Maximo Oliveros, or “Maxi”, is a 12-year-old gay boy who lives in a barrio with his father and two older brothers. Despite his young age, Maxi is already open about his sexuality and has been lucky enough to be accepted by his own family. He took on responsibility for women's roles in their family: cooking, doing laundry, sewing worn-out clothes and things like that, which is not likely for children his age. Like him, I also started taking on these types of responsibilities at home as a child, the only difference is that I am lucky enough to manage them comfortably. But having to live within the poverty line, Maxi has to face her own difficulties. One of which is that he lives with criminals. His father sells phones that are stolen by his brother, Kuya Bogs, and the older brother, Kuya Boy, eventually becomes a murderer in the middle of the film. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay But through it all, Maxi's family surrounded him with a lot of love and care. This probably pushed him to do the same. She is taking care of the people she loves, taking the place of her deceased mother. She also shows compassion, especially towards Victor, a new cop in their town, on whom she had developed a crush. His compassion comes into conflict with his loyalty to his family now that he's involved on both sides. One thing I like about him is that he develops a sense of awareness; he is thrown into a world full of harsh realities and begins to question whether what he sees is right or wrong. The poverty that underlies these harsh realities is evident throughout the film. It's what drives a person to argue that crime is the only solution to last a day. There was this scene where Paco, his father, wouldn't want to risk his health working in a factory, so he insists to Maximo that this is life for them. Another sign of poverty is that Maximo is deprived of education. He also stated that when he grows up, he will just sell DVDs, unaware that they are pirated. His father appears to be the leader of a syndicate and has ties to corrupt cops. Victor refers to them as "mga Pulis na malalaki ang tiyan", which means that these policemen tolerate illegal activities as long as they benefit from it. There was also a case where an officer was involved in illegal gambling, he placed his bet on “hueteng”. A new chief was appointed in their district and had his price. Furthermore, Victor has wiped out crime from the streets, thus also killing Maximo's father This prompted the brothers to start a new life, leaving the thefts behind and finally sending Maximo to school Maximo was accepted inside his house, there was a case where he was harassed by teenagers while walking home. He was also mocked by the policemen when he entered their station. This symbolizes that during that time the homosexuals they are considered monsters and unwelcome in our society. I like Kuya Bogs, because of their overprotectiveness towards Maximo. He was closer to him than their older brother, Kuya Boy also supported he needed his comfort. One character I didn't like is Kuya Boy. His recklessness landed his brother in prison, and he didn't even admit it. There was also a part in the movie where Maximo said that after his mother's death, Kuya Boy just felt "lazy" for taking care of him. But at the end of the movie, it was revealed that Kuya Boy is not so flamboyant in his love for his brothers, he even took part.