Boatman

In Japan, the euphemistic term for the sex cinema is "pink films" (pinku-eiga) or "roman poruno" (romance pornography). In 1980s, the Philippines produced a somewhat similar sex genre, called "bomba" or bold films, which used female nudity or sex scenes as their selling points. This period coincided with the continuation of martial law under the then President Marcos. Along with slapstick comedies, they served as escapist distractions from the socio-political unrest and repression. The most famous landmark bomba of artistic merit was made 16 years ago. It was Tikoy Aguiluz' Boatman (1984), about the tragedy of a couple who did live sex shows but the film actually highlighted the problems of poverty, repression, crime and violence in the final years of the corrupt Marcos regime. (Published in the Singapore International Film Festival 2000 Catalogue.)