First thing first, I'm not really a fan of shaky camera movements used on indie films. It's nauseating and simply annoying. But this film did it so well that I believe it actually added up to the rawness of the movie. The movie's plot is neither my cup of tea, I rarely watch gay films but I love, love, love coming-of-age stories. Good thing, this ends up being an enjoyable watch.

Ang Pagdadalaga ni Maximo Oliveros is a Filipino indie film directed by then rookie Auraeus Solito. It was Solito's first full feature film and gave him the opportunity to bag 15 international awards. It stars Nathan Lopez as the titular gay character, Maxi, who falls in love with a cop. Driven by poverty, Maxi's family gets involved with criminal acts. The cop, played by Jr Valentin, is in charge to investigate the family.

One thing that made this film really enjoyable to watch was the characters, especially the gay teen, Maxi. Maxi is just entertaining and endearing that you couldn't help but love and cheer for him and his love for the cop, Victor. Thank God, Maxi, despite being a homosexual, did not feel prejudice from his family. And it's what sets this movie apart from the other gay films. Maxi's gender confusion isn't really the focus of the film but the injustices towards poor families and how these families struggle hard to the point of committing crimes.

Other characters are equally lovable as well, I couldn't really identify who is the antagonist because as I was watching the film, I realized that the characters are not total black and white. They are good but they make mistakes and sometimes, these mistakes only result to unfortunate circumstances. No one is bad bad (okay maybe except the chief of police) or good good.

By the end of the film, I thought it was a really heartwarming masterpiece of growing up and the love for family. It may have the typical family-oriented concept we Filipinos usually have in our films but this one is told differently... and I mean that as a compliment.