Bayaw (Filipino) [Brothers In Law]

Bayaw is an odd little tale about two brothers-in-law running from the law, committing all sorts of other crimes along the way, and occasionally indulging in some forced gay sex. That premise alone doesn’t sound very promising, but the way Bayaw tells its story makes it an unmitigated disaster.

Nilo is a former cop thrown off the force for a crime he didn’t commit. His wife has become frustrated with having to provide for both Nilo and her younger brother Rhenan, both of whom spend most of their time at home doing nothing. One night, after a heated argument, Nilo’s wife is killed, and the brothers-in-law run from the law. Interrogated by the police, Nilo confesses everything, telling the tale of his wife’s death and the subsequent escape that leads to a series of murders along the way. We find out how during the course, there are points where Nilo forces sex on Rhenan in the name of taking his mind off, kills a thief on the way when he tries to come between the 2 guys and a prostitute who finds the truth about them. The film ends with Rhenan telling the cops that his sister was a real bitch and whatever Nilo did was right. He is the only family Rhenan has and he probably would have killed himself had Nilo been not there.

The characters were very poorly developed. The film doesn’t make too much sense. None of the characters act remotely like a real human would act, or say anything that people actually say. Even the movie’s framing device lacks any connection to reality. The worse is all the forced gay sex scenes which were absolutely not necessary. They really dont add anything to the story, not even cheap thrills. The camerawork was shoddy as if it was done by amateur phone camera. Every character seems stupid making weird faces. Though I must admit that I did sit through entire film hoping something better would happen but without any luck.

There are much better things that you can do than waste time over this film. (2/10)