Lex Bonife: A Conversation

Despite our setbacks, it's hard for most gay Americans to appreciate the societal taboo that is homosexuality in most of the world. Outside of Western Europe, homosexuality can be seen as anything from Satan himself requiring nothing short of prompt execution to a peculiarity that, while tolerated, certainly isn't embraced. In the Philippines, an acutely Catholic nation, homosexuality is tolerated much more so than many other Asian nations but its citizens are granted few rights. In fact, this is the central paradigm about Filipino culture: homosexuals enjoy a degree of openness unheard of out side the Western Industrial base of Nations but they have the fewest rights. One right they do have - and seem to openly embrace it - is queer cinema. And on the forefront of that movement is Lex Bonife, the screenwriter of the hits, "Ang Lalake sa parola" and "Ang Lihim ni Antonio" and "Kambyo." His first two movies deal with repression and sexually awakening and push the boundaries of moviemaking in blunt and sometimes uncomfortable terms. He makes the seduction of a fifteen-year-old a complex issue by erasing some of the borders that put reality on one side and shock and revulsion on the other. He writes scenes with full-frontal nudity and including fellatio, barebacking and masturbation and both gay and straight sex with a degree of realism that is jolting. I had the pleasure of speaking with him tonight for two hours. He's an unassuming, polite and puckish young man that is both confident and humble. We started off with a blast...

I had the chance to speak with Lex Bonife in the Philippines. Lex, welcome to MOC.
Lex:  I am honored to be a part of your blog
me:  Well, thank you. After watching your movies, I'd say the honor's all mine. If we can jump right in, talk to us, if you would, about the "Gay Experience" in the Philippines. If you're films are any indication, it's a hotbed of sexual abandon.
Lex:  I have only experienced gay lifestyle in other cities...Hong Kong, New York and Manila, and I must say the gay lifestyle in the Philippines is quite unique from the western experience
me:  How so?
Lex:  Many straight men don't mind experiencing gay sex.
The gay/ straight concept is very sketchy in many areas here in the Philippines.

me:  In what ways? For example, just as gays know where to cruise for other gays, is there anything ritualistic about straight men seeking out gays there? Do they, for example just walk in to gay bars? Or is it the gays that are the predators?
Lex:  They don't walk into gay bars. Gays have to spend some time with them.
me:  So it is a process. A courtship, even.
Lex:  Sometimes it needs courtship. But often times, it usually just happens after a drink or two.
me:  Wow! Sounds relatively cost-effective!
Lex:  Oh, yes.
me:  And there's no social stigma? In the Philippines?? I say that with all due respect, mind you.
Lex:  For majority of straight men I know, having sex with a gay man does not question their sexual preferences.
me:  Like, Mexico. And another, predominantly Catholic nation. That's interesting. Is society aware of its frequency and habitualness? I mean, I can only relate from my travels in Mexico and I would say a resounding, yes, straight men are much more open about their sexuality.
Lex:  Yes. There had been small studies documenting these sexual practices. It is common among younger Filipinos and predominant in the rural areas…Now, I can't wait to go to Mexico.
me:  And, I, the Phillipines! But before we get into choppier waters, let's talk about the screenwriter himself, Lex Bonife. Is that your full name?
Lex:  Alexander. That's my full name.
me:  And you teach yoga. But it's more than that. It appears to be a life philosophy of yours. Would you mind elaborating?
Lex:  Life philosophy. I like that phrase. Yoga has been a paradigm in my life. I’m an atheist. And it is through yoga that I am able to understand that I own nothing else in this world except my body and my mind, and I must continue to preserve and value my very being through my yoga practice
me:  Beautifully said. So, have you always been a writer?
Lex:  I guess so. I have always wanted to write ever since I was young. But I never joined any literary contests. I always saw these contests as something for the "intelligent" and not for the deviant minds like me
me:  Hooray for deviancy! But was there a mentor? Someone who pointed out to you that writing was your calling?
Lex:  I did not have one. But I must say one of the people who revolutionized my screenwriting craft is Armando Lao, the writer of the 2008 Cannes Film Festival entry, "Serbis." ("Service.")
me:  In what ways?
Lex:  He has put realism into my craft -- and this is very evident in “Antonio's Secret.”
me:  Good. We'll come back to that. (We, unfortunately ran out of time.) Now say I'm you. I'm a bright, observant gay man who has a good script and I want to market it. What channels did you go through to finally see the projects through to the light of day?
Lex:  In the Philippines, producing movies in digital format are very cheap it only takes a little over 10,000 USD. So if you want to make a movie and big producers don’t want to support you, gather a few friends to come out with this amount. Gone are the days when people had to knock on producer's offices.
me:  (Readers, take note!) Okay, so your first production was "Ang Lalake se Parola," right?
Lex:  Yes.
me:  Now, for those of you reading this, this teenage coming-out tale is very graphic, even by American standards. Did you worry you'd lose a more mainstream audience with what is frankly, soft-core porn without all the pejorative meaning.

