The boys of Hawaii (from left):  Jayron Munoz, Kaipo Dudoit, Bryant de Venecia, Kaleo Pinto, Dan Francis Rodriguez

"My Partner" is a cultural boys' love drama, if there's such a phrase. There's much more to it aside from the main plot of two boys being drawn to each other as a result of a school project. It opens one's eyes to life in rural Hawaii, what happens in a typical household, and the connections within the community. There's also ample time to marvel at the geography of Hawaii while watching, particularly Maui island with its majestic valleys and mountains.

The good news for Filipino BL fans is that "My Partner" will have special screenings in Metro Manila; San Nicolas, Ilocos Norte; and Panglao, Bohol. This is owing to the fact that some of the movie's cast and crew are Filipinos and they have relatives in the Philippines.

What is the movie all about? It revolves around the lives of the two lead characters - Edmar, who is Filipino by blood (played by Jayron Muñoz), and Pili, a native Hawaiian student-athlete  (portrayed by Kaipo Dudoit). They come from opposing peer groups but have to work together as a team in their school in Hawaii.

It was quite striking how Pili first came off as masculine. He even has a girlfriend. Edmar, too, is in an arranged marriage set-up with a Pinay back home in Ilocos. But as Edmar and Pili spend a lot of time together on and off school, feelings slowly develop. They have their first kiss in a  camping tent.

'My Partner' official poster

Maui judge and attorney Lance Collins, who wrote the script for "My Partner," said he thought of a coming-of-age love between two boys because he is  "a huge BL fan."

However, he pointed out: " When I was growing up,  the representation of same-sex desire was always problematic. There was always somebody who wanted to jump off the cliff because of a broken heart. I felt that it was important to be happy and not problematize the fact that people fall in love, and it happens to be two boys."

Lance revealed that the movie came about because they had a grant " to do a web series that would tackle the environmental issues facing the Hawaiian people. We were facing a deadline. I worked for 10 hours a day, six days a week. "My Partner' is the condensed version of the web series."

The next problem was casting. Lance - who is part-Filipino - said his script was originally in Ilocano and when sent out an announcement for a casting call, "we didn't get a single response. Maybe because the tight-knit Ilocano community in Hawaii thought BL was soft porn? But once I changed the script to Tagalog, over 700 people wanted to be part of the movie."

Alakaʻi Lastimado (Uncle Jack) and Kaipo Dudoit (Pili) do the traditional Hawaiian dance

Jayron, who was chosen to be the lead, did not have any acting experience but comes off as natural and lovable. Maybe because he was drawing from the wealth of his own experience.

He remarked: "When I was in middle school and high school,  I wasn't out of the closet and it was really hard. If I hang out with the LGBT group, I was afraid that others would judge me. And if I hang out with straight people, it was hard to pretend that I liked the same things as them. So my role in the movie is my chance to express myself."

Both Jayron and Lance were present during the special screening of "My Partner" in Mandaluyong City's Shangri-La Mall. The BL film is directed by Keli'i Grace using the  "Pono Process," which is described as a respectful and righteous filmmaking process

"My Partner"  has won the Audience Award at the 2023 Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival. It has been selected to join several distinguished international competitions, including LGBTQ Unbordered International Film Festival in the US.