) lead a sordid life of crime. While little Maxi is content with his situation in life, that changes when he crosses paths with an attractive police officer named Victor (J.R. Valentin).

At first, it was a little difficult to get into this movie. It appeared that Nathan Lopez was instructed to be extremely effeminate in his performance, which leads to his mannerisms appearing over the top or insulting. But Lopez' performance was very captivating, and I was able to forget how he would come off a little too gay at times with the way he carried himself. I thought for a very young actor, it was very brave of him to take on a role such as a possibly gay teenage boy. But Lopez delivered a fantastic performance.

Also great was J.R. Valentin as Victor. Might sound a little creepy to say that I found his on screen time with Lopez to be very effective, but I would be lying if I said otherwise. There really isn't anything harmful with Maxi's obsession with Victor. There isn't anything sexual, except for a quick kiss Maxi gives him and a quick peek at Victor while he is showering. But the film doesn't play Maxi's obsession in a sexual manner, but rather a way to develop the character.

For all we know, Maxi might not even be gay. He might be a young boy stuck in an awkward time in his life. His mother is dead, and he has become a sort of den mother to his father and brothers. Plus, with the age that he is at, that is usually the age that those pesky feelings start to emerge. And Maxi is a long way from figuring out who he is.

I admired the film for not taking the typical route and making this a film where Maxi's family is against him being gay, or effeminate. It was great to see a film where the father loved his son, and accepted the way he was. And the only time that he was ever mad at Maxi, was when it appeared that he was choosing Victor (who represents law, and a form of stability or normality) over the family (which is heavy into crime, and very unpredictable with how life was going to be from day to day).

I liked The Blossoming of Maximo Oliveros a lot, but that isn't to say that it doesn't have its flaws. The movie takes its time building up its story, but what it builds up to is kind of disappointing. It appeared to be going out on a mighty note, but fizzled out instead. Still, I do like where Maxi and Victor end up. And I love the film's final scene, which resembled a lot the ending to The Third Man (my favorite movie of all time).