How to Die Young in Manila

An introverted teenage boy lies to his parents that he’d sleep over at his friends’. However, he made an appointment with a random guy found on a dating app. The street is filled with dead hustlers, but nobody seems to notice these strange occurrences.

“How to Die Young in Manila” was made as a short pitch teaser to Petersen Vargas’ full-length feature, entitled “Some Nights Feel Like Walking.” It’s about a young boy who braves the streets of nighttime Manila to meet an anonymous hookup. Thinking one of them is a hookup, he trails a pack of young hustlers who then draw him into their strange world of death and desire. This short film questions and explores the possibility of an urban life, of human connection in the city, for those not protected by privilege from the cruel policies of this government, which kill young men everywhere. It’s a film that imagines and situates queer desire within a city determined and shaped by politics.

Director: Petersen Vargas
Writers: Jade Castro, Kaj Palanca, Petersen Vargas
Stars: Miguel Almendras, Shu Calleja, Elijah Canlas, Kokoy De Santos, Kych Minemoto

Thanks to user “Billie So” for sharing this film.
Thanks to user “Billie So” for sharing this film.
Thanks to user “Billie So” for sharing this film.