Padayon (2021)

One of the better pinoy low budget productions

The plot of this series is simple at a first glance: The neglected son of a rich landowner visits the manor house of his father's rural property and falls in love with the housekeeper's son who rescues him when he is attacked by the local gang of bullies. There are for a series as short as this (6 x 20 min) too many subplots to mention here, which is an advantage as it adds credibility to the story, but a disadvantage at the same time as it takes away space for the main couple.

The script though is much better than in many of the numerous low budget productions. The main characters' background is explained in a surprising depth, and their development is understandable. Also, the situation of the rural population (like dependency on landlords who live in the city, restricted access to education, poverty because of unfair market conditions, and the disgusting wave of government-induced killings in the Philippines) is described extensively. The director and writer, Tyrone Lim, says he wants to tell a true story and educate. Maybe it's a bit too much education sometimes.

Of course, it can't be denied this a low budget production, but it's not as bad as many others. They've made the best out of these conditions, some landscape shots being really beautiful, with the predominance of the color brown hinting at the poor living conditions in that village.

I liked the acting of the main couple, Ian Rosapapan as Kai and John Padilla as Andre, whose performance is natural and credible, but I liked Yoyen Bautista as Kai's longtime best friend Drixler even more. I could feel his character's disappointment, jealousy and despair. What I don't really understand is why again like in many other pinoy bl-series there are trans characters that do not help develop the plot but are rather displayed in a merely comic way which doesn't do justice to this part of the lgbt community.

There are some highlight scenes in this series, e.g. Kai's family commemorating the killed father and Kai and Andre's mutual account of their childhood. The scene I liked most, however, is the climax of the plot, the confrontation of Andre, his (you may guess:) evil (ex-) girlfriend Elaine and Kai, which is appropriately commented on by the noisy competition of some (you may guess again:) roosters. This scene, and Elaine's final text message to Andre's father obviously serve as a cliffhanger for a season 2.

Finally, I must mention the extraordinary soundtrack by musical director Lester V. Flores who contributes some beautiful songs, especially 'Himig Ng Elehiya', sung by John Padilla, which is a heartbreakingly sad song obviously referring to the murder of Kai's father.

All in all, like some other pinoy bl-series this is not pure entertainment, a bit too much education sometimes, but very worth watching if you don't expect cinematographic perfection à la '1000 stars'.

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