Bar Boys

Torran, Erik and Chris are friends from school who decide to go to law college. Their fourth friend Josh fails the entrance exam and is left outside. The college is far harder than they expected: files to read, being questioned on their feet in class, students dropped, and the pressure of passing the bar. Over the years their friendships, their families and their belief in why they entered are all tested. Kip Oebanda's film covers the concrete conditions of legal education in the Philippines: a poor student's struggle to stay, family expectation, and the social cost of failing an exam. The narrative opens in a comic register and grows steadily heavier. Carlo Aquino, Rocco Nacino and Enzo Pineda are in the cast. The film reached cult status among law students in the Philippines. Who it's for: Viewers who like Philippine cinema, narratives of school and friendship, and stories about entering a profession. Who it's not for: There are many characters and some stories are left unfinished. The narrative also slides into melodrama in the final section.