After watching Topel Lee’s Tubero at Gateway Cinema, I was asked by a member of Vivamax staff to share what I felt about the movie, including the things that could say about the story.
With the camera already on my face and a bit blinded by the clamp light, I immediately told the interviewer that “the director is able to capture the sexiness of the actors using tight shots, and despite it being a sexy movie, it’s able to present a decent story, and I think Topel Lee did a good job.”
During the film’s press conference, held after the movie screening, Lee said that his goal was to showcase sex scenes or coital positions that have not been seen in any Vivamax movies. If you are a Vivamax subscriber and an avid viewer of the platform’s catalog, you’d definitely get intrigued by the director’s sales pitch.
Like the title suggests, the film has an interesting storyline (given that tubero or plumber is already an intriguing title making you think of things other than pipes). It’s nothing new of course, but Lee is consistent with his promise.
“I had to come up with references because I watch Vivamax [movies] to check what else has not been done, which is why I asked my actors to see some videos, some of them were Japanese, some were Western,” the director shared.
“In the beginning, the sex scenes were a bit condensed, but as the story progresses and the relationship of the characters deepens, the sex scenes become more experimental. And throughout the process, I consulted the actors to make sure that they’re comfortable doing the scenes,” Lee added.
Newcomers Angela Morena (Ex-Deal 2, 5-in-1, Iskandalo, High (School) on Sex), Vince Rillon (Pusoy, Kaliwaan, Virgin Forest, L Series), and JC Tan star in this story about love, loyalty, passion, sex, and making a relationship work even on the hardest days.
It follows the story of a young couple, Paula (Morena) and Logan (Tan), whose relationship is on the rocks because Logan is not sexually satisfied with Paula. Though conservative and reserved, Paula makes a deal with Logan and is given an ultimatum by her man that would make or break their relationship.
Desperate to not lose him and determined to give him what he desires, Paula seeks the help of Gimo (Rillon), a plumber who also offers extra service that brings pleasure to his clients. They sleep together, and Paula experiences a sexual awakening with Gimo. But what was supposed to be a one-time thing that could help Paula’s relationship with Logan becomes a way for her to have a new sexual and compatible relationship with Gimo.
The movie wanted the questions “Will Paula pursue the original plan to fix her relationship with Logan? Or will she realize that it is better for her to be with Gimo” to be answered.
“Originally, I wanted to do a campy love story with a bit of erotica. I want the audience to get the same experience as watching porn that’s why the sex scenes are a bit longer than usual. And those scenes took us a day to shoot,” the seasoned director said adding that he felt he’s a neophyte compared to his actors who are more exposed to doing sexy scenes in front of the camera.
Tubero premieres on Vivamax on October 21.
