SM LIFESTYLE Entertainment, through the SM Foundation, donated the money used to produce the movie “Bar Boys” after hearing the script being pitched at the Cinemalaya-Film Financing Forum. Written and directed by academician Kip Oebanda (who earlier helmed “Tumbang Preso” about exploited children in a sardines factory), it’s about four students in a law school and traces their various motivations and struggles in taking up law. It’s reminiscent of the Hollywood flick “The Paper Chase” with Timothy Bottoms set in Harvard Law School.
The movie stars Kapuso actor Rocco Nacino as the leader of the barkada whose members include Carlo Aquino, Kean Cipriano and Enzo Pineda, who are all Kapamilya after Enzo moved to ABS-CBN and is now in the JaDine soap.
“My character is a know it all,” says Rocco. “He has a big ego at mataas ang pride niya, medyo mayabang, but he keeps the barkada together. I also provide the comic relief. Marami kong hirit at adlibs na nagustuhan naman ni Direk. I have a love interest here, si Hazel Faith del Rosario.”
“Enzo is the only one who comes from a rich family and he’s paired with Anna Luna,” says Direk Kip. “Carlo is the poorest among them, his dad being a security guard who’s doing his best to finance his studies in law school kahit lubog na sila sa utang. Yun kasi ang dream ng dad niya for him, to be a lawyer, even if he’s not that bright. Si Kean is the odd man out in the barkada. First year pa lang niya sa law school, hindi na nakapasa, but he keeps on trying to insert himself back to their barkada kahit bitter siya about it. In the end, he becomes a movie actor.”
So how is it directing his big cast? “Masaya sila idirek. They’re hard working and never gave me any problems. I just allowed them to be spontaneous in interpreting their respective roles. We shot the movie in various campuses: UST, Xavier School and mainly, San Beda, where I’m a graduate majoring in economics. I did a lot of research about law schools, its culture, the lawyer-professors, the students, and it took me two years to finish the full script. I’m confident young people today will enjoy watching the movie which answers question like, How much are you willing to sacrifice for your family, your career, your principles, your friends?”