“An entertaining and affecting portrayal of a Filipino family.”

Research done last year found that there are over two million Filipino overseas workers (OFWs). These workers are scattered over five different continents, with the majority of them living in neighboring Asian countries. In Jun Lana’s latest dramedy And the Breadwinner Is… he shines a light on one of these modern-day heroes. The film follows gay protagonist Bambi Salvador, who has been working in Taiwan for over a decade already, serving at multiple jobs from night club entertainer to factory worker and hairdresser, some even simultaneously, so she can provide for her relatives back in the Philippines. It’s a big family, so to speak — her mother, her younger brother and his family, and her two other siblings. She regularly receives updates from the home front on the progress of the new house she has been building for them, a nest egg for when she plans to retire.

When Bambi, as a surprise, returns to the Philippines after opting not to renew her contract, she is faced with a huge shock when she realizes that her entire family was faking it and stringing her along with all the updates they had been sharing with her. Upon learning this, Bambi storms off and suffers a severe accident. She survives, but not without her family thinking she is dead, which would mean they receive a large sum of insurance money. This puts Bambi in the odd circumstance of having to play along and fake her own death so that she and her family can take advantage of the huge financial windfall at stake.

Jun Lana is one of the biggest champions of putting LGBTQ characters front and center in Philippine cinema’s current landscape. Whether it was old Rene in 2012’s Bwakaw or the fabulous Trisha Echevarria in 2016’s Die Beautiful, Lana’s constant push to highlight queer characters and their everyday stories remains a breath of fresh air. Bambi is gay, old, and has chosen to sidetrack her own personal dreams and endeavors just so she can provide for her family. By shining a spotlight on this protagonist, with all her professional and personal struggles, Lana creates a very effective and sympathetic character.

What makes the character even more special is Lana’s decision to cast Vice Ganda, the biggest queer figure in Philippine entertainment right now. In her breakout serious role Ganda, a household name for over a decade, is possibly the best stunt Lana could have pulled off given the nature of Bambi as a character. It’s a genius move for both Lana and Ganda, the former casting the most notable name right now and the latter collaborating with Lana, signifying a notable career shift towards serious acting. It is an ideal match, and it does not take the director-actor pairing long to find their rhythm.

And the Breadwinner Is… unfortunately gets bogged down by trying to strike the perfect balance between drama and comedy, making it feel like the film does not go beyond testing the waters until the very end. But given its intentions of featuring a different OFW story at its center, the film is still an entertaining and affecting portrayal of a Filipino family.