REAL REVIEW: Jose Javier Reyes’ Live Show (2001).

We have a friend and we called her ‘barurot’ from the slang “kemerot barurot”. Ten years ago, the term barurot is sex, one of the lines in this film, one of the most controversial in Philippine Cinema. The term “Toro” was the working title of this film but obviously change because of MTRCB Chairs question of direct sexual content of the film. But the truth is sex are only almost 30% of the motion picture but 100% of the full length Regal release was what the class D of the society try to survive. The struggle between good and evil has ended; the clash between the society and the people brought light to the films authenticity cinematic excellence. 

Rolly (Paulo Rivero) as a narrator, was himself a TORERO (live sex performer) try to change the brothers life in which his family engage. Her mother suffering from Cancer of the Ovary, her sister succumb her mother from her past as a prostitute, show depiction of how family run by money through prostitution. Rolly as Live sex performer introduce the lives of toreros, from hunger to survival for money, and from internal problem to their profession as sex worker. There is nothing personal, only business.

Written by Award Winning Director Jose Javier Reyes, the film shows the reality that Lino Brocka and Ishmael Bernal first illustrate in 1970’s.He used the language of the masses in which our writers try to depart for the sake of formality. President Gloria Arroyo banned the film in contrast to the motion pictures commendation in the 50th Berlin Film festival. For the conservative and ignorant, this is pornography, for educated and those who are engage in this kind of work (torrohan), this is art, and this is life.