Jason Paul Laxamana's Baby Boy Baby Girl (Viva Films, Ninuno Media, 2023) retains a stylish reserve that would not seem conducive to strong passions. However, the unexpected element here is humor and Laxamana's film has quite a lot of dry, measured wit. Neither this drollness nor the pathos surrounding Josie (Kylie Verzosa) is in the least bit obscured by Laxamana's predilection for understatement. Baby Boy Baby Girl bottles Josie's inter-personal tensions and slowly simmers them to boil, escalating each situation by just the right amount until the film’s ultimate crescendo and final punchline. The result is a painfully funny comedy that feels universally relatable in its depiction of awkward dynamics very specific to Josie’s experience. Laxamana's approach would have not been nearly as effective were it not for Verzosa’s exquisite performance. Every piercing stare, facial muscle twitch and heightened voice conveys outrage hidden behind her feigned smile. Josie’s interactions with Seb (Marco Gumabao) have its own rhythm and emotional arc. With Seb, there’s a slow suspense of whether or not they will continue their arrangement. Seb needles Josie in front of others and cutting through her facade with direct questions. Their run-ins feel like the highs to their lows, an unsettling roller coaster ride that’s set to crash before long.
Baby Boy Baby Girl is a tightly wound movie, with almost every minute dedicated to some kind of moment of strife. The screenplay is packed with several rounds of fast-talking in-fighting, but that rapid fire pacing feeds the contrast between those scenes and the movie’s moments of awkward silence, which become even more painful to watch. As a team, Verzosa and Gumabao share a spot-on sense of comedic timing, knowing just when to throw in the next cutting remark, eye roll, or fake smile. They hit the bullseye each and every time, all the way to the end. Laxamana piles on the complications with the clockwork precision of a Rube Goldberg machine, but never at the service of genuine emotions. When Josie surrenders to the sheer helplessness of being completely overwhelmed, a moment that perhaps lands with more impact after collective isolation. Baby Boy Baby Girl knows that feeling and another important one besides: that in the midst of nonstop stress and distraction, a moment of quiet, unprompted tenderness can make all the difference. The whirling energy surrounding Josie in her hour of panic is what makes the film so engaging. She is the eye of the hurricane, albeit not a calm one by any means.
Sound Engineer: Aian Louie Caro
Musical Director: Pau Protacio
Editor: Chrisel Desuasido
Production Designer: Lara Mustiola Magbanua
Director of Photography: Rommel Andreo Sales
Written and Directed by: Jason Paul Laxamana