Brent Marchant
⭐ 6/10
Those living on the fringes of society often face a difficult and challenging struggle just to survive. That’s especially true for the youth of broken households, forced onto the streets and into lives of crime and depravity in an effort to get by. Such individuals frequently have little structured support behind them, having to rely on the surrogate families of choice that they create for themselves. And so it is in this profile of the young gay hustlers who roam the streets of Manila’s seedy underbelly, turning tricks, cheating the unsuspecting, shoplifting and cutting questionable deals with corrupt authorities to fulfill their most basic needs and to stay out of jail. That backdrop thus sets the stage for this latest offering from writer-director Petersen Vargas, an inside look at the lives of a band of marginalized Philippine sex workers and the many nightly challenges they face. The film focuses on a loosely banded but fiercely protective quartet of enterprising hustlers and their nocturnal exploits: Uno (Jomari Angeles), Miguelito (aka “Ge”) (Gold Aceron), Rush (Tommy Alejandrino) and Bayani (aka “Bay”) (Angel Saycon). One evening, as he’s making his usual rounds, Uno meets a shy, sensitive, seemingly inexperienced newcomer, Zion (Miguel Odron), who’s unfamiliar with the ways of streets and nothing at all like his new acquaintance’s other “family” members. While working a job together, they quickly and unexpectedly develop a surprisingly intimate bond, one uncharacteristic of the kinds of relationships that form between individuals in their line of work. And, shortly thereafter, when Uno rescues the mysterious stranger from the aggressive, suspicious strongarm tactics and behavior of his cohorts (particularly the belligerent musclebound Bay), it creates tension between Uno and his kindreds. However, when a devastatingly tragic emergency arises, Zion and the others are forced into pulling together to resolve the issue and protect themselves from possible dire consequences. Through this experience, they learn just how different Zion is but also become aware of his willingness to step up and help them out when needed. This is especially true when they subsequently embark on an unusual, and even somewhat surreal, odyssey into the rural Philippine outlands, hoping for an agreeable outcome that remains ever stubbornly in doubt. Regrettably, however, the ambitious nature of this project at times seems to be beyond the filmmaker’s grasp. In essence, this production comes across like two movies that have been welded together into a single vehicle, a combination that doesn’t always flow as smoothly as it could have. It feels like the picture struggles mightily to address all of the bases that it’s attempting to cover, sometimes incorporating too much unorganized content and at other times finding itself lost for words and direction in a sea of awkward pregnant pauses. To its credit, this release truly does a fine job of examining the dynamics behind forging a family of choice and promoting humane acceptance among those who are frequently summarily denied it (except, of course, when sex and money are at stake). And, speaking of sex, sensitive viewers should be aware of the film’s explicitly erotic nature when deciding whether to watch this often-provocative offering. Without a doubt, “Some Nights I Feel Like Walking” seems earnest in its intent, though it regularly struggles with its execution. It genuinely has something to say, even if it doesn’t always know how to say it.
