Loneliness attenuates the context of love. When two people in solitude unite and realize their shared aims of happiness, they will easily break through the boundaries of the norms. Neither age nor gender supervenes. Dose is about a relationship of a twelve year old boy and the male house gardener with hints of sexual intonations. Whether or not it has broken the margin of social order, it is silly not to show gratitude to the very inspiration of the dreams of a boy to become who he will be and has become.

Edy's (Fritz Chavez) family is not well off. So his mother decides to have Edy be taken care by his Aunt Helen (Irma Adlawan). Edy is supposedly not loved by his mother that is why he gives in to all his loneliness by playing dolls and mimicking lines from the movies he watches. Meanwhile, Danny (Yul Servo) is the gardener of the house. Danny tries to befriend Edy. Danny also has a lonely past and he shares most of his sentiments to Edy. With their friendship going-on, they reach a point where they are warranted to succumb to each other's desire of love and affection.

The story material itself is thought provoking. It has convened several layers of forbidden acts. The treatment of the material has achieved decency without relying too much on skin exposure. It works solely on one's own cognitive process. Would a person be maddened with how the relationship of the two progressed? Would a person think beyond what they see in the sequences portrayed? Unconsciously, any person viewing this film would partake towards this kind of psychological reckoning. Que's efforts in blurring the inconceivable aspect of most of the situations did work very well. Well, it still depends on who watches the film.

Edy's character wants to be a writer and a film director. He gets to watch every Vilma Santos film that is shown during the 1980 era. Edy starts to imitate the swim ala-Dyesebel from Emmanuel Borlaza's Si Dyesebel at ang Mahiwagang Kabibe. Then he tries to dance and wiggle his hips in accordance to the film by Celso Ad Castillo's Burlesk Queen. Together with Danny, they sneak from their house and watch a Joey Gosiengfiao's Temptation Island. I would not even wonder the percentage of truth towards the writing process itself. It could be partly true. It is almost a right of passage for some.

Truly, a personal film like Dose could not escape certain questions pointed to the writer/director. Given it is personal, there could have other meanings purported to the idea of the genre. It has the verisimilitude benefits of believing what you have seen and it is now the truth. Supposedly, you will ask the director of the percentage of truth within the film. He will definitely not answer or be partial about it. A certain sequence in the film shows the forty year old Edy (Emilio Garcia) watching in a theatre while hearing his younger counterpart crying. It gives us a hint of reminiscence. The film clips within the film is a form of inspiration towards his dreams. Danny could have not been his lover. But when we watch the film, Edy's dream comes true that somehow, even within the film, they have been united.

Rating: 3/5