Along the lines of Lino Brocka's better known "Macho Dancer", this is a Filipino melodrama of an innocent country boy (the eponymous Boatman) who ends up in the flesh trade in big city Manila as the male half of a live sex show. While clearly seeking to condemn the social conditions that push poor people into such work, the director appears to be trying to have it both ways by making the sex show scenes attractively erotic, with good camera-work aided by the undeniable beauty of the female co-star.
I won't give away the ending, but suffice it to say that the poor in the Philippines rarely come out on top.
I won't give away the ending, but suffice it to say that the poor in the Philippines rarely come out on top.