Bathhouse

By: Scott Cranin
In-House Review - Nov 19 2008

Filming on a miniscule budget, gay Filipino filmmaker Crisaldo Pablo has created a sweet, involving drama about a young gay man's coming of age. But this is not a standard British/US coming-of-age film, it's the story of gay man's sexual awakening in a Manilla bathhouse. Exotic and filled with hot Asian boys, Bathhouse is definitely a treat we loved. A young college student Rico, who lives at home with his close-knit family, hits the baths looking for someone he has had text and phone conversations with. When that boy doesn't pan out he explores this new world of men seeking sex. The host of the baths is the convivial femme boy Genesis who makes sure he's the only femme in the club! This bathhouse is for "men" only he says. Rico spies the older Cris, a hunky guy in his thirties. After very hot sex, with no full frontal nudity guys, Rico tries to get some kind of committment from his new trick. After all, he doesn't want to have sex with just anyone. When you meet a guy at the baths, don't expect marriage proposals!!! Anyway Rico continues to explore his newfound sexuality and desires. His life hits the rocks when he dramatically comes out to his family, but love wins out. Without any of the high-pitched drama one associates with Filipino film, Bathhouse tells it's story with sensuality, romance and just plain compelling storytelling skills.

By: Amos Lassen

"Bathhouse"
The Gay Philippines
Amos Lassen
It seems that this month the Philippines is releasing a lot of gay movies. We have "Paper Dolls", "Circles" and now "Bathhouse". "Bathhouse" uses characters to tell the story of what gay life is in the Philippines.
Those of us that have experiences bathhouses know that they are places where we can go for sex with no inhibitions. You go in, take off your clothes, wrap a towel around your waist and indulge in hedonistic pleasure. The bathhouse is a world unto itself-a world of sex, sex and more sex. Words are seldom spoken and all it takes is a glance or a motion to initiate the most primal of our instincts.
While at the baths one night, Rico (Ray An Dulay), a young student and somewhat of a nerd, meets Chris (Jet Alcantara) and the chemistry between the two is like magic. Rico thinks he has found his Mr. Wonderful. Instead he finds himself on a path of cheating and envy with a little love thrown in for taste. Chris seems to love the baths more that he loves Rico. A bathhouse is not exactly the place one looks to find love.
"Bathhouse" shows the reality of what goes on in the gay underground known as "The Tubs". Rico, who looks like a youngish Jackie Chan, discovers that he is gay and joins the membership of the local bathhouse thinking that he will find both true love and himself there. The object of his admiration, Chris, is hunky and knows it and like most men that frequent bathhouses wants to share his body with as many men as he can.
I naturally assumed that a movie entitled "Bathhouse" would be about what goes on in a bathhouse but this movie was ore than that. Crisaldo Pablo, the director, goes a little further in depicting the gay scene of the Philippines. He also shows the real life of the people and the different ways that they meet-through the internet, at the public park, through ads, etc. It is an exciting picture of the islands and shows gay life there as we have not been privy to.
The acting and the cinematography are first rate but the story could have been developed a bit more. All in all, I liked the film a great deal and am glad that I got to see it and hope that all of you will watch it as well. It is always good to learn about gay life in other places and this movie gives an accurate picture of gay life in the Philippines. I did have one problem with the film and that is that after Rico left his parents, he did not go looking for a job but somehow he managed to have money to join the bathhouse and have a lot of sex without seemingly spending a penny. I just wonder if money is needed in the Philippines. AIDS was also not mentioned in the film and we do know that AIDS is a universal problem-bathhouses in the United States were closed because of AIDS but it seems to be not a problem in the Philippines.

By: sexisaweapon69

This movie is absolutely terrible. I have been to the Philippines multiple times, Boracai, Lewag, Sebu, Manila you name it, I have been to the "Massage parlors" which were full of very attractive Filipino men (love those) unfortunately none of those men made their way in to this movie. Story line was poor acting was terrible, lead queen was a nightmare