‘The Boy Foretold by the Stars’

Scene from “The Boy Foretold by the Stars”

(We are running this guide to help you plan your holiday movie-watching activity during the pandemic. The 46th Metro Manila Film Festival Christmas Edition runs from Dec. 25 to Jan. 7, 2021. Tickets are available online via https://upstream.ph/mmff/.)

Directed by Dolly Dulu; stars Adrian Lindayag, Keann Johnson and Iyah Mina; produced by Clever Minds, Inc., Brainstormers Lab, and The Dolly Collection

High school students Dominic (Adrian) and Luke (Keann) move in separate, contrasting social circles in campus. A fortune teller (Iyah) predicts that they will meet each other in a retreat. It comes true. The two young boys then find themselves in a bittersweet journey of growing up and finding one’s identity.

“I wanted to create a film that will inspire the younger bekis,” Dolly said of the boys love or BL romantic-comedy. “The first BL film I saw was ‘Love of Siam,’ which made me realize that it’s OK to be in love with another man; that it’s not something bad. In fact, you should be happy that you’re actually feeling love. It’s not wrong, it’s not sick. I was inspired.”

Adrian Lindayag (left) and Keann Johnson

The movie, which has garnered support from different LGBTQ+ organizations like Love Yourself, also intends to raise awareness about the lives of people in the community, and point out that we are more similar than we are different.

“We’re just the same. We have jobs and we have goals in life. We all struggle and persevere. We dream, even they’re harder for us to fulfill because society treats us differently,” Adrian said. “But it’s for us to break the stereotypes. And I will be tireless in my efforts to educate others.” —ALLAN POLICARPIO INQ