captures the street life of Manila's slums like no other film
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08/19/07
The Blossoming of Maximo Oliveros (2006)
88 %
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Reviews Counted: 17
Fresh: 15
Rotten:2
Average Rating: 7.2/10
Theatrical Release:Sep 22, 2006 Limited
Synopsis: Just like the flower in the opening scenes, 12-year-old Maxi is a beautiful accent in the gritty underworld on the outskirts of Manila, where he lives. Living with his outlaw father and two older... [More]
Director: Auraeus Solito
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Reviews for The Blossoming of Maximo Oliveros
1 - 19 (sorted by date)
Veering from adorable and light to bleak and tragic, Maximo Oliveros is all over the emotional map, but in a realistic way, sort of like life itself.
08/15/07
If this represents the best of Philippine cinema, I'd hate to see the worst!
08/05/07
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06/05/07
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06/01/07
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05/31/07
Yet after all of the muck has been racked, the film's saving grace is the marvellously compelling naïveté and too-early reality-test of its star. Perhaps if queers were the majority there would be less senseless death and more fashion conscious citizens!
02/07/07
Okay, aside from the gay angle, this is actually a rather conventional film. Had Maxi been a girl, no one would have even thought of exporting this thing. But it isn't and it's saved by the brilliant work of young Nathen Lopez, who swishes and preens his
09/30/06
One of the finest Filipino films, shimmering with folkloric charm without softening its view of the harshness and injustice of a life of poverty.
09/28/06
Top CriticOne of those all-too-rare films that handle preadolescent queerness with intelligence and unflinching honesty.
09/28/06
Preteen sexuality is a sensitive subject, but director Auraeus Solito handles it with dignity, never becoming exploitative.
09/22/06
Top CriticThe newcomer Nathan Lopez delights as the flamboyantly gay Maxi, the youngest son in a family of thieves who falls in love with handsome police officer.
09/21/06
Top CriticA unusual and potent portrait of the Filipino undersoul.
09/21/06
Top CriticThe film is alarming, endearing, and utterly unflappable.
09/19/06
Top CriticThis debut feature by Filipino director Auraeus Solito is a neatly observed take on Manila street life.
04/19/06
Top CriticA neorealist coming-of-age story infused with the pulse-pounding anxieties and excitement of first love.
03/29/06
A 12-year-old boy's initiation into the adult world where even those who seem virtuous are capable of giving into the enticements of money and power.
03/19/06
The Blossoming of Maximo Oliveros is a lo-fi Technicolor ode to this memorable protagonist, a neorealist homo noir.
03/08/06
An unusually low-key Filipino drama whose neo-realist air generally triumphs over the script's violent, tearful contrivances.
01/27/06
Top Critic1 - 19 (sorted by date)
Latest News for The Blossoming of Maximo Oliveros
September 21, 2006:
Critical Consensus: "Jackass" Kicks; "King" Is Dethroned; "Fearless" Is Action-Packed; "Flyboys" Is Grounded
This week at the movies, we've got antisocial behavior ("Jackass: Number Two," with Johnny Knoxville and the gang), hell-raising politicos ("All The King's... More...
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