20歲的依利亞是同志按摩院的按摩師。這天是12月14日的夜晚,菲律賓的燈籠節。依利亞今天第一個客人,是一位情慾羅曼史小說家。在按摩院外,他在日本酒吧工作的女友,正在捍衛她對依利亞的性愛掌控權。回到家後,卻發現一向與自己不親的爸爸竟然在一夕間過世了。他開始展開一段關於衰老、腐敗、愛、生活和生存的真實旅行,是人生的責任,也是必經。
【情慾按摩院】表面上似乎只是單純的呈現了年輕俊秀的按摩師,也就是大兒子依利亞,晚上在色情按摩院工作的情形。這家按摩院如同菲律賓大多數按摩院一樣,按摩只是前戲,目的是要滿足同志的性需求,在每一個小隔間裡,性交往往都是按摩服務的最後一道程序,這是顧客和按摩師之間不可避免的默契,同時也是按摩師在這裡需要完成的責任與表演。
然而更嚴肅的主題卻隱含在聲色和俏罵的背後。電影透過男主角在面對自己和對痛失親人的時刻表述了關於人生的責任與義務。電影中,「死亡」被切割成一塊塊,分段表達。從清理屍體、守靈,到葬禮真正開始,這些事情變成了某種「慶祝」的場合。電影中鉅細靡遺呈現那些因為傳統和規矩而需要做的事情:死者的遺孀守在靈柩旁,最大的兒子站在最前頭,和家族其他男性成員一起把棺材抬進墓地,並根據習俗穿著黑色衣服。在社會規範的眾目睽睽之下,這些儀式像是被表演出來的一樣,同時死者也被強迫去履行他的責任,這是人生中最後一場秀。
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Director:BRILLANTE MENDOZA
Screenplay:BOOTS AGBAYANI PASTOR
Starring:
COCO MARTIN - ILIAC
JACLYN JOSE- NATY
ALAN PAULE- ALFRED/MARINA HIDALGO
KATHERINE LUNA- TESSA
Country:Philippines
Language:Tagalog/Pampango
Run time:80mins
Subtitle: Chinese & English
SYNOPSIS
Iliac is a twenty-year-old masseur in a massage parlor that caters
to a gay clientele. In here, sex is an immediate consequence of
massage.
It is the night of December 14, and Iliac's first customer for the
day is a homosexual romance novel writer. Outside the parlor, his
current girl, a bar girl who works in Japan, asserts her sexual
dominion over him.
Back home, his estranged father dies, and as he makes the trip to
the province he is faced with the reality of decay, love, life and
survival – all within the context of the performance of duty.
DIRECTOR'S BIOGRAPHY:
BRILLANTE MENDOZA was born on July 30,1960 in San Fernando, Pampanga,
Philippines. He studied fine arts major in advertising at the University
of Santo Tomas in Manila. He started his career as a production
designer in feature films, television, theater and eventually in
television advertising for the past 10 years. Masahista (The Masseur)
is his first feature film.
DIRECTOR’S NOTE
Life is a series of dots which, when sorted out and assimilated
again, generates a different color, creates a new palette of life.
MASAHISTA (THE MASSEUR) is the result of carefully chosen dots from
the lives of real-life masseurs and of connecting and combining
them together. From this new palette of life, integrated of their
own accord, emerges a new meaning, a kaleidoscope of hues and a
gamut of emotions and nuances.
Release Date:2007/5/25
Theater:
MAJESTIC THEATER真善美劇院
No.116, Hanjhong St., Taipei (MRT blue line, Ximen Station, Exit
6)
Tel: 02-2337-2270
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