Walking Through the Night: Petersen Vargas and the Queer Odyssey of Some Nights I Feel Like Walking

In the dark pulse of Manila, a runaway teenager finds himself drifting through unfamiliar streets. What begins as an escape soon becomes an odyssey of love, loss, and survival. This is the world of Some Nights I Feel Like Walking, the long-awaited new film from Filipino director Petersen Vargas—and one of the most talked-about queer films of the year.

A Return to Queer Storytelling

It’s been nearly a decade since Vargas made waves with 2 Cool 2 Be 4gotten. With Some Nights I Feel Like Walking, he steps back into queer narratives with a story that is raw, haunting, and deeply human. At its heart is a wealthy teenage runaway who joins a group of hustlers on a nocturnal journey across the city, fulfilling the last wish of a fallen friend.

The result is a road movie unlike any other: intimate, restless, and alive with the grit of the streets.

Global Journey, Local Premiere

The film has already carved a path across the international festival circuit, from Tallinn in Estonia to Brazil, Singapore, Indonesia, and South Korea. At Tallinn Black Nights, it even took home the award for Best Score—a testament to the sonic force driving its narrative.

Now, after months of global screenings, Some Nights I Feel Like Walking returns to where it belongs. The film premiered in the Philippines during the QCinema RainbowQC Pride Film Festival and is set for a nationwide theatrical release on August 27, 2025.

Rated R-18: Boundaries and Freedom

The Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) gave the film an R-18 rating, restricting its audience to adults only. The reasons are clear—mature sexual content, LGBTQ themes, and unflinching portrayals of life at the margins.

For Vargas, however, this restriction only underscores the film’s urgency. It is not a story softened for comfort. It is a portrait of survival, desire, and the fragile bonds that keep us human.

The Sound of the Streets

Music plays an unforgettable role. Siblings Aly and Moe Cabral composed a score that weaves experimental noise, silence, and beats with the rhythm of Manila itself. Budots tracks from DJ Danz and DJ Van Pao crash into scenes alongside the fierce rhymes of trans pinay rapper Pette Shabu. The soundtrack is chaotic, hypnotic, and distinctly Filipino.

It’s no surprise the work earned international recognition—Best Score at Tallinn—placing the Cabrals alongside some of today’s most daring film composers.

Why This Film Matters

Some Nights I Feel Like Walking isn’t just a film about queerness; it’s a film about movement. About searching for home when home feels impossible. About wandering into the night, and the connections found in its shadows.

For Filipino cinema, it represents a bolder step into queer storytelling that refuses to dilute itself for mainstream tastes. And for audiences, it’s a chance to witness a director at the height of his craft, returning with a story that is as tender as it is unrelenting.

“Some Nights I Feel Like Walking” opens in Philippine theaters on August 27, 2025. Rated R-18.