Filipino Indie: Baka Bukas (Maybe Tomorrow)

Multiple friends have tagged me on viral Baka Bukas posts on Facebook on more than one occasion. I didn’t pay much attention to it at first until I found out that it’s actually a film about the life of this feminine lesbian and it’s directed by Samantha Lee herself!

Sam’s not really super well-known in the mainstream community but I have had a crush on her for the longest time so I cannot just pass up on not watching a film by her—especially when its protagonist is lesbian.

Baka Bukas stars Jasmine Curtis-Smith (yes, Anne Curtis’s little sister) as Alex and Louise delos Reyes as Jess. The film is basically Alex’s (Curtis-Smith) story—her struggles as a lesbian and the struggles of falling in love with her best friend (delos Reyes), who happens to be straight.

First of all, I love the fact that the concept of the film is somewhat based on Samantha Lee’s life, or at least part of it.

I also love that the film talked about multiple issues, struggles, problems that are all related to being a lesbian here in the Philippines, especially being a feminine lesbian.

My main problem with this is that it tried to tackle a lot of things all at once. And it just wasn’t effective. It talked about our backwards media who are not accepting of LGBT characters (which is why local teleseryes are just very repetitive). It talked about the common misconception that lesbians should dress a certain way and that we should all look manly/boyish otherwise we’re not taken seriously or we’re seen as someone who’s just going through a phase. It talked about being in the closet and coming out. It talked about what it’s like dating someone who is in the closet. It talked about falling in love with a friend and that friend not knowing that you’re gay.

It just really talked about so many things and they were all congested into this hour-and-a-half film. It was just too much.

As a whole, though, I was really impressed! The acting of every single one (not just the leads) was beyond impressive. The kissing scene, too, was a great surprise as I never would have thought there was going to be any. I actually remember saying “weh, di naman yan matutuloy” but I’m glad that I was wrong.

If you haven’t, I highly recommend that you watch this. It’s not just about lesbians. Baka Bukas is about friendship, love, struggles, relationships—and everything in between.