Heavenly Touch (eng subs) [2009] Joel Lamangan

http://bayimg.com/GaljLAADF

Heavenly Touch (2009)


http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1433524/

Nursing student Rodel (Paolo Serrano) seems to have found his niche -- and a way to pay for his education -- by working after hours at the Heavenly Touch Spa. But the busy massage parlor, which caters to gay men, has ties to a dangerous crime syndicate. While teaching the trade to an old high school crush (Joash Balejado), Rodel and his new recruit are unwittingly drawn into the spa's seedy side practices.

Good story line, attractive actors, and a decent script (although small subtitles and a bit hard to read). I enjoyed the movie, and felt like it was an honest film with all the conflicts of Philippine university age students pressed for money, getting into the massage parlor life, and still trying to find some emotional connection with others in their life. It definitely shows you a side of life for many 3rd world countries where young men have few opportunities, broken families but a desire to achieve something. The acting is pretty good. Definitely worth your time.

Heavenly Touch is director Joel LamanganΓΓé¼Γäós latest foray into independent filmmaking, and once again, he returns to the realm of the ever-profitable gay-themed movie.

Jonard (Joash Balejado) is having trouble making ends meet. His mother is suffering from depression, and he and his sister are forced to quit school in order to take care of her. One day, Jonard meets up his friend Rodel (Paolo Serrano), and Rodel introduces him to the world of massage parlors. Rodel teaches him massage, and brings him to Heavenly Touch, a syndicate-run massage parlor that mostly caters to homosexuals. As Jonard grows comfortable with his new life, he finds himself getting closer to Rodel. But when the threat of eviction looms, Jonard is forced to do things he never thought heΓΓé¼Γäód do.

Heavenly Touch can be best described as a series of vignettes. A lot of things happen, but they donΓΓé¼Γäót really connect to each other in meaningful ways. It refuses to build to any of its moments, and instead lashes them together to build a pretty shaky narrative. None of the charactersΓΓé¼Γäó choices feel organic, as they constantly make decisions that just donΓΓé¼Γäót make any sense at all. The script isnΓΓé¼Γäót interested in explaining why anything happens why anyone does anything, and expects to just swallow it all. It all adds up to a story that has no tension and no drama. ItΓΓé¼Γäós difficult to care about characters that make the dumbest choices imaginable.

Adding to the scriptΓΓé¼Γäós incoherence is the filmΓΓé¼Γäós ramshackle shooting style. His scenes just donΓΓé¼Γäót fit together well, jumping from one tonal style to another without any real purpose. On the upside, the digital medium has allowed him to shoot more angles than he usually does, though he uses mainly in his sex scenes. The cinematography is plagued with flat shots and the occasional ill-conceived handheld sequence that only serves to break up the filmΓΓé¼Γäós tone.

Much of the movie rests on the shoulders of newcomer Joash Balejado. Paolo Serrano at least manages to show off a great amount of range.