Maxi (Nathan Lopez) is a 12-year-old effeminate gay boy who lives in the slums of Manila with his father and brothers who are petty thieves. His world revolves around his family, who love and protect him in return for Maxi's devotion to completing domestic chores (his mother died) and covering their tracks when they commit crimes. The story primarily revolves around the conflict between his puppy love for handsome young police officer Victor (J. R. Valentin), and his family's illegal livelihood. He behaves like a girl, wearing clips in his hair, bangles on his wrists, even lipstick. He is teased by neighbors and former school friends, but his sexuality is fully accepted by his two brothers and by his father. One night he is accosted by two men who attempt to molest him, but he is saved by the appearance of Victor, who does not have a girlfriend and his sexuality is never revealed. He rebuffs Maxi's advances, even when the boy steals a kiss, only affectionately stroking the boy's head. The two become fast friends and Maxi learns he can have a better life, which incurs the disapproval of his family. Victor's relationship with Maxi and his family has an unexpected and tragic result.
After Maxi's father is killed by Victor's boss, Maxi resists Victor's attempts to renew their friendship. The closing scene shows Maxi walking past Victor who has parked by the roadside on Maxi's way to school. He ignores Victor as he passes him, hesitates momentarily as he crosses the road, then goes on his way. This last scene is a clever homage to the final scene of "The Third Man".
This neorealist film is a tale of lost innocence and redemption amidst the poverty of Manila's slums. It's an expertly structured coming-of-age story with dramatic momentum, complicated motivations, and surprising outcomes. The digitally-shot feature made its U.S. debut at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival and was the official Philippine entry of the 2007 Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language film. It has also garnered several film festival awards including the Teddy Award at the 2006 Berlinale Film Festival and Best Asian Film at the 2006 Rotterdam Film Festival. Pepe Smith and Mike Villegas composed the original music, Michiko Yamamoto wrote the screenplay, and Auraeus Solito directed. In Tagalog with English subtitles. The English title is "The Blossoming of Maximo Oliveros".
