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Napanood ko ang pelikulang ito with a classmate last 2nd Semester 2006. Niyaya lang ako na panoorin ang pelikulang ito at libre ako kaya naman game ako.

Si Harry Laurel ang bida sa pelikulang ito. It was a nice movie naman at talagang naka relate ako ng maigi sa Lalaki sa Parola. Maganda kasi ang story niya at nakarelate talaga ako. At least may isang bagay akong natutunan at hindi ko makalimutan na linya sa movie na ito : "Alam ko na ang diwata!"

The lead character is Mateo (Harry Laurel), a young man from Bicol who goes to Lobo, Batangas to look for his long lost father who turns out to be an OFW in Dubai. He stays in Lobo and works as caretaker of its lighthouse (which is a character in itself in the movie). He has a steamy affair with a horny schoolteacher, Suzette (Jennifer Lee), who he says was the one who wooed him.

A stranger from the city, Jerome (Justin de Leon), takes a vacation in their place and Mateo acts as a tour guide for him. Jerome is gay and seduces Mateo, who proves to be a willing victim. Jerome soon returns to the city. Mateo’s dad arrives from abroad and ignores him. Rejected, he follows Jerome to Manila and lives in his pad. But when Jerome forces Mateo to do oral sex on him, Mateo refuses saying “Hindi ako bakla.” Jerome insists he is one, he just won’t accept it. They break up and Mateo returns to Lobo where he meets Tisyo (Crispin Pineda), an old man whose story is actually the framework of Mateo’s own story, which is just told in flashbacks.

You may or may not agree about the film’s premise on homosexuality, but there’s no doubt that Altarejos (who co-wrote the story with Lex Bonife) has come up with an engaging story about forbidden love and the choices one makes. Justin de Leon understands the challenges of his role well and comes up with a touching, heartfelt performance.

Jennifer Lee is also engaging as the teacher who can’t understand why her lover left her. Harry Laurel suits the role of Mateo physically, but emotionally, he is so much of a neophyte that he fails to be convincing. To begin with, the role is really so demanding that a more seasoned actor should have been cast in it. Technical credits are better than average, particularly the musical score and the production design.

Despite the "B" rating from the Film Development Council's Cinema Evaluation Board (which entitled the film to 65-percent rebate on its amusement taxes), "Ang Lalake sa Parola" was a commercial success at the exclusive IndieSine of the Robinsons Galleria Mall. The digital film, starring Harry Chua and Justin de Leon, also got mixed reviews from film critics, after surpassing the initial "X" rating from the MTRCB. The DVD version of the movie will be out soon, and, with fingers crossed, it will be in its uncut version.

At first kasi medyo hindi pa ako nakakarelate sa kovie pero noong nagstart na lumabas si Jerome, nalaman ko na kung ano ba talaga ang diwatang tinutukoy noong Mama na kausap ni Mateo. Hehe... Have you ate?