Daisy (Desiree Del Valle)
lives in a small village in the Philippines, and as the daughter of the local
circumciser, she is taught the trade by her father. This makes her different from
other girls, and she grows up with an awareness of gender roles and sexism. Her
own father beats both Daisy and her mother (Eugene Domingo), and she vows not
to go along with an arranged marriage to the son of a successful farmer. Meanwhile,
Daisy's best friend Botchok (Vanna Garcia) is thrown out of the house, humiliated
by her father and abandoned by her boyfriend. In love with Botchok, Daisy tells
her friend that she will marry her. Unsure at first, Botchok warms to the idea
and moves in with Daisy and her parents, the two making love though only very
thin reed walls separate the rooms. Daisy's father soon passes away, and
the two women decide to start a family, choosing Nanding (Carlo Aquino), an outcast
himself, to be the baby's father. He is the only local man who is not circumcised
and the grandson of a mystic. By this time, Daisy's mother recognizes and accepts
their relationship, but because they are so different and independent, Daisy and
Botchok are branded as witches by other villagers. It is only Daisy's pregnancy
that convinces them that they are not really lesbians or witches after all. At
almost two hours long, the film is a bit of an epic, filled with Catholic and
indigenous religious symbolism. Daisy and Nanding are celebrated as rebels, but
in the end, their breaks from tradition are tempered by conformity. (Note: Desiree
Del Valle is not the same actress as the Desi del Valle who has appeared in several
lesbian features.) |