In Arsenio Bautista's misconceived comedy, a confused plea to look beyond appearances and see the overweight for their inner beauty, Dabiana (Seven Star Productions, 1977) lurches from sensitivity to tastelessness, spending half its time making fat jokes and the other half apologizing for them. It's doubtful that anyone could pull off such a difficult stunt, but here even Bautista, who normally delights in pushing the boundaries of acceptability, seem less certain of himself, as if paralyzed by taboos that aren't worth shattering. Dabiana, the 270-pound heroine played by Cecille Iñigo, has its cake and eats it, too. It gets away with fat jokes at the same time it seems to be on the side of the angels and inner beauty. Fortunately, there's more to it than that. What Bautista and writers Tony S. Mortel and Mau Samonte really want us to do is stop ducking the obvious, accept the world for what it is and keep laughing at it anyway. People shouldn't worry their pretty little heads over finding euphemisms. This is tough-minded and comes from a genuine comic spirit.
Iñigo is a marvel. No shrinking violet, Dabiana stands up for herself as women her size must learn to do, but she also has the slight hesitancy of someone never quite comfortable with herself or completely able to hide her insecurity. She's shyly surprised that Pol (Allan Valenzuela) is paying so much attention to her new self as aspiring actress Susan Romero (Amy Austria). How will Pol behave when Susan comes out of her trance? It can only be a matter of time before he sees Susan as she actually is. Before that happens, we get glimpses of cellulite and double chins. Having set all this up, Dabiana's got to be funny, too. It would be pointless reverse-PC if they didn't come up with the laughs and for a while it looks as if we're in trouble. There are a couple of really sharp verbal zingers as well as some visual surprises that keep the audience guessing. There is some well- earned sentiment, too. The film might have worked had Bautista not treated the subject so broadly, or if they had included a few jokes in the final half-hour. Dabiana wears its good intentions on its sleeve, but if the overweight need a boost of self-esteem, fewer movies like this one would help.
Screenplay: Tony S. Mortel, Mauro G. Samonte
Music: Ernani Cuenco
Cinematography: Fortunato Bernardo, F.S.C.
Film Editor: Edgardo Vinarao
Sound Supervision: Rodolfo Baldovino
Directed By: Arsenio Bautista
