Lost in all the Sonic mania is the news that Gareth Evans (The Raid 1 and 2) adapted a mediocre PSP game for television:
Berlin Hidden Gem: Death of Nintendo Depicts Coming-of-Age Tale From the Philippines
"This film is Stand by Me … with circumcision."
While the kids are focused on familiar obsessions — video games, sex, even ghosts — the filmmakers surround them with specific insights into life Philippines-style, including re-created scenes of the public flagellation ceremonies that accompany Easter across the predominantly Catholic nation each year, as well as the traditions of tuli, or circumcision, for boys just prior to the full onset of puberty.
There exists two common ways of undergoing tuli: either the traditional way by a local village circumciser or having it done by medical practitioners in a hospital or clinical setting.
The traditional circumcision makes use of a curved piece of wood which is anchored into the ground. The protruding part of this apparatus is pointed at its end: the foreskin of the boy being circumcised is drawn over this protruding part. The circumciser rests his knife lengthwise across the boy's foreskin and then a quick blow is made with a stick, slicing the upper foreskin into two and exposing the glans. Prior to and while the procedure is being performed, the boy is told to chew guava leaves. The masticated guava leaves are applied onto the wound as a poultice and is bandaged. The boy is then to wash off in the cold waters of a nearby river.
