Nimfa Dimaano (Angelica Panganiban) is tired of feeling unloved. She works as a saleslady at a department store to support herself and her family. Her boyfriend, Roger (Robin Padilla), is sweet and protective, but he got no money, dreams, and plans for them. He's more of a nuisance than a help.
One day Nimfa meets the businessman, Iñigo Villanueva (Sam Milby). iñigo is smitten with the young lady that he even invited her to an out-of-town trip. Nimfa, on the other hand, knows what she's getting into is wrong, but Iñigo seems to be the perfect escape to her tiring day-to-day.
Soon enough, Nimfa realized that she's stuck in a love triangle. Where a rich and sincere playboy and a penniless yet sweet janitor fight over her affection.
"Hayop Ka!" sounds like a film inspired by soap operas and late-night radio talk shows because it is. The film is a satire on overused tropes and concepts Filipinos tend to love unconditionally. It pokes fun at the rich and poor love triangle, the romanticization of infidelity, and toxic masculinity. Problems that TV and radio show used to a degree of exhaustion. Even more so, it explores how these elements, if used in a story, can look so ridiculous.
Though "Hayop Ka!" may be considered as a commentary on the landscape of Philippine media and entertainment, one cannot ignore how problematic the film is. Yes, the film is a comedy, but there is a thin line between funny and insensitive. The film falls in the latter. It is not careful and responsible for the topics it touched, recklessly going overboard for the sake of a laugh.
It's hard to find a diamond in the film's messy narrative. It's even hard not to cringe at how it tries to justify the characters' actions and decisions. What is missing are rationality and morals. When people say that this film is not for kids, they are definitely correct as it pushes all the wrong buttons that even adults squirm in embarrassment.
Obviously, "Hayop Ka!" is a hot topic on social media upon its release. People don't want to support the film because of the premise and the voice actors' political views. Some defend the film for the hard work Filipino animators put into it. But whether which side viewers will take, "Hayop Ka!" marks a milestone in Philippine cinema as the first Netflix animated film from the Philippines.
In all fairness, the film is an achievement in terms of technicalities. 'Animation' is a genre yet to be explored by filmmakers for many sad reasons: It's costly and time-consuming. Nevertheless, filmmaker like Avid Liongoren is daring enough to exchange his time and effort to produce this kind of film.
"Hayop Ka!" is history in the making even if it tells a story that may not instigate a new wave in cinema. The film is unapologetic for being problematic and careless. It can do better with its story and voice acting. Though it might be too much to ask for this movie to be perfect, it's a waste that this film fails to consume all of it's potential. In essence, Avid Liongoren's latest film is an easy movie to hate for all of its nonsense, but it's a start to an unexplored genre.
0.5/5
