Star Cinema’s latest offering “The Third Party” tells about
a unique love triangle of Andi, Max and Christian. Andi (Angel Locsin) is an
events manager cum ex-girlfriend of cosmetic surgeon Max (Sam Milby). Max is
the current boyfriend of gay oncologist Christian (Zanjoe Marudo).
Zoom in to 2016, Andi meets up with Max. Max comes back in
Manila after several years from their break-up.
Andi plans to rekindle the love that they had in the past. Surprisingly,
Max introduces Christian as his lover and he comes out of the closet to Andi.
In her disbelief and disappointment, Andi distances herself to Max and wants to
totally forget him. But unfortunate
circumstances in her life will lead her back to Max- this time with Christian’s
involvement and aid. Andi gets pregnant
by her boyfriend and leaves her. Jobless and penniless, Andi seeks help from
Max. Christian who has been dreaming to have a kid, offers her a deal to adopt
her baby. Andi agrees and moves in to
the gay couple’s duplex. And their conflicts and encounters continue.
The Third Party is not the only gay-thematic film which
tackles this kind of story. Over the years, Filipino film makers have been very
permissive in choosing this subject. Thanks to the more open- minded movie going
public nowadays for they patronize LGBT themed movies both locally and
internationally.
The Third Party is consistently entertaining. It’s light and
funny. Director Jason Laxamana (known for his critically acclaimed indie films “Magkakabaung”
and “Babagwa” ) maintains a natural
portrayal of two gay characters; realistic and unexaggerated. Zanjoe Marudo is comfortable and effective as controlling, generous , effeminate gay lover. Kudos to
Direk Laxamana for guiding Zanjoe to have consistency in his nuances. Sam Milby
on the other hand, needs more internalization of his character. I can still see
the traces of his “amboy” school of acting similar to his previous movies where
he plays romantic lead. Milby is a weaker link if I were to compare him to
Marudo. Angel Locsin pulled in a pleasant surprise as she shows natural flair
in comedy. Angel and Zanjoe have full grasp of their characters. Sam has to
unlearn his “amboy” acting approach.
The gay humour and funny antics are not too forced. Even
with the usage of gay lingo, it’s kept at a bare minimum. This is possibly
because the two lead gay characters come from well-off families. It comes
across that their demographics doesn’t really speak gay lingo too often. I also like the fact that Laxamana handles
some “delicate” scenes in such a way that they are not offensive and brutal. He
makes it light, hilarious yet realistic. I must admit though that I can’t help
but compare (to a certain degree) The Third Party to the 1990’s movie Pusong
Mamon. The Third Party is somewhat an updated version of the said Joel Lamangan
opus.
The Third Party shows the imperfections of the three
characters. Andi, Max and Christian are human beings, hence they commit
mistakes, they take risks, they fall in love, they forgive. But at the end of the day, it’s always about
valuing relationship.
If you want to have a good laugh and to be entertained, go see this movie.
My rating 8 out of 10.
photo credits to Star Cinema.
