Spoiler alert

Netnet Camomot

SEVERAL Facebook friends have praised the movie “Respeto,” with one even revealing he watched it thrice already.

I hoped it would still be showing last Wednesday, which is the day when cinemas in Cagayan de Oro change their movie sked. And—Surprise! Surprise!—it had an afternoon time slot at Centrio where it shared Cinema 3 with “Kingsman: The Golden Circle.”

Movies are a cheap treat. Simply add popcorn. But if you prefer to focus on the movie sans the distraction of picking a popcorn kernel, shooting it into your mouth, munching that kernel, and digesting that kernel, you may have to convince the tummy to wait for the yummy treat.

Besides, there are movies that could inspire your appetite to hibernate in Siberia, movies that touch your heart and stir your brain, leaving your tummy with no energy to digest anything. And that’s “Respeto.”

After “Respeto,” I went to the rest room even if the urinary bladder didn’t need a spring cleaning.

There I was, seated on the toilet, waiting for an eon to pass, staring at my tote bag and shawl which were then hanging on for dear life to the hook on the cubicle door. But we had bought tickets to a second movie right after this, so, no time for tears.

“Respeto” is about respect, or the lack of it. Hendrix (Pinoy hip hop artist Abra) joins battle raps where he momentarily rises above his sad plight. Home to him is an addicted sister and her addicted boyfriend whose business is selling drugs and uses Hendrix as a drug runner.

Hendrix’s idol is the famous rapper in the neighborhood, the constant winner in the battle raps—Breezy G.

Brace yourself for this spoiler alert. Well, if you have no plans of watching the movie, this won’t be a spoiler alert, so, read on.

One night, the sister’s addicted boyfriend asks Hendrix to deliver a sachet of shabu to Jogard Bayagbag. Double balls. It turns out to be Breezy G who’s waiting for the shabu at the bar where Hendrix’s crush, Candy, works. They all end up drinking together. Candy then leaves their little circle of drunken boys and gals, with Breezy G following her a few seconds later. We, the skeptical and cynical audience, already knew what would happen next.

As expected, the next scene has Bayagbag, er, Breezy G having sex with a dead-drunk Candy and each of the other guys in their group take their turn with her, until the scene becomes a blur. Hendrix watches all these, helpless in not being able to save her.

The movie has an aftermath of an extrajudicial killing where Hendrix merely passes by, like as if it’s simply another day in his paradise.

There’s a demolition where squatters throw small plastic bags filled with s**t and urine which morph into weapons of mass defecation aimed at the police whose riot shields are not enough to protect their faces from all that s**t.

And then, there’s the usual cop receiving loads of cash from the addicted boyfriend.

P***ng ina is thrown around in some scenes, which may not shock you anymore after almost two years with President Rody Duterte.

Doc, the owner of a secondhand bookstore, is Hendrix’s unlikely mentor. Doc also happens to be the father of the cop who regularly receives cash from the addicted boyfriend. That cop has been trying to convince Doc to sell their house, and once you see the former complaining to the addicted boyfriend about the dwindling cash returns, you now understand his insistence to sell the house.

Radio news in the movie provides snippets on Marcos’ burial at the Libingan ng mga Bayani, bringing back dark memories to Doc on what happened to him, his wife and son during the dictator’s martial law. Should a man, who had caused Doc so much pain, be buried as a hero?

Movies usually gloss over reality, for cinematic effects, cohesiveness, and continuity. If this is how “Respeto” affects us, how much more if we were to see all these unfold in real life. But the human senses learn to adapt, much like Hendrix whose headphones and their sounds may save whatever is left of his sanity.

While watching “Respeto,” we were grateful for having the foresight to buy another set of tickets for “Last Night,” which we were going to watch next, giving us only a few minutes for a merienda in between these two films. A movie marathon is not advisable—better have a breather to let it all sink in. But this time, we were grateful, hoping “Respeto’s” darkness would be erased by the next movie’s romantic comedy plot.

Wishful thinking, though—“Last Night” is not the typical rom-com. It’s dark, too. We could have hopped to “Ferdinand” for some laughter, but it will be released in December yet. And no, it’s not about Ferdinand Marcos.

Choose movies wisely, to avoid wasting precious time like what we did with “Finally Found Someone,” the one that starred John Lloyd Cruz and Sarah Geronimo.

Indie films, like “Respeto,” have proven to be worth your time and can also save you money since you won’t need popcorn while watching them. Another indie film, “Birdshot,” is the country’s entry for the Oscars’ Best Foreign Language Film Award.

“Birdshot” was shown during the Pista ng Pelikulang Pilipino last August where I watched “100 Tula Para Kay Stella” and “Patay na si Hesus.” Oh, well.