Inter.m@tes premiered at NewFest 2004. Audience comments, forwarded by Basil Tsiokos, Festival Director, ranged from the dismissive - "silly, insubstantial; embarrassingly stereotypical; clichéd" - to the supportive ... "very good, loved it; loved the bitchiness of some of the characters; interesting insights into how HIV/AIDS and gay identity is treated in other cultures; drama drama drama! I loved this movie; surprisingly full of humor; LOVED the melodramatic elements; a good lesson on promiscuity and its emotional, psychological and physical potential consequences; like a really fun soap opera that you never want to end; while many of the characters were the too-prevalent Asian queen stereotype, the film went beyond the stereotypes to show a nicely balanced group of gay Asian men; I would love to see these characters again." Reproduced with his permission, Oskar Atadero, in his 'gayrap' column (Mr. & Mrs. March 30, 2004) critiques: "Inter.m@tes is as complicated as the confusing and endlessly overlapping circles of friends and enemies in the Filipino gay community. The film cunningly imitates the nature of the internet chat itself.The twists and turns of the story about eight gay yuppies and a rent boy, who makes their life hell, resonate with the real-life 'dagdag-bawas' way we embellish reality with gossip. In the process, the cybergay community, in Inter.m@tes, creates idols, destroys reputations, introduces lovers and instigates treacherous splits. Suffice to say, Inter.m@tes, with its realistic portrayal of middle-class gay lifestyles, is a smashingly fine film."
