Serbis: Sexual Product
The movie Serbis is all about people who are aimlessly roaming around life’s maze. The movie revolves around characters that regularly visit the dirty porn movie theatre; it has spent lot of time literally chasing them through the corridors and staircase. Though we not get clear sneak-peek into the hall the auditorium looks congested. The concept of movie thus falls at place.
Film: Serbis
Cast: Gina Pareno, Jacklyn Jose, Mercedes Cabral
Director: Brillante Mendoza
Writer: Armando Lao
Running time: 1 hour and 31 minutes
Rating: 2.5/5
A joint family runs the theatre and the members reside in there quite comfortably. The hall is dingy with bright corridors filled with gays who are constantly looking for their prey.
A pornographic movie is tirelessly playing and nobody gives a damn to what is happening on the screen. Many of the visitors are idle and are in search of something interesting to break the monotony.
During this entire episode nobody seems to care of what is happening around, they seem to be lost in their respective worlds. The goat catches your attention that has strayed inside the hall and you would wonder how it climbed so high when actually nobody spotted it on the staircase. And then, all see the customers moving all along corridors or climbing the stairs up and down without any reason.
Amidst all the mindless chaos you see Nayda played by Jaclyn Jose who bears the responsibility of her little son and we are introduced to the Pineda family of Angeles city. Gina Pareno who is powerful matriarch and is in the process of divorcing her husband plays Nayda’s mother Nanay Flor. She simply wants to weed out the man of her life. There is another complication in their lives, Nayda’s cousin Alan’s (Coco Martin) girlfriend Merly (Mercedes Cabral) is expecting a baby and no one is very keen about a wedding extravagance.
The film is filled sexual content but ironically it hardly displays any sexual act. Serbis actually means service and the movie rightly projects sex as a product and its trade in different forms.
Brilliante Mendoza the director of the film never touches upon actual the sexual act rather he concentrates on the character’s facial expression, their monotonous job and how they while away the time. The only thing that receives great importance seems to be the projectionist backside and while the screening of the film at Cannes festival, it as well got displeasing sighs.
The scenes involving the mother and daughter religiously covering their faces with some make-up, calls for attention; it is as if they are getting ready to face the world that seldom understands the pain behind the painted face.
The movie may not suit the tastes of the general audience. The movie Serbis also represents cinematic style and will be liked by people who can understand the nuances put forth by the director- the corridors and the stairs that could well be associated with life.
Some section of the audience may find this frustrating and if you are looking forward to watch sexual encounters, simply forget it because there is none indeed. But if you are regular art film buff you may like the movie.
The film is rated R for nudity and explicit sexual content including language. Don’t ask me why I contradicted in my earlier statement. Serbis is not one that suits all audience.
