Closing Night
By Justin Lowe
Gene Cajayon’s The Debut inverts Pulido’s formula in the closing night film, with protagonist Ben Mercado (Dante Basco) rejecting Filipino culture and defying his immigrant father’s wishes that he study medicine. Ben’s decision to attend art school, bitter  family history, and Filipino identity issues all collide at sister Rose’s debutante party where Ben begins to question his choices amid an onslaught of overly attentive aunties, wannabe gangsta party crashers, and a blossoming of love and Filipino tradition.
Along with a best feature film audience award from the 2000 Hawaii International Film Festival, The Debut has the  distinction of offering the four talented Filipino American Basco brothers their first opportunity to appear together onscreen as an ensemble, along with a supporting cast of distinguished Filipino actors, including Eddie Garcia as the patriarch. General audiences will have the opportunity to sample The Debut’s celebration of Filipino American culture when it opens in theaters March 16. |
