Daybreak (2008 film)

Last updated
Daybreak
Daybreak poster.jpg
Directed by Adolfo B. Alix, Jr.
Written byCharliebebs S. Gohetia
Produced byNoel Ferrer
Starring
CinematographyAlbert Banzon
Edited byCharliebebs S. Gohetia
Music byNani Naguit
Production
company
Bicycle Pictures
Distributed by GMA Films (Philippines)
Release date
  • February 20, 2008 (2008-02-20)
Running time
75 minutes
CountryPhilippines
LanguageFilipino
Box office₱151,026.33

Daybreak (Filipino : Bukang-liwayway, English: dawn or twilight) is a 2008 Philippine gay indie film written by Charliebebs Gohetia and directed by the Manila-based Filipino director Adolfo Borinaga Alix, Jr. who also directed other indie films such as Donsol, Kadin and GMA Films' movie Batanes: Sa Dulo Ng Walang Hanggan. The movie features only two characters, Coco Martin (as JP) and Paolo Rivero (as William) who are both Filipino actors. The film is homosexual in terms of theme but was rated R-18 uncut, regardless of its nudity features by the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) in the Philippines as most of the members of the board were impressed by the cinematography and intelligence of the film. Daybreak had its exclusive screenings on February 13 and 14, 2008 at the Cine Adarna of the University of the Philippines Film Institute. The movie was officially released and aired in major Philippine cinemas from February 20 to March 11, 2008. Daybreak is produced by Bicycle Productions.

Contents

Introduction

The whole movie occurs entirely in one place; a big white vacation house in Tagaytay, Cavite and only with two male characters. In a single narrative time, intending by way of voyeurism, the film allows viewers to discover what happens when two men spend one night contemplating whether to break up or continue their relationship.

According to the Philippine Entertainment Portal, Daybreak is not a typical gay-love story because of the complicated situation conveyed by the movie and the extremely difficult roles played by Coco Martin and Paolo Rivero. The movie also gives extraordinary wit and intelligent meaning to homosexuality and failed relationships supported by a beautiful screenplay by Gohetia and script by Alix and Ferrer.

Synopsis

A married man is having an affair with another man. After some time apart, the two men spend a night together in a family vacation home in Tagaytay, Cavite. Together in such close quarters, the two are left with nothing to do but to confront the realities of their relationship.

The movie opens with William (Paolo Rivero), a doctor, driving up to Tagaytay to meet his secret lover JP (Coco Martin), a handsome young fellow in his mid-twenties. While driving, William had been engaged in a cell phone conversation with his wife, who was asking when he will return home. William made up an alibi saying that he has an unexpected appointment in Tagaytay and will probably be back in Manila the next day.

On the other hand, JP was waiting in a public viewing park of the Taal Volcano to join William in his Tagaytay escapade. JP is a local boatman and tour guide in Taal, Batangas and William's secret lover for a year now. Although it was not specifically reiterated in the movie, listening to their dialogue, one will learn that the two men obviously met during one of William and his wife's visits to Taal Volcano. If William has a wife, JP has a girlfriend.

The two did not see each other for two months partly because William is very busy being a Makati physician and partly because he is a family man. JP, on the other hand, had spent two months secretly waiting for William while keeping himself busy with his boating job and his girlfriend. Deep inside, the two lovers missed each other.

When they reach the rest house, William cooks pasta and they eat and drink wine together. It is to be, however, the last night that the two lovers will be together as William is scheduled to leave for Australia. William wants to call it quits but doesn't know how to break the news to JP, who is already emotionally attached to him although they really didn't have an agreement that they are indeed a couple.

The tension starts when William tells JP that he's leaving the country. Several scenes and dialogue lead up to the climax as JP is reluctant to accept the fact that it was the end of their relationship. The two men had spent the night talking about their past including happy and unforgettable memories while browsing their pictures.

The night has been a beautiful night. Their intimacy is renewed and they make love as pleasurable as ever. But as the daybreak comes, William remains firm to his decision, leaving for Australia and ending his relationship with JP.