(At this point, Lex’s connection was interrupted.)

Lex: I was saying that ‘Parola’ is also my first full length screenplay.
me:  Right. Then I wanted to know if you were concerned that the graphic sex would limit the video's appeal? Even by American standards.
Lex:  No, we wanted [the] sex to be really graphic. I think the director (Joselito Altarejos) and I were dreaming of a porn film. So, ‘Parola is quite graphic in American standards? I’m surprised to hear that. I’m curious. How did you get your copies of ‘Parola’ and ‘Antonio?’ I don’t mind if you downloaded them
me:  Netflix. And YouTube.
Lex:  Cool. Our producers were never into foreign distribution
me:  I think that's what shocked me really. That the scene with Antonio and Jonbert in "Ang Lihim ni Antonio" is so explicit not once - Antonio reaches under his uncle Jonbert's underwear and begins massaging his cock (He's portrayed as 15 in the movie.) - and, later, sucks him off repeatedly. You might agree that some might find it, um, bold?
Lex:  Definitely. We were inspired by “Shortbus” and “The Dreamers.”
me:  Really?! I'm a huge fan of John Cameron Mitchell. Okay, so let's talk about 'Parola' for a couple of minutes. Would you mind telling our audience what the movie is essentially about?
Lex:  [It’s] about an urban gay man who meets a rural man who realizes he is gay. We wanted to show the parallel differences between urban homosexuality and rural homosexuality in the Philippines.
me:  That would make a lot of sense in understanding Perida's plight, wouldn't it? (Perida, played by the talented Monti Parungao, is publicly humiliated after sucking off the cock of a 15-year-old in park who, after getting paid, runs off with Perida’s clothes.)
Lex:  Precisely. The differing social pressures on gay men in the Philippines have forced us to take on varying roles as well.
And, here, our statement in the film is homosexuality can come at any point in a man' life. This is something that's not widely accepted in our country
me:  Or ours.
Lex:  Really?
me:  Yes, I think it's different, though. For us, it's not that he or she is gay or bisexual or feels more at home in the other gender's body, but that they found it such a big deal to hide it in the first place. Okay...I got a little confused with the fairy imagery in 'Parola' Was that some "gay" thing I missed?
Lex:  Yes. Many gay men in the country were referred to as fairies. It's an imagery that is also used to refer to gay men
me:  Hello?! Is my head under water or what? But, seriously, what did she represent? Was the fairy a symbol of something in the movie?
Lex:  Not exactly a symbol. She was just a visualization of a lie.
me:  The hiding in the closet?
Lex:  A lie created by the old man. Perhaps it can represent "hiding in the closet."
me:  Now when did Parola come out? What was the "word on the street?" How did your life change?
Lex:  It came out in 2007.  It was the highest earning independent film for that year. People knew me as a writer. I started getting emails every day.
me:  From who? Fans?
Lex:  From viewers of ‘Parola,’ from those who wanted to become actors. Unfortunately, I did not get any dates or hookups from such!
me:  I was just going to say...what healthy, gay male WOULDN'T want to be in your videos?? You have cast some totally hunkalicious Pinoy hotties for your films. Talk to me about the actors - Harry Laurel and Justice De Leon from 'Parola’ and Kenjie Garcia and Josh Ivan Morales from ‘Antonio’ Did they handle the frank gay sex with maturity?
Lex:  Yes. They were very cool about gay sex. All four of them
me:  Goes back to what you said early about straight men in the Philippines Or are they team members?
Lex:  When we cast them, we made sure they did not have any negative issues with gay sex. In our workshops, the director Jay Altarejos and I ensured that they performed well on each other! Hehehe.
me:  Okay. I am now officially so jealous!
Lex:  Technically, as far as I know, they are not gay men.
me:  Talk to me, now, about "Ang Lihim ni Antonio" for a minute. You partnered up with someone for the story. This was a break for you, no? A break as in a change.
Lex:  Antonio's story came from director Altarejos and me. I wrote the screenplay. ‘Antonio’ was the talk of the town when it was shown. ‘Parola’ and ‘Antonio’ inspired many other producers to come up with gay films. After ‘Parola’, there were at least 2 gay films in a month. When there was barely one Filipino mainstream movie per month. In ‘Antonio,’ we wanted a gay family drama that is partly inspired by “Lolita.”
