Drama on aging gay is Philippine hope for Oscars

Filipino writer and director Jun Robles Lana talks during an interview in Quezon City Wednesday. Lana’s film “Bwakaw”, an indie drama that explores the loneliness and missed opportunities of an ailing, 70-year-old gay man has tested the local sensibilities about sexuality and, if it passes the Academy Awards’ nomination process, may get a shot as the country’s entry for the best foreign-language film next year. AP PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines — A Philippine drama that explores the loneliness and missed opportunities of an ailing, 70-year-old gay man is testing local sensibilities about sexuality and, if it passes the Academy Awards’ nomination process, may get a shot as the country’s entry in the best foreign-language film competition next year.

“Bwakaw,” or “Voracious,” has received positive reviews and local awards, and is doing the rounds of international film festivals in Toronto, New York, Hawaii and Tokyo.

Writer and director Jun Robles Lana says the movie is named after a stray dog with a voracious appetite for life that Rene, the main character, becomes friends with.

Rene, who came out of the closet in his twilight years, thinks it is too late for love and only awaits his own death.