Memories Liberate An Old Man ‘Contestant #4’

BL Recaps Philippines

2024-01-02
11:34

How does an old man come of age?

‘Contestant #4’ is about a young boy who frequently visits an old man who lives alone, keeping him in good company all the time. One night, he chances upon the old man watching a dated clip of himself in something that sparks an interest within the young boy to find out more about the old man’s past. What he ultimately discovers aids both him and the old man towards a richer understanding of how the weight of life and identity should be carried.

The film starts with an old man (Joel Saracho) pulling an old film video camera and playing a video of a guy proudly walking in a dress. The room is dark save for the light coming from the video which illuminates the old man. While he’s focused on the video, a boy (Elijah Canlas) saunters quietly next to him and watches the clip he’s watching.

The man is engrossed in the video and seems to watch it with fondness. The clip ends and the man stands up to open the lights. Once light floods the room, the man is surprised about the boy who immediately asks if the guy in the dress is him. The man asks how the boy got in and the boy says the gate was open which the man grumbles about seeing as he forgot to close it again. The boy repeats his question, clearly amazed, and the man confirms that yes, it was him in a contest during their homecoming. But he was only forced to join because of the prize money. The boy asks if he won and the man laughs then proudly says that yes, he did. The boy smiles and goes to the table to set up the food he brought for them both as the man organizes the video camera.

While eating, the man and the boy talk about the man’s propensity to stay inside his house the entire day. The boy proposes that they go to the mall but the man rejects him saying he could cook for the boy instead. Truck horns reverberate from outside and the boy asks the man why couldn’t he just leave the house already. However, the man seems to have an affinity for his home as he refuses to pack up and leave while his neighbors have all left the area. The man speaks with finality as he says he just can’t leave his house.

The next day, the man goes by his morning chores— he reads the paper and does his laundry. While washing his clothes, the boy sneaks up on the man again. The boy offers to help him do his laundry. The boy asks why he doesn’t buy himself a washing machine upon seeing the man grunting about his back aching from washing his clothes but the man brushes him off. Instead, the man instructs the boy to sweep the house since he’s not of any help to him, whatsoever.

Once inside, the boy observes the man’s things such as his newspaper and his camera, even going so far as to open cabinets and drawers which eventually leads him to a Polaroid of the man with another man in the man’s bedroom.

Outside, the man is busy wiping around the living room. The man asks what the boy did in his room. The boy says that he cleaned but the man seems to feel cross with the boy for entering his room without permission. The boy then whines that his back is in pain which prompts the man to grab an oil from his room and help massage the boy’s back. As he’s massaging the boy, a weird sort of tension blooms between them which slows them both. The boy removes his shirt due to the sweat and asks for a change of clothes which he’s instructed to get in the toilet. The man is left stunned in silence at what just happened.

Watch ‘Contestant # 4’ on GagaOOLala.

Later, when the boy has changed his shirt and when they’re sharing a meal, the boy asks the man why he never got married. The man replies that he never had the time because he had to devote his time to his family since he’s the eldest so he couldn’t bring himself to be selfish. The boy asks whether one cannot worry about oneself just because they’re the eldest. The man clarifies that we all have responsibilities but the boy cuts him off to say that if it were him, he would put himself first, not because he’s selfish, but because sometimes, you just have to. The man gently chides him, saying he’s too young to understand and he has all the time in the world. The boy goes back to his question about the man not getting married. The man iterates that he just didn’t have the time but the boy claims that it’s not an answer. The boy says maybe the right one just didn’t come or they did come but he just doesn’t want to tell the boy now. Or maybe the man is just afraid to tell the truth. That stuns the man who claims he’s not scared. The boy comes out and tells the man that he’s gay. Silence floods the room.

Later, when they’re outside the balcony, the man scolds the boy for starting smoking so young. The boy replies that the man used to smoke too and the man confirms that he did but he stopped early. The boy then jokes that he’ll just stop early like the man which earns a laugh from the man. The boy then turns to the view outside and remarks that so much has changed in their place. The man asks what he means and the boy asks him to look at their surroundings, the man’s house. The boy tells him that the man needs to admit to himself that he needs to leave his house to move to a better place. The man doesn’t respond. The boy tells him that he shouldn’t worry because he’ll visit him wherever he decides to move.

Darkness floods the room when they’re back inside the house with the sound of a film reel rolling filling the silence. The man and the boy are bathed in the brightness of the video of the man cross-dressing. The man stands up and proudly sashays and imitates the video, calling himself “contestant number 4.” He beckons the boy to stand and to follow him as the man poses flamboyantly and drapes a scarf over himself. The two goof around as they pretend to compete in a pageant.

After, the boy bids the man goodbye with a tight hug. The man goes back inside the house, grabs an apple, and starts peeling it, revealing its flesh.

Writer’s thoughts:

‘Contestant #4’ is a multi-awarded film that shows its audience what shackles queer people to live their most authentic selves and how it is never too late to liberate oneself from those shackles regardless of age.

Perhaps what stuck to this writer is the fact that the old man is stuck in place because of his birth order despite being free from his family who have long left the house. It just goes to show how a lot of queer people have to unlearn a lot of things that held them back to be free and to live as their true selves. And sometimes, all it takes is a younger queer person who reminds us of who we were and who we could still be if only we could just have the courage.

Joel Saracho and Elijah Canlas are two award-winning actors and for a good reason. They manage to deliver a heartfelt and genuine performance despite its short run-time. This is truly worth the watch.

Watch ‘Contestant #4’ in GagaOOLala which is now available to watch on your smart TVs! Just download the GagaOOLala app on Google Play, Amazon Appstore, and Roku.

RELATED ARTICLE: