SIFF Review - Bakal Boys

Man oh man, is this a beautiful film. Bakal Boys is shot in “docudrama” style, fictionalizing the real-life drama of the boys who dive for scrap metal in the waters of Manila Bay. The film is not really about the process of scavenging for scrap but rather a life lived that way: packs of boys roaming the Baseco slum and the shores of the bay, cuts from rusty metal, pleading for extra pesos at the junk shop and a dinner of rice and innards. Mermaids are a serious topic of conversation here. Central to the story is the character of Utoy and his friendship with fellow diver Bungal.

The dialog begins a bit shrill and stilted, but the film finds its rhythm about thirty minutes in, at which point we became completely submerged in the unfolding story. Bakal Boys is awash with color, with subtle camera-work and a haunting score.

One suggestion? Don’t read the synopsis on the SIFF site as it gives away the plot. We are glad to have gone in fresh and unsuspecting, ripe for the film’s solemn, steady unraveling.