Jackstone 5 (Apex Creative Production, Inc., 2025) starts out like one of those reunion movies where friends from long ago gather again to settle old scores, open old wounds, old romances and make new beginnings. All of those rituals have been performed by the end of the film, but curiously enough, the movie isn’t really about what happens. It’s about how it feels. This is a story more interested in tone and mood than in big plot points. The first act is devoted to introductions and plot problems are assigned to various characters. The second act develops the problems and the third act solves them with appropriate surprises. By the end, we can expect that one couple will reconcile, one will begin a new romance, one will find a new truth and at least one old secret will be revealed. Oh, and a skeleton will be taken out of the closet. All of those things happen in Jackstone 5 but in a strangely low-key way. The movie was written by Eric Ramos and directed by Joel C. Lamangan (who also appears in the film). It is human nature to form groups and be loyal to them. There are real groups, like families and artificial groups, like friends you grow up with. The artificial groups create instant traditions and in remembering them you are pulled back for a moment when all life seemed to be ahead of you. Now it seems more precious and that promise more elusive than ever before. Five gay men revisit their past, reexamine their present and prepare for a better future. They represent a vivid assortment of diverse characters which includes freewheeling Felix (Eric Quizon), Remy and Pido (Jim Pebanco and Gardo Verzosa), whose (friendship) seems to be in trouble, straight acting Naldo (Lamangan) and the insensitive Bruno (Arnel Ignacio). They rediscover themselves, the people they once were and the people they could once again become. They learn that life isn't about demarcation lines. It doesn't have arbitrary starts and stops that correspond with an age, an education, a look, a feel. Life is organic, a complex element that builds off itself where everything that's to come is shaped by everything that's been.
The movie deliberately captures a subtle complexion that allows it to exist sort of in a bubble in time, a bubble that has become stagnant but suddenly stretches back and if they can understand where they are and why beyond the physical sense, they'll remain in that bubble that will stretch along with them for the rest of their lives. It's kind of genius to get to know the story of these characters from the perspective of adults looking back. There's a lot of delight and laughter as the friends reconnect, but there's also plenty of drama that needs sorting out as well. The movie meanders, but that's the point. Life evolves but also stays the same. It can be recaptured by a sight, a sound, a smell and carried forward not as a mere reminder of a point in time, but as a living part of something larger that just sort of got pushed by the wayside, not completely erased with the passage of time. It might be a little hard to buy that they can remember with such vivid detail the various ins and outs of their childhood experience, but the cast does a fine job of selling the idea that they can and indeed have. The movie enjoys a very organic, natural flow. It's more of a movie about feelings and ideas that sort of just swirl around the movie and become a little more evident with each passing moment. There's a genuine sense of reconnection between them and a very real, very tangible excitement about returning back to a place that in their hearts they still call home. Ignacio, who could have played his role half-asleep, still manages to show a gleaming pleasure in his moments of broad farce. And each of the performers registers strongly in their big moment. Of the entire cast, Quizon and Verzosa stand out in showy roles, they get to be great, because Lamangan doesn’t need them for anything structural. Pebanco renders an entirely disciplined performance that underlies the vulnerability of his character. Lamangan gives his lines personal rhythm and brittle snap and as the lonely singleton, Ignacio demonstrates that he is an able physical comedian. Jackstone 5 is imbued with optimism and positivity, and as long as you have the right support system, anything is possible.
Screenplay: Eric Ramos
Director of Photography: TM Malones, Journalie Payonan
Editing: Vanessa Ubas de Leon
Music Scorer: Mikoy Morales
Sound Design: Fatima Nerikka Salim
Production Design: Cyrus Khan
Directed By; Joel C. Lamangan
