English Title: Stray Cats
Erasto Productions
Starring: Ricky Davao, Irma Adlawan, Reggie Curley, Lauren Novero, Alcris Galura
Directed by: Ellen Ongkeko-Marfil
Cat Out of the Bag Alert! This review contains some spoilers for this film!
Synopsis: A quirky, interesting independent film made in the Philippines and based on the play written by Jun Lana. Boyet (Ricky Davao) is a gay writer with a penchant for taking in both stray cats and stray people, including a young man who mugged him named JoJo (Alcris Galura) and a bodybuilder lover named Dom (Lauren Novero.) Boyet gets the inspiration for his novels from his next door neighbor, Marta (Irma Adlawan), who has relationship troubles of her own with her wandering boyfriend Steve (Reggie Curley.) The two neighbors are also best friends and often commiserate about their complex love lives. (Note: This movie deals with adult themes and does contain some nudity.)
Featured Feline: One of Boyet’s stray cats is a kitten named Dorothy, who is shown several times during the film.
She is a little tabby cat and accidentally causes Boyet to lose a chapter of his book through a computer mishap in the first scene.
In another instance she is seen catching a mouse.
Later she is seen eating on the table with the fellow members of Boyet’s household. Dorothy is also featured in one of the most intriguing final moments of the film.
Kitty Cameos: There are several other cats seen very briefly throughout the movie, although much of the film takes place in dark areas of the apartment and it is difficult to make them out much of the time. At the end of the film, as Boyet and Marta walk away from a grave in a cemetery, many cats begin to follow them. The cats are an allegory for the openess of Boyet’s heart and his willingness to love anyone, whether they return his love or not.
Kitty Carnage Warning! Near the end of the movie after suffering a tragedy, Boyet goes crazy and starts to destroy the things he loves. He carries a blunt object into the back room where the cats have been yowling and begins killing them. It’s a horribly shocking scene but none of the action against the cats is actually shown. It should be noted that Dorothy can be seen after this scene alive and well, and it’s actually hard to tell if this is part of an extended fantasy sequence in the film or if this was supposed to have actually happened. Nonetheless, it’s a powerful, emotional and highly distubing moment.
Final Mewsings: Taking in strays . . . good. Going nuts and killing them . . . not so good.
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