The movie ends as William is driving back to Manila again and JP, alone in the nocturnal Tagaytay rest house, is numbed to the truth that their relationship is doomed in just one night.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cavite</span> Province in Calabarzon, Philippines

Cavite, officially the Province of Cavite, is a province in the Philippines located in the Calabarzon region in Luzon. Located on the southern shores of Manila Bay and southwest of Manila, it is one of the most industrialized and fastest-growing provinces in the Philippines. As of 2020, it has a population of 4,344,829, making it the most populated province in the country if the independent cities of Cebu are excluded from Cebu's population figure.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Calabarzon</span> Administrative region of the Philippines

Calabarzon, sometimes referred to as Southern Tagalog and designated as Region IV‑A, is an administrative region in the Philippines. The region comprises five provinces: Batangas, Cavite, Laguna, Quezon, and Rizal; and one highly urbanized city, Lucena. It is the most populous region in the Philippines according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), having over 16.1 million inhabitants in 2020, and is also the country's second most densely populated after the National Capital Region. It is situated southeast of Metro Manila, and is bordered by Manila Bay and South China Sea to the west, Lamon Bay and the Bicol Region to the east, Tayabas Bay and the Sibuyan Sea to the south, and Central Luzon to the north. It is home to places like Mount Makiling near Los Baños, Laguna, and Taal Volcano in Batangas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tagaytay</span> Component city in Cavite, Philippines

Tagaytay, officially the City of Tagaytay, is a 2nd class component city in the province of Cavite, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 85,330 people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Taal Lake</span> Freshwater lake in the province of Batangas, Philippines

Taal Lake, formerly known as Bombón Lake, is a freshwater caldera lake in the province of Batangas, on the island of Luzon in the Philippines. The lake fills Taal Volcano, a large volcanic caldera formed by very large eruptions between 500,000 and 100,000 years ago.

Strangebrew is a reality situational comedy television show in the Philippines which formerly aired on UNTV, PTV and Studio 23 from 2001 to 2003.

The Masseur is a 2005 Filipino psychological drama film co-story and directed by Brillante Mendoza in his directorial debut. This film is about a young man who gives massages to gay men in Manila and had a relationship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coco Martin</span> Filipino actor (born 1981)

Rodel Pacheco Nacianceno, known professionally as Coco Martin, is a Filipino actor, film director and screenwriter. Known for his performances in action and romantic drama, he is one of the most awarded Filipino actors of the 21st century. His accolades include an ASEAN International Film Festival and Award, two FAMAS Awards, two Gawad Urian Awards, ten PMPC Star Awards for Television and eight Box Office Entertainment Awards. Martin's films have grossed ₱2.3 billion worldwide, making him one of the highest-grossing box office stars of all time. Tatler Asia named him one of the most influential Filipino personalities in Asia.

The 36th Metro Manila Film Festival - Philippines (MMFF) is the 36th edition of the annual film festival in Manila, held from December 25, 2010 until January 7, 2011. The Awards Night was held on December 26, 2010. During the festival, no foreign films are shown in Philippine theaters in order to showcase the locally produced films especially meant for the festival.

San Jose Hospital & Trauma Center is located in the Philippine province of Cavite on Governor's Drive, which is the main highway between Cavite City and Tagaytay. The hospital, five stories high, is listed as a level 2 hospital by the Philippine Department of Health. It is one of two hospitals in the city of General Mariano Alvarez; the other hospital, GMA Medicare Hospital, has only ten beds as compared to San Jose's twenty-five beds.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cavite–Laguna Expressway</span> Expressway in the Philippines

The Cavite–Laguna Expressway, signed as E3 of the Philippine expressway network, is a partially operational controlled-access toll expressway in the provinces of Cavite and Laguna, Philippines. The construction of the 44.63-kilometer-long (27.73 mi) expressway, which began in July 2019, costs an estimated ₱35.43 billion. Once completed, it will connect the Manila–Cavite Expressway in Kawit to the South Luzon Expressway in Biñan and is expected to ease the traffic congestion in the Cavite–Laguna area, particularly along the Aguinaldo Highway, Governor's Drive, and the Santa Rosa–Tagaytay Road.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seb Castro</span>

Benjamin Brian Castro, better known by his stage name Sebastian Castro, is an American actor, singer, and YouTube sensation. He is an internet celebrity with a sizeable following in Southeast Asia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mount Sungay</span> Volcanic mountain in the Philippines

Mount Sungay, also known as Mount Gonzales, is a mountain in the province of Cavite in the Philippines. Located in eastern Tagaytay, the inactive stratovolcano is the highest point in the province of Cavite, at 709 metres. The slopes of the mountain are the source of the San Cristobal River that flows from the mountain to Silang, Cavite down to its mouth at Laguna de Bay in Calamba, Laguna.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abraham Tolentino</span> Filipino politician

Abraham "Bambol" Ng Tolentino is a Filipino politician who currently serves as the Mayor of Tagaytay and President of the Philippine Olympic Committee. He previously served as representative of Cavite's 8th district from 2019 to 2022 and the 7th district from 2013 to 2019.

Kay Tagal kang Hinintay is a 1998 Filipino drama romance film produced by Star Cinema, starring Judy Ann Santos and Rico Yan. The movie was directed by Rory B. Quintos, Story by Mari Mariano, Screenplay by Mari Mariano and Olivia M. Lamasan. It was Graded "A" by Cinema Evaluation Board.

<i>Die Beautiful</i> 2016 LGBT drama film by Jun Lana

Die Beautiful is a Filipino LGBT comedy-drama film produced and directed by Jun Robles Lana and co-produced by Ferdinand Lapuz and Perci M. Intalan, from a story by Jun Lana and screenplay by Rody Vera. It stars Paolo Ballesteros as Trisha, a trans woman who suddenly died after she was crowned winner of a gay beauty pageant and her friends who transform her into a different person on each night of her wake in a different location as a way to avoid being buried as a man by her father. It also tackles her whole life when she felt and dealt with problems and successes on living as a Filipina transgender as well as controversy in her family.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tagaytay Highlands</span> Place

Tagaytay Highlands is a mountain resort and mixed-use development situated in Tagaytay, Cavite, Philippines, with parts under the jurisdiction of Talisay and Tanauan in Batangas.

Christian Mercurio Bables, is a Filipino actor. He was declared Best Leading Actor at the 5th Hanoi International Film Festival for his character "Intoy" in the movie Signal Rock. He was also given a Best Supporting Actor Award at the Gawad Urian Awards for his trans woman character "Barbs" in the movie Die Beautiful.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ternate–Nasugbu Road</span> Road in the Philippine provinces of Cavite and Batangas

The Ternate–Nasugbu Road, also known as Ternate–Nasugbu Highway or Nasugbu–Ternate Highway, is a two-to-four lane, secondary road in the provinces of Cavite and Batangas, Philippines. It connects the municipality of Ternate in Cavite to the municipality of Nasugbu in Batangas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mount Batulao</span> Inactive stratovolcano in the Philippines

Mount Batulao is an inactive stratovolcano in the Calabarzon region of the Philippines, located in northwest Batangas province along its border with Cavite. It is a dissected andesitic stratovolcano at the northwestern rim of the Taal Caldera which began to form in the late Pliocene period, about 3.4 million years ago. The mountain is a prominent landmark of jagged peaks, rolling to rugged ridges and deep gorges situated just west of the hill station of Tagaytay at the southwestern end of the Tagaytay Ridge. It is well known for its scenery, as well as its retreat centers and resorts located just 85 kilometres (53 mi) south of Manila.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2020–2022 Taal Volcano eruptions</span> Volcanic eruption in the Philippines

Taal Volcano in Batangas, Philippines began to erupt on January 12, 2020, when a phreatomagmatic eruption from its main crater spewed ashes over Calabarzon, Metro Manila, and some parts of Central Luzon and Ilocos Region, resulting in the suspension of school classes, work schedules, and flights in the area. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) subsequently issued an Alert Level 4, indicating "that a hazardous explosive eruption is possible within hours to days." Volcanic activity continued into 2021, when smaller eruptions occurred in July 2021. On 26 March 2022, a short-lived phreatomagmatic eruption was recorded by PHIVOLCS raising the status from Alert level 2 to Alert level 3 as well as surrounding towns.

References