But i did not want Antonio to be cunning and manipulative.
me:  So, Antonio has no part in seducing Jonbert?
Lex:  He was playfully seductive. But that was just normal for gay men of his age He was terribly curious.
me:  Who wouldn't be with Josh Ivan Morales in the room in his underwear?!
Lex:  hahaha
me:  But, Antonio does ask early in the video to his mother Tere - played with a moving, powerful, understatedness by Shamaine Buencamino - if it's ever wrong to have sex with relatives or minors. Why did you put that in the movie?
Lex:  That's a direct statement from the director. He wants to make it clear that it is not right for adults to abuse minors sexually.
me:  I know I'm going to be excoriated in some corners for this, BUT, Antonio didn't exactly look like a victim of abuse.
Lex:  I know. Sex between minors and adults, especially between men, is quite tricky but the director just wanted to be politically correct.
me:  Or safe?
Lex:  Yes.
me:  Well, it's weird but the kid that Perida sucks off in the park is 15 and Antonio's character is 15. You also said that young people there are much more willing to indulge in sexual liaisons. That doesn't sound too different from here. But where you're movie essentially "crosses the line” is by bringing in a blood relative. And, by the end - and not surprisingly - we see Jonbert's confused sexuality causing another eruption of violence, no? Was there a genesis for the story of incest?
Lex:  Not for me. I would have loved to be molested by a good looking uncle!
Me: 
Lex: 
me:  So, another frank, question. Do you think Antonio lead Jonbert on in some ways? I mean, this is a teenager who, at the beginning of the movie ponders deep philosophical questions about the meaning of his existence. Not exactly the rope-a-dope type.
Lex:  Certainly. He led himself into the situation…
me:  …and I'm not - by any stretch - justifying Jonbert's actions at the end. But Jonbert's sexuality is certainly wobbly...
Lex:  …yes. Jonbert likes man to man sex. He enjoys it…
me:  …he violent fucks the rich queen - Eli? – yet, displays such tenderness with Antonio initially.
Lex:  Yes.
me:  So you intended for the intimacy - them lying together in the living room or Antonio naked in his arms in bed? That's very romantic imagery, highly charged.
Lex:  Yes.
me:  So, if we can take it further, the end can be read two of several ways...One, it would have okay for the relationship to continue had it not turned violent, or...Two, the adult always perverts his or her desire to violent ends. I mean other than by convention they don't seem to be too psychological damaged.
Lex:  I think my intention is that, it would have been okay if the mom did not arrive. It was just a stroke of bad luck.
It was a bad coincidence -- mom coming from [hearing similarly] bad news. (SPOILER ALERT: Tere consoles a patient outside the clinic where she works who has discovered her husband in bed with his mistress. Hysterical, she wishes she could kill them both.)
me:  But he was being raped! I'd think it was a stroke of good luck. Of course, had Jonbert approached it differently, well, things would be different, wouldn't they?
Lex:  Exactly.
me:  Is it easy to be openly homosexual in the Philippines?
Lex:  Yes, but it still has a lot of implications and complications. But generally it is.
me:  What sort of protections do you have there?
Lex:  Anti-discriminatory law. But we still have to go a long way here in the Philippines
me:  By "anti-discriminatory" do you mean in the workplace?
Lex:  Yes.
me:  So you can't be fired in the Philippines simply because your gay??
Lex:  Certainly.
me:  WOW! 30 states here have no laws protecting homosexuals from being fired just for being gay…

(Lex informed me that he only had about 15 or so more minutes.)

Okay, I want to wrap this up by asking you about your next project? Working on anything right now?
Lex:  I have finished a script. But it is yet to be produced. It has an angle on pederasty.
me:  Well, if anyone can deliver...Anyway, Lex, I really wish we had another two hours to talk...So, thank you, Lex, for taking time out of your morning to speak with me and my readers. But one last question...
Lex:  Sure.
me:  How has your life changed materially? Or has it?
Lex:  There's barely any money on doing independent films. Yoga pays for my bills. 
me:  So you do it from the right place which makes you even hotter! Thanks again, Lex.
Lex:  I admire your blog.
me:  OH, thanks. It's just an exercise in vanity...

Comments

[Paurong]

Nice! Lex Bonife is truly an artist!