Product Details

• Actors: Gino Paul Guzman, Gandong Vervantes Jr., Luis Cortez, Noni Buencamino, Lawrence David
• Directors: Mel Chionglo
• Format: Color, DVD, NTSC, Subtitled
• Language: English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo)
• Subtitles: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: Unrated
• Studio: FIRST RUN FEATURES
• DVD Release Date: May 9, 2000
• Run Time: 118 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6305799210
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #61,834 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "Midnight Dancers" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

Review

Seductive glamour, nubile dancers... a Filipino answer to Visconti's Neo-Realist Epic, Rocco and his Brothers... A movie with a big heart and a large vision. --New York Times

Product Description

Banned in its native Philippines, MIDNIGHT DANCERS tells the story of three brothers who work as exotic dancers and prostitutes in a Manila gay club. Director Mel Chionglo, "one of the most polished, intelligent directors in the Philippines, has given us a world like every other in terms of emotions, values, and survival, but unlike any other in fascination and erotic charge." (Toronto Film Festival)

When Sonny, the youngest of three brothers, returns from University to find work, he is soon forced to join his two older brothers on the stage and in the back rooms of Manila's gay club scene and learn the family trade. His brother Joel has been selling himself for several years and at the age of 23 is ready to quit to spend more time with his wife...and his gay lover. Brother Dennis lives on the street and has joined a violent street gang that deliberately flirts with danger. As their precarious world begins to spiral out of control, the brothers are soon on the run with blood on their hands, confronted with the harsh realities of crooked cops, jealous lovers, nasty pimps and murderous gang leaders.

Chionglo has made a docu-drama that captures the language, rituals, despondency and malevolence of this sensuous, erotic and dangerous world to create "a compassionate portrait of Manila's gay subculture." (Variety) The cast of superb newcomers helps make MIDNIGHT DANCERS "a powerful urban epic... warm, vital, humorous & emotionally charged." (Los Angeles Times) Shot on the streets and in the bars of Manila's gay world, MIDNIGHT DANCERS shows how poverty and destitution have led to a gay sexuality intertwined with prostitution, as many gay and straight men are forced to work as call boys to support their families.

See all Editorial Reviews

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

38 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Gritty realism, gay romance, July 11, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Midnight Dancers [VHS] (VHS Tape)

This movie depicts the ambivalence of individuals in a society where values are flexible. It is a complex story set against a background of the grinding poverty in urban Philipine cities. The central characters are driven by extreme circumstances to survive, For one it is compatable with his nature, for another it is a way to survive. To survive they work in a gay nightclub. An environment not unlike a surrogate family but the portal to an amoral way of life that pervades survival in the underclass. The characters are individuals, though romance is treated shallowly. One can sympathise and at times identify with their predicament. The film has strong plot and seems to give a gritty insight into the way of life some people must follow. It has tragedy, comedy, romance and kinship. So in many ways it can be a rewarding experience for open minded people who are willing to have their social conscience pricked.

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Realistic and Somethimes Sexy!, August 2, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Midnight Dancers (DVD)

As a frequent visitor to Thailand, (this film is set in the Phillipines), I have talked to boys that dance in the 'boy bars' (male prostitute joints) about what they do for a living. This film realistically shows the motivation these boys have to do almost anything to get out from the abject poverty in which they live. Maybe some of the violence is a little far fetched, but generally I think it shows a balanced veiw of how the boys that are sucked into this way of life live. I found the film engrossing and sometimes very sexy! If you don't mind the sub-titles watch it!

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Intense, moving experience.., June 17, 2003

By 

"at0mic0734" (Calgary, AB Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Midnight Dancers (DVD)

This film is not a typical Gay & Lesbian-themed film. There are predominant Gay themes in this story, which are treated with dignity and sensitivity. As well, there are some sexually explicit parts and some poorly choreographed violence. Ultimately though, this is a story about survival where people have to look out for their survival and their families by themselves, while they struggle with the unforgiving, decieving reality in which they are trapped. The main theme doesn't use the issue of sexuality as the sole, main backdrop.

Having Filipino background certainly helped in understanding the cultural influences and the dynamics in this film. Main examples are shown in the characters' obligation to family, some of the unorthodox ideas of sexuality and the common cultural clashes between one's common values and survival.. While it's portrayals shouldn't be generalized towards the Filipino culture as a whole, the overall depiction is equal parts honest, disturbing and moving.. and also as one reviewer previously mentioned; ultimately depressing..

With that said, this film is not for everyone. The subtitling is a little bit incomplete in parts, the pacing is a little bit slow and and the Filipino themes may evade some people. If you can get past that, you may find it to be an intense, worthwhile experience..