Cinemalaya 2019: 'Fuccbois' -- A Sociopolitical Crime Provocateur

Photo Credit: Cinemalaya

Director: Eduardo Roy, Jr.
Starring: Royce Cabrera, Kokoy de Santos, Ricky Davao

I wasn’t high on Pamilya Ordinaryo; I regret missing Quick Change (where can I watch it?), and now here comes Eduardo Roy's newest provocateur, Fuccbois—an intense sociopolitical crime thriller that builds up like a bomb no one knows when it's going to explode. It's about two friends Ace and Miko, who dream of achieving stardom by promoting themselves shamelessly on social media, and joining bikini beauty pageants in gay bars. When Miko received good news about getting the role of a leading man's best friend, a politician ex-lover of Ace blackmails them that could damage their budding careers.

Fuccbois plays like a three-chapter movie that takes its time to establish its straightforward but complicated premise. At first, the film revolves around Ace and Miko's preparation for a beauty contest, from their too-small too-crowded quarter on their way to the bar where it's held. We got to see a glimpse of how bikini beauty contests work. It's funny, especially their dirty introduction to the crowd. Things take a turn when Ace starts receiving a barrage of calls and text from a person named Brithanygaile, who threatens to expose their scandalous sex video.

From there onwards, the film becomes more serious and nerve-wracking. The second act is a bit reminiscent of Brillante Mendoza's Kinatay, wherein it brings the audience along a dangerous journey no one knows how it will end. Turns out Brithanygaile is a politician stressed out from the result of the recent election.

Beneath this crime drama is also a portrayal of a harrowing sociopolitical situation we're living in. Apart from the characters' desperation for fame, where their faces and body are their only currency to survive, the subliminal message about political injustice is sad and provoking. Its significance transcends the sickening images of blood, drugs, and sex it showed, and it lingers even when the film doesn't seem to know when to end.

The more I think about it, the more I appreciate Eduardo Roy Jr’s genius, whose filmography is starting to shape up as one of the boldest and most provoking. Fuccbois agitates, but I hope it gets its message across behind its nasty exterior. If not, I hope it puts the incredible Ricky Davao on the forefront.