If you saw the Singapore film called Rice Rhapsody from a couple of years ago Manay Po will sound familiar. It's the story of a widow with three sons. The eldest is an engineer working at a building site with his "best friend" who happens to be his secret boyfriend. He also has a girlfriend who wants him to marry her. The middle son is flamboyantly gay and wants to win the Miss Gay University pageant at school. He has a hunky straight best friend with whom he is in love and who doesn't exactly relish his friend's girly behavior but he tolerates it for the most part. Until a new girl comes into the picture and wins his attention. The youngest son is in junior high school and is a bit more pre-gay than full fledged gay, but he certainly seems destined to follow in his brothers' footsteps. The mother has her own dramas to deal with as she works as a jewelry seller to try and support her family. They live in a house provided by closeted son number 1. Since this is a Filipino film it is loaded with melodrama. I really liked it a lot even though it is fairly predictable. The whole "be yourself" message is very well done. And the musical number out of nowhere is fun. When the oldest son finally comes out and gets married to his boyfriend it is disappointing that these two guys who are supposed to be totally in love never even kiss on screen. Whether that is due to censorship issues in the Philippines, the director's choice or the actors' reluctance I don't know, but it really does hit you. A fun film for gay audiences who like a little melodrama.
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