In May-December-January (Viva FIlms, 2022) Ricky Lee and McArthur C. Alejandre create an emotional and dramatic spaciousness making a far richer, more provocative and deeply compelling movie. Opening with a scene of two young men on a study date whose individuality and difference from each other are expressed in their faces. Migoy (Kych Minemoto) has that round softness that looks like it has just blossomed, while Pol's (Gold Aceron) is square, frank, full of calm assertion. The actors takes the dialogue and fills it out. Pol is sensitive, more romantic, Migoy unashamedly sexual, and their closeness, as it often is between men is a form of erotic rivalry. We see this kind of homoerotic bond in film and literature all the time. Claire's (Andrea del Rosario) affair with Migoy begins quite organically when Migoy kisses her. But what makes May-December-January truly daring and original is that it gets inside the relationship between Migoy and Claire, and his friendship with Pol. The feelings of subconscious love are acted out, revealing the kind of shifting, inchoate emotions that lie beneath their closeness.
Minemoto plays Migoy’s lightness with seeming ease and Aceron is perfect for Pol’s constant brooding and melancholy. We’re always happy to see Yayo Aguila in any film, though her role as Migoy’s mother is far too short. Unsurprisingly, the film’s focus and its best work comes from Del Rosario and Minemoto. They ably play two halves of a whole with particularly good work from Del Rosario. There’s been so much made of the male gaze in cinema, but Alejandre’s film and cinematographer Daniel "Toto" Uy's camera unabashedly celebrate the body of Minemoto's Migoy and Aceron's Pol. We are used to seeing actresses as screen goddesses but rarely have male bodies been filmed as objects of beauty and desire in this way. Meanwhile, Del Rosario gets her fair share of admiring screen time, celebrating that beauty isn’t relegated only to teenage girls. She challenges the traditional roles of wives and mothers, often placing her own happiness as well as her singular bond ahead of what society wants. She has the hint of a beautiful woman aging, unused to such desperation in her loneliness. It's not only in the dramatic strength of the performances – but the openness of all three actors to the camera physically that makes the movie work. At times, May-December-January feels like a fairy tale in its matter-of-fact approach to the out-of-the-ordinary situation. There are certain elements of straight female fantasy, like romancing a young man and living an idyllic life. Odd as it may seem, this is not a prurient movie. It's an intricate exploration of friendship, parenting, love, loneliness, and desire. Lee asks you to contemplate this kind of love and Alejandre allows you to feel it.
Directed By; McArthur C. Alejandre
Screenplay: Ricky Lee
Director of Photography: Daniel "Toto" Uy
Editor: Benjo Ferrer
Production Designer: Ericson Navarro
Musical Director: Vince de Jesus
Sound Engineer: Immanuel Verona
