Petersen Vargas’ body of work specializes on LGBT+ representation. After having its world premiere at the 28th Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival, his fifth feature film, Some Nights I Feel Like Walking, premiered at the 35th Singapore International Film Festival.

This film’s journey was long. It started brewing in the director’s head around 2017. “We made this for six years,” says Petersen. “Finally, we are fortunate to have our Southeast Asian premiere at the Singapore International Film Festival.”

A group of male sex workers form a family, cruising the dirty streets of Manila, servicing gay clients inside a dilapidated movie theater. “As you watch this film, you kind of feel you are walking the streets of Manila, peeking into the love and friendships being formed on these very streets,” muses the 32-year-old filmmaker from Pampanga.

The streets of Manila opened Petersen’s eyes to gay sexuality. “It was through cruising that I discovered who I was,” he confesses. “In order to tell the story, I had to look into the lives of the street hustlers, inspired by the very brief lives I have encountered on the streets.”

The 2 Cool 2 Be 4gotten director wanted to make a film about masculinity and sympathy, but with the purpose of shedding light on the tenderness I have encountered despite the dangerous nature of these encounters,” he added.

Actors Jomari Angeles and newcomer Miguel Odron were at the Singapore premiere to share their insights. Miguel, a first-time actor, plays Zion, a mysterious guy who comes from a rich family, moonlighting as a sex worker. His encounter with Uno (Jomari Angeles) ignites a special bond that threatens Uno’s close-knit buddies.

“The movie is really a film about bodies—how bodies are valued by the state,” says Miguel. “He’s (Zion) beat up, he comes from an abusive home.”

Meanwhile, Uno’s character develops kindness toward the stowaway Zion. “We had intimacy workshop to make us comfortable in our scenes,” says Jomari. “I just really trusted Petersen and my instincts in this film. I just tried to be present, to be in the moment in every scene.”

Petersen is behind the box-office hits, A Very Good Girl starring Kathryn Bernardo and Dolly de Leon, and Un/Happy for You starring Joshua Garcia and Julia Barretto.

But he has kept his feet on the ground, doing his personal independent queer projects. “It was deliberate for me to make a film about the city, but more about the bodies of these boys—to experience the wounds and scars or how their bodies interact,” reflects Petersen.

There is a “queer oasis” in the 103-minute film when Moira Lang welcomes the two protagonists in a town where they all belong. Dreaming and illusion merge with reality.

When one of the buddies becomes a victim of drug overdose, reality sets in: Life is unfair and unjust. But the brotherhood is kept intact, through thick and thin. Around a bonfire, they finally find their home.

Some Nights I Feel Like Walking was developed in Southeast Asia Fiction Film Lab (SEAFIC), Locarno Open Doors, and Cannes Cinefondation Atelier. The project has also received support from the Singapore Film Commission and the Film Development Council of the Philippines.