It’s only through fiction, be it literature or theater or film, that one can find true joy in brutal, eye-for-an-eye type of revenge. By all means, the world is such a complex place where there are no real shades of black and white. Everything is gray and we are all interconnected in some way or another. Other films tell us that. But in fiction, events and people can be black and white, and this is where Dan Villegas (with a script by Dodo Dayao) leans into the fantasy and manages to exact some level of catharsis for all the viewers of his latest film, ‘Uninvited.’
The story takes place in one night during the party of a wealthy criminal, Guilly Vega (Aga Muhlach) as he and his crew are the target of Eva Candelaria (Vilma Santos), a gatecrasher to the party who plans to take her revenge for the rape and murder of her daughter, Lily (Gabby Padilla).
The story builds by use of clever flashbacks to help establish motives and blurs the moral lines and help us see the full range of Guilly’s transgressions; and not just to Eva Candelaria but also to his wife, Katrina (Mylene Dizon), and his daughter Nicole (Nadine Lustre).
Everything about this film is slick and glossy from Paolo Orendain’s crisp cinematography to Mica Tatad-King’s exquisite production design. The film borders on camp but not as much as I originally thought from watching the trailer. There is a feeling of the hyper-real here so that the characters can exist as symbols of larger themes. Muhlach’s Gully Vega is downright evil, and he knows it and he is unafraid to posture and grandstand because he knows his money and power will protect him as they have this whole time. Dayao’s script and Villegas’ direction gives Muhlach a chance to really play and inhabit a dark and scary place for his character and as much as he comes off as a one-dimensional evil villain; there’s some truth to this character when one is aware of what’s happening all over the world with very rich men getting away with very awful crimes.
The hyper-reality of the film allows us to fully support Eva Candelaria in her quest to exact vengeance on all who had ruined and killed her daughter and her boyfriend, Tofy (Elijah Canlas). That includes Vega’s right-hand man Jigger Zulueta (RK Bagatsing), bodyguard Batac (Cholo Barretto), his connection to the police, Randall (Gio Alvarez), and his recruiter, Jomar (Ketchup Eusebio). Vilma Santos is the only character who is allowed to settle into the gray areas of this dark fable. She’s resolute with her quest for retribution but she’s no cold-hearted killer. She is able to convey the range of emotions one feels in the middle of the birthday party of your daughter’s killer. She is angry and scared and the feeling of loss is so palpable in her every movements while she is trying her best to keep it together.
As a suspense/thriller, the film takes a whole hour to really build the tension. Most of the brutal violence are committed through the flashbacks and early on, we are already on Eva’s side and everyone in the cinema with me, including myself, were waiting for Eva to make her first kill. But Villegas continues to juggle all the moving pieces of his film – the weary right-hand man, the sly wife, the daughter who hates her father, and many others – preparing us for a third act when all of the pent-up tension finally explodes, and it is as delicious as the film’s visuals and excellent casting choices. It’s a long wait but it feels worth it.
The danger here is that as extreme as this story is, it’s not far off from the many real-world crimes that are committed by people in power today. And just like in the movie, these people are untouchable by the law. Much like the current new storm of the Health Insurance CEO killing in the United States by an ordinary citizen who has had enough, the fact that this film can create sympathy and empathy with Eva Candelaria and what she’s about to do is a powerful political statement about the current systems of the world today. Much like one lady behind me in the cinema said rather loudly in Tagalog, “I can’t wait for her to kill them already.”
Aside from the savvy filmmaking involved, the performances by Muhlach and Santos and by the rest of the cast including Lotlot De Leon as Tofy’s mother really help make this world shine. It’s a dark and twisted story to tell but it does in a way that makes it fun and thrilling.
