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The Blossoming of Maximo Oliveros
 
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The Blossoming of Maximo Oliveros

Soliman Cruz; JR Valentin; Neil Ryan Sese; Ping Medina; Bodjie Pascua; Nathan Lopez (Actor), Auraeus Solito (Director) | Rated: Unrated | Format: DVD
4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
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The Blossoming of Maximo Oliveros
34% buy the item featured on this page:
The Blossoming of Maximo Oliveros ~ Soliman Cruz; JR Valentin; Neil Ryan Sese; Ping Medina; Bodjie Pascua; Nathan Lopez DVD 4.2 out of 5 stars (21)
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Product Details

  • Actors: Soliman Cruz; JR Valentin; Neil Ryan Sese; Ping Medina; Bodjie Pascua; Nathan Lopez
  • Directors: Auraeus Solito
  • Format: Color, Dubbed, DVD, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
  • Subtitles: English
  • Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  • Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
  • Number of discs: 1
  • Rated: Unrated
  • Studio: TLA
  • DVD Release Date: August 28, 2007
  • Run Time: 100 minutes
  • Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
  • ASIN: B000Q677HC
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #26,030 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
    #38 in  Movies & TV > Art House & International > Asian Cinema

    •  Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?

  • For more information about "The Blossoming of Maximo Oliveros" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

Review

the film is alarming, endearing, and utterly unflappable. --Dennis Lim, Village Voice

Product Description

THE BLOSSOMING OF MAXIMO OLIVEROS tells the story of Maxi (Nathan Lopez) a gay, pre-teen growing up in the slums of Manila, who is deeply loyal to his family of petty thieves. His world revolves around his father and two brothers, who love and protect him in return for Maxi s devotion to completing domestic chores and covering their tracks when they commit crimes. When Maxi meets Victor (JR Valentin) a well-meaning, handsome policeman, the two become fast friends and Maxi begins to learn that he can have a better life, which soon incurs the ire and disapproval of Maxi s family. 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. The film 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.
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Customer Reviews

21 Reviews
5 star:
 (12)
4 star:
 (4)
3 star:
 (2)
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 (3)
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Average Customer Review
4.2 out of 5 stars (21 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
51 of 52 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Quirky coming-of-age movie from the Phillipines, September 24, 2007
By Hulka (Washington DC) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Blossoming of Maximo Oliveros (DVD)
This moving coming of age movie about about a 12 year boy's puppy love for a young cop had this big tough guy bawling like a baby.

Maxi---played by Nathan Lopez---is a sensitive 12-year-old boy whose life has deteriorated into a surrogate existence of his dead mother. Relegated to housekeeping and caring for his criminal father and brothers, Maxi becomes infatuated with a kind and honorable policeman---played by J.R. Valentin. The policeman responds to the boy's infatuation compassionately but behaves responsibly by gently refusing sexual contact. Instead, he befriends Maxi and tries to steer him to a more respectable way of life. But his relationship with Maxi and his family has an unexpected and tragic result.

Did Maxi blossom? Yes, in a big way! Not only did Maxi take his mother's place cooking and cleaning, but he also becomes the heart of his family. It was his big heart that moves his brothers into the future after the tragedy that occurs to the family during the movie.

Turn off the cable TV and watch this quirky, little movie from the Philippines. It's a classic coming-of-age movie that will move and inspire you.
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58 of 62 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars In the Slums, May 28, 2007
By Amos Lassen (Little Rock, Arkansas) - See all my reviews
(TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   
This review is from: The Blossoming of Maximo Oliveros (DVD)
"The Blossoming of Maximo Oliveros"

In the Slums

Amos Lassen and Cinema Pride

Soon to be seen at the Arkansas LGBT Film Festival is "The Blossoming of Maximo Oliveros", a new film from the Philippines. Deep in drama and with plenty of laughs, it is a beautiful film. It is frank and honest and will probably change the way you look at poverty, at gay people, at the nature of families and love and at the love
of parent and child, sibling and sibling.
Is Maximo Oliveros gay? He dresses like a girl and has a crush on a good looking policeman. As we get deeper into the film, we question whether he is gay or just troubled.
When Maxi's mother dies due to an unknown illness, he takes over seeing to his two brothers ad his father--all of the petty thieves. Everything seems to be working just fine until a young cop appears. Maxi becomes enamored of him and must choose between his feelings for the cop and his family. As can be expected, things get both ugly and violent.
Director Aureus Solito and screenplay writer Michiko Yamamoto give us a beautiful coming of age story. Nathan Lopez as Maximo Oliveros is a wonderful young actor and the treatment of him is unique and interesting. Whether or not he is gay is not an issue in the movie. There are elements of camp but in fair amounts and everything in the movie works because it is so well done. The filmmakers know when to pull back ad never let anything get too sensitive or emotional. Melodrama is avoided.
What the film shows us is that an effeminate boy can exist in the slums and have a peaceful existence. Even with the tremendous influence of the Roman Catholic church, the general mood of the Philippines lies somewhere between tolerance, amusement and acceptance.
The homoeroticism of the film is handled with great sensitivity. There is more a sense of hero worship between Maxi and the cop than sexuality. The people exhibit true caring rather than homophobia and there is a sense of ambiguity in the sexuality of the film and in JR Valentin's portrayal of the cop. There are scenes between the two that are highly charged and one especially that could be interpreted as pedophilia were it not so beautifully handled. The ending satisfies in every way.
Are puppy love, unrequited love, familial obligations and economic pressures necessarily gay? I don't think they are.
The streets of Manila are intriguing as photographed here as are the tensions among the principal characters. Here is a marginal family that exhibits loving and tender feelings.
Again I must cite Nathan Lopez for his performance. He has created a memorable character that will break your heart. His sensitivity, warmth and humor are astounding.
The subtlety of the film does not have the usual histrionics found in most films like this. It is the rawness and harshness of the film that stays with you.
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13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars WONDERFUL FILM ON SO MANY LEVELS, August 29, 2007
By Exley Cave (New York City) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Blossoming of Maximo Oliveros (DVD)
THE BLOSSOMING OF MAXIMO OLIVEROS is masterful on so many levels. One, it's a coming-of-age story expertly structured. Its dramatic momentum, its turning of the screw, is gripping. Motivations are complicated, outcomes surprising. Two, its rendering of Manila is honest, raw, personal, and illuminating. It captures both the hope and the desperation of life in a third world slum. It shows the beauty co-existing with the sludge. It does so without varnish, and without sentimentality. Three, it explores sexual identity in a fresh way. It's been on the festival circuit for a couple of years, selling out everywhere it plays. I'm thrilled to see it's finally released on dvd.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars A Wonderful Slice of Life
This film will transport you to a colorful slum neighborhood in The Phillipines, where you will meet Maxi, a 12 year-old feminine boy, and the ragtag cast of characters who... Read more
Published 3 months ago by K. pratt

5.0 out of 5 stars I use this film for my Filipino American and Asian American Studies courses at CAL and city college of San Francisco.
excellent. it won the audience award at the SF Asian American Film Festival when it debuted.
Published 7 months ago by Mr. Michael D. Parayno

2.0 out of 5 stars wow, not what I thought the advertising promises
Very disappointing, the story has potential but the film fails to deliver more than a few nuggets.

Acting was poor. Story was not believable. Read more
Published 8 months ago by Kevinep

5.0 out of 5 stars A BOY TORN
I cannot say enough good about this picture from the Philippines. This story of a gay boy who bonds with the cop who is out to destroy his family is in Tagalog with subtitles... Read more
Published 15 months ago by Terry J. Lehane

5.0 out of 5 stars The Blossoming of Maximo Oliveros
Maximo is trying to find love with another guy. It never gets anywhere near the point of an x Rating, but he does find someone in an older guy who happens to be a police man... Read more
Published 20 months ago by Mark T. Von Seggern

5.0 out of 5 stars A fascinating film
Frankly, I wasn't expecting much from this DVD, since lady-boys are not at all my type (much less 12yo lady-boys). Read more
Published 21 months ago by Geoff Puterbaugh

2.0 out of 5 stars Bloom Already!
Dear Reader,

I find this film hard to believe. So much of the time, till the last 10 minutes, I tried to give it the benefit. Read more
Published on July 22, 2008 by J & S

3.0 out of 5 stars Overrated, but worth watching
The main reason to recommend watching this coming-of-age film from the Phillippines is the main character of Maximo Oliveros, an unashamedly femininine 12-year-old boy growing up... Read more
Published on June 24, 2008 by Kardius

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding Gay Coming of Age Movie
In reading the prior reviews and descriptions of this movie I was not prepared for what an intense drama it really was. Wow. Read more
Published on June 11, 2008 by Muskoka Man

5.0 out of 5 stars Fabulous
While I realize this movie may not be for everyone I can only say I really enjoyed it. Maxi is a 12 year old who emulates his dead Mother by taking care of his family by doing... Read more
Published on March 30, 2008 by John E. Poulin

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