The Blossoming of Maximo Oliveros

On the streets of Manila, camp young Maxi happily struts between his home and the local DVD store, occasionally stopping to perform Miss Universe pageants with his friends. Then he meets the straight-shooting new cop on the block, who triggers off Maxi's first pangs of love, but also forces him to make some tough choices concerning his own family, who are up to their necks in the black market. The combination of documentary-style digital photography with the bright colours and loud characters create a compelling world that is both ultra-real and yet contains a well structured story of teenage sexual awakening that manages to out-do Luhrmann's Romeo + Juliet on a shoestring budget. [Kenny Friedkin]