Doubt

By: Scott Cranin
In-House Review - Jun 28 2005

In this surprisingly calm and naturalistically-acted Filipino feature a set of gay friends tries to define their concept of love and relationships. Cris is a documentary director in a controlling relationship with Erick, who he can't seem to trust. They fight constantly and always accuse each other of cheating. When an opportunity comes along for Erick, it seems like Cris is practically throwing his younger boyfriend into the other man's arms with jealousy. And then there's Addi, the designer, who's love has long been gone is stuck to his idealistic view on love and romance. This is his problem, his not being able to move on when he knows he barely has time left to find the right partner. And Azel, the bestfriend, is giving all the love and attention her beloved bestfriend can not reciprocate. This is her problem, being so in love with her gay best friend Erick that she unconsciously manipulates everything to destroy his relationships. When you begin to suspect that the person you love is unfaithful, what will you do? When you find out that there is someone else, a third party, will you fight for love? How far will you go for love? Beautifully photographed and acted with an unusual subtlety, Doubt is an excellent feature from the Philippines. (Tagalog with English subtitles)

By: Amos Lassen

"Doubt" ("Duda")
Brilliant Cast
Amos Lassen
"Doubt" ("Duda") is a great example of how one man driven by an idea for a film can succeed against all at being able to create something that has an important message. Crisaldo Pablo, the writer and director, used friends as his cast, mixed in a few professionals, and with a Sony camera made his first full length digital film ever to be done in the Philippines. All of this information can be gleaned from the featurette that comes with the DVD extras.
Cris is thirty something and his life has been one of seeking sexual encounters on a daily basis. He feels that after 4000 such encounters that number 4001 will be the ideal partner for him. One night he meets Erick, a young man in his twenties and thinks that he has found the ideal mate. Cris's friends are pleased that he has finally settled down but they are leery about Erick's fidelity. Naturally doubt is raised and Cris confronts Erick about what he does when he is not at home. This infuriates Erick. To make matters more complicated, Ben, an ex-trick of Cris shows up trying for one last time to reignite the fires of passion they shared one night before he marries his girlfriend. Cris remains loyal to Erick.
Cris is a television director and most of the movie is played against the backdrop of the television studio, basically on talk shows. One of these is about Cris's life and another about Erick's adventures. Cris feels his relationship with Erick is disintegrating and when he receives some sad news about Ben, he resolves to live a lonely life of an aging gay male until a surprise occurs.
For a first film "Doubt" has some very positive attributes. Flashbacks are filmed in black and white and out of focus so as to give a sense of the past and heighten the theme of sexuality. The film itself flows smoothly. There is something very refreshing about the movie as it looks at the lives of gays without resorting to stereotypical representation. For a first film the director should be very proud. If he keeps at what he is doing, I suspect we shall some great things from him.