“BAKLAD” REVIVES EROTIC-SEX GENRE IN THE PHILIPPINES!

“BAKLAD” REVIVES EROTIC-SEX GENRE IN THE PHILIPPINES!

IF THERE’S ONE THING THAT THE FILM “BAKLAD”, DIRECTED BY ACE DIRECTOR TOPEL LEE, IS ABOUT TO SET OUT ONCE IT HITS PHILIPPINE THEATERS ON JULY 12 FOR THE 2ND TOFARM FILM FESTIVAL, it is its revival of erotic, sex-laced films in Philippine cinema which was last seen during the reign of Erik Matti and Yam Laranas back in the late 90s and early 2000.

Written by SIGFREID BARROS-SANCHEZ and starring RONWALDO MARTIN and ELORA ESPANO, the film tells the coming-of-age story of a young fishpen boy TUTOY (Martin) who fell in love with his Boss’ deaf-mute wife MAYA (Espano) who tempted him to have sex with her especially when the Boss is not looking. His illicit sexual relationship with the young temptress also causes his relationship with his four other fishpen boy mates to be tarnished as Tutoy felt that he is more mature and better than them after experiencing his first sexual experience, especially with their Boss’ wife.

Sanchez, who also wrote the story of Matti’s cult film “PROSTI”, says that the film is laced with a lot of sexual trysts in different locations. He says that he again wrote a scene wherein the characters have sex in a mode of transportation, something he also wrote in “PROSTI” when he suggested to shoot a sex film inside a sidecar (which was revised in the film in a tricycle).

“Meron kasi tayong sexual fantasy na laging gawin ang isang sexual experience sa loob ng isang sasakyan — sa eroplano, sa kotse, sa jeep, sa tricycle, sa motor, sa kalesa, etc. Dito sa “Baklad” inisip ko na what if mangyari ang sexual tryst na ‘yun sa loob ng isang maliit na bangka. Paano kayo magsesex ng kapareha mo sa loob ng isang maliit na bangka? O sa ilalim ng tubig? O yung tipong mahuhuli na kayo gaya doon sa Enemy At The Gates? (We all have a sexual fantasy of doing it with someone in any mode of transportation — inside an airplane, a car, a jeepney, a tricycle, a motorcycle, a carriage, etc. Here in the film, I thought of writing a scene wherein the sexual tryst will happen inside a small banca. How will two people have sex in a small boat? Or under the water? Or in a scene where you are going to be nearly caught like a scene in Enemy At The Gates?) ” he says.

Aside from the heterosexual sex scenes, he also wrote scenes that has a guy on guy sex scene in it and a bestiality scene (sex with an animal) which he says that perhaps director Topel Lee edited out as it may be too much already for the film.

Sanchez says that he wrote the film for good friend Topel Lee to direct to make him escape the billing “Horror King Director of the Philippines” which has been hanging in the head of Lee for a very long time.

“Sabi ko sa kanya, hindi ka na kikilalanin na si “Topel Lee The Horror Director”. Ikaw na si Topel Lee “The SoftCore Porn Director”! (I told him, it’s high-time that people will know you not only as Topel Lee The Horror Director, but as Topel Lee The SoftCore Porn Director). It’s high time to revive a very beautiful genre in the history of Philippine cinema. And who else to revive it than a very visual film director in Topel Lee,” he jokingly says. Incidentally, Topel is also the director of another horror/whodunit film that is showing at the same time as “Baklad” in Star Cinema’s “Bloody Crayons”.

“It’s a Topel Lee Film Festival Week. Ang tanong is sino ang mas magaling, si Topel Lee The Mainstream Big-Budget Horror Director o si Topel Lee The Indie Low-Budget Erotic Film Director (The question is, who’s better, Topel Lee The Mainstream Big-Budget Horror Director or Topel Lee The Indie Low-Budget Erotic Film Director),” he says.

“BAKLAD” awaits its MTRCB rating tomorrow, in time for the opening of the 2nd ToFarm Film Festival. It will be shown at SM Megamall, SM Manila, Greenbelt, Gateway Cinema, and Robinson’s Galleria. The film will have its premiere night on July 13, Thursday, at 9:00PM at Gateway Cinemas in Cubao.