BL film ‘At Least We Had This Moment’ brings up queers’ yearning for third spaces

Everyone may find themselves forever confined to two spaces: their home and their work. But beyond these spaces’ walls is this constant yearning for a third where one can foster genuine connections — with others and themselves.

Through the lens of queer experiences, this is what the Boys’ Love (BL) film “At Least We Had This Moment” delves deep into.

After its successful premiere at the Queer East Film Festival in London, this Joshua de Vera masterpiece is set to screen at the 25th Korea Queer Film Festival — the largest LGBTQ-themed film festival in South Korea — on June 25. 

Moments of finding a space 

The story follows the exploration of film photographer Dino and his guide, Vince, played respectively by Raven Rigor and Andre Miguel, as they navigate the historic streets of Escolta in Manila. Fed up with the city’s tricky routes, the two took a different turn.

In their pursuit of capturing the beauty of the city’s architecture, they discover more about themselves, and their stories echo the community’s longing for a space where they can run to.

Inspired by the director’s real-life heartbreak, de Vera detailed a story that made his old go-to places become a ghost living in his memory.

Losing someone with whom he navigated unfamiliar streets and alleys, along with his sentimentality with these places, gave birth to this slow-burn, yearning-driven film.

“Aside from losing my partner, I also lost a place I can run to since I remember my ex everywhere,” he told INQUIRER.net.

With third spaces meant to be where one sees oneself grow further as an individual, de Vera believes the lack of accessible places often stands as a hindrance to self-discovery.

“The most unfortunate now [in the issue of third spaces] are the queer people because we are yearning for a community, and it is difficult to find one especially because there are no open spaces for the community,” he explained.

Although there are already growing rooms dedicated to the community, like the local drag scene, questions of accessibility still linger for de Vera.

Yearning for moments of genuine representation

Produced by SBSG Studios, an all-queer production house, along with 901 Studios and Astral88 Production, the film answers the community’s longing for genuine representation.

De Vera is grateful that the film has helped build communities and encouraged more support for genuine, similarly themed films.

“It looked like we helped with the campaign to bring back BL again, in a sense that the narratives are genuinely for the queer community,” he says.

Moreover, he believes that queer-themed films, particularly the BL genre, are slowly making their way to the mainstream. But the thought of them becoming out of trend persists.

“[The film] is a testament that even if the genre ‘dies,’ we will not stop […] May it be trending or not, queer filmmakers will not stop telling their stories,” de Vera expressed.

De Vera also called for studios and production houses to support and trust more queer films in the future.

“For us, we are passionate to tell a story [but] the reason why there are no mainstream BL [films] is because it is not being prioritized,” the young filmmaker said, pointing out the particular lack of support and resources in production.

Although this poses a challenge to the films’ potential reach, the quest to produce genuine queer representation in the media continues.

Moments to remember

Now, de Vera is grateful that “At Least We Had This Moment” is sparking conversations not only locally but also internationally. But de Vera remains grounded in his utmost goal.

“More than the recognition, it is overwhelming, I’m thankful, but I’m happier now that the film served its goal — to occupy space, to create a community of queer and non-queer people who watched the film,” he says.

Recognizing other BL stories that have also garnered attention here and abroad, as well as the growing support and interest in similarly themed films, the young director believes it is time for queer stories to thrive in the industry.

The filmmaker looks forward to joining more film festivals, which he considers the main avenue for taking up more spaces and bringing queer narratives closer to the world. – Charles Vincent Nagaño, INQUIRER.net trainee  

/ra