The Debut

More people should watch this movie. An indie movie in the early 2000s that perfectly encapsulates Filipino American culture in a good light is so incredibly rare and dearly special to me. Not to mention, this whole cast was basically Filipino and the two romantic leads were tan/darker-skinned Filipinos which was so beautiful. When I think of good representation, I think of this movie. It shows generational trauma and Filipino culture. It shows the silly parts of our culture too without making it a mockery, also something very rare. Beautifully written and of course, the heartthrob that Dante Basco is. Gene Cajayon is a wonderful director and I really wish he had more projects. As a coming-of-age film lover, this film really holds a special place in my heart even though I just discovered it in 2019.