Movie Review: The Boy Foretold by the Stars (2020)

"The Boy Foretold by the Stars" is a Filipino movie directed by Dolly Dulu, based on the college play that he wrote and directed, "Ang Hangal (The Fool)". Produced by Derick Cabrido and Jodi Sta. Maria. One of the 2020 Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) official entry last year, that was modified into a digital event due to the pandemic, that won three awards, namely: 2nd Best Picture Award, Best Original Soundtrack, and Gender Sensitivity Award. Starring Adrian Lindayag as Dominic Cruz and Keann Johnson as Luke Armada.

Adrian Lindayag (left) and Keann Johnson (right) with director Dolly Dulu (center)

At this point I will tell some of the parts in the movies, so be warned.

🚨🚨🚨SPOILERS AHEAD🚨🚨🚨

The movie revolves around them as they let destiny play the matchmaking for their love-life. 

In the movie, we will only see our characters mostly in the boys' school that they are in, St. Francis School, Baby R's house, and in the playground.  

The movie starts with an aerial view of the school, showing on how big the school that they're into, then the school church, where we see our first character, Dominic, borrowing a fan from his friend Timmy (played by John Leinard Ramos). Then in the other side of the aisle, Luke with his homophobic friends. Then we see Luke in the playground, texting with her girlfriend, Karen (Played by Rissey Reyes).  Based on the texts scenes that we'll see, it looks like that their relationship is falling.  

Quiapo Church, we see Timmy and Dominic carrying big blue plastic bags for the club event that they're leading. Then they go searching where's the house of Baby R (played by Iyah Mina), a fortune teller that is said to have a 99.5% accurate-prediction, and then found it and ask for their fortunes. Dominic does not believe in fortune telling but he was pushed by his friend to take one. And so he did.

The Event. The club the Dominic is handling is 'Journey with the Lord'. This is where our characters meet for the first time, notice each other actually.  So, Dominic was matched with Luke for the activities of the club (but in the movie sponsor was used instead of guide). This is where their connection, or as their journey, starts. Luke opened up to him while he was blindfolded, and talked about on what made him join the club, on what are his reasons.  After Luke's journey, they both got close to each other.

Things got complicated when the friends (who are homophobic) of Luke started noticing on the closeness of our main characters. They started to talk to him, and it made him start to get distant with Dominic. After a few days/weeks, while Dominic is on duty for the new batch of travelers, Luke came to him and apologized for what happened, and everything came back to normal for them. He even defended and fought Dominic from his friends when his friend is bullying Dominic. Then Karen, Luke's ex-girlfriend came again, and things got complicated again. 

Days pass, Luke and Karen got back together again, and Dominic help her with a heavy heart. After the promposal that he help her with, Dominic cried and reminisce all of their memories together, then he got a message from Luke, asking him to come to the school field. They tried to talk and make things clear to both of them.... 

 

If you are puzzled or confuse to what I've wrote, its because I want you to really watch the movie. If I made you curious on what are the missing details of the story, then I accomplished my goal for this post.

Now let's talk about the film itself. 

Cinematography wise, this film has a good take on it. It got the full beauty of Quiapo Church as its background to one of its scenes, it got all the good angles that is needed to the expression that the actor is giving, the focus of each expressions, even the darkness of the hallways in the school, they've captured it like in reality. The coldness and sweetness of its colors affected the mood of each scenes.

Actors, it's good that they casted a gay actors for this movie, it helped justify each of the feelings and expressions of the actors, even the supporting roles. Nice pick for all the straight roles too. 

The fortune teller in this film was the very first transgender who ever won a best actress award in her past role in "Mamu; and a Mother Too".

Location,  they did a good job on finding a good school, house, playground, and other locations that you'll see in the movie. I've read in one article that the director did go to an all-boys-school when he was on his grade-school and high-school days, that's why the story is mostly in the school grounds.

What I think about the movie?

Its one of the best coming-of-age BL movie for me. It tells us a part of what's really happening in an all-boys-school kind of school. The pain of a gay teenager who fell in-love with a straight guy, and the struggles of a confused teenage boy that's searching for his truth, each of it delivered in this movie that is perfectly executed by the actors. A movie worth to watch.

Rating - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Its not common in my country to have such movie that is approved by the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board or MTRCB. Most of the LGBT movies made here are mostly made for competitions around the world, and some of it is banned here in the Philippines. What I'm saying is that the country is improving, as simple movie as this to make it in the country's own film festival is something, its a start, and I hope it goes on.