Twins Andres and Gael (Andrew and Joaquin Maog) have been very close. They have always been inseparable. However, as another boy enters the picture, Gael finds himself sidelined by his brother as he forms a connection with his new friend. With the innocence of childhood, the twins learn about how love hurts and heals in this touching story of acceptance.

In a few short minutes, Hilom by R.R. Patindol effectively conveys a youth’s journey to find himself as he deals with the stirrings of something he does not understand. The film successfully draws the focus on a societal taboo, and draws the conversation towards the journey of the LGBT.

Kudos to the film’s approach to the issue of LGBT in children. While Andres and his new friend form a bond with each other, the film depicts how easy it was for adults to judge their relationship, and with this effectively flipped the friend with the stigma of being called “bayot” (gay). I loved that even though Gael felt that his brother neglected him in order to hang out with his new friend, he was still the first to defend his twin when push came to a shove.

The brotherly bond between the twins was depicted both in the non-verbal actions as well as the dialogue and it was touching how the message of acceptance was delivered unconditionally even though the twins could not yet understand fully what the issue was about.

Also of note was the beautiful setting of Hilom, and the excellent cinematography and balance by Marco Limjap that made each scene seem like a beautiful photograph in itself.

All in all, Hilom was simple, at the same time complicated. It was able to deal with such a complicated issue through the innocent eyes of children, where right and wrong is based on gut feel.  Love is love, no ifs, no buts, and Andres and Gael are perfect examples of unconditional love that we could learn from.