The Debut covers a well-known topic: the son of a Filipino immigrant family wants to be an artist while his father expects him to go to medical school to make the family proud.

However, although a standard plot, The Debut turned out to be one of the best films I've seen in a long time. It's delivery is fresh, lively and perfectly thought-out and executed.

The entire story plays out in one day: Ben's sister's 16th birthday. For that, the family has rented a hall and readied a family celebration but not quite the debutante ball a family with more money could afford.

Ben's grandfather flies in for the celebration and a host of family and friends join. Ben, however, would rather go to another party thrown by some school friend where the white kids, particularly a girl he has set his sights on, will be.

Ben usually hangs with two friends from school: one Hispanic, one white guy and he's obviously trying hard to keep his friends from seeing the traditional side of his family. When his friends barge into the midst of his family's celebration, though, he has to face the fact that they much rather want to explore his culture than hang at some regular school party. Soon, they also appreciate the Filipino traditions much more than he ever has.

The celebration itself is well thought-out: from the early traditional Filipino performances to the country & western music for the older folks to a hip-hop dance contest for the teens, the party's pace and intentions constantly change, making it a great backdrop for the story.

Asides from Ben's concerns about how to tell his father about his decision to defy his plans, there's also typical family drama: the girl who left her boyfriend now shows interest in Ben, which leads to a fight. Ben's father squares off with his own father who never approved of his decisions. One aunt brings her white husband who lectures the Filipino guests on how to be politically correct, and one of the young men concocts some wild and very funny theory about "the man" keeping down the Filipinos through car detailing.

The first 10 minutes of the film are somewhat rugged and I first thought I was going to suffer through another bad independent productions. After that, though, the film took off running and kept up its pace to the end.

During the celebration, Ben's father gets on stage with his old band and sings a Filipino love song for his daughter. Amazingly enough, despite not understanding a word, I actually liked the song.

The Debut is much like Mi Familia, Joy Luck Club or Real Women Have Curves, even a little like American Graffiti. It's incredibly well-done and thought-out with a mix-and-match of culture that's very fun and refreshing.

The character of Ben is played by Dante Basco who's been in several known films before (Biker Boyz, But I'm a Cheerleader, Hook). Also in the film are Dion and Derek Basco who are not only his brothers but also played in films with him (Dion in Biker Boyz, all three played in Naked Brown Men).

The film's conception dates back to 1992 and it took 8 years of fundraising, preproduction and film festivals to finally get it out as a rental. It was directed by Gene Cajayon who has no other film credits to his name, making this an even more remarkable achievement.

Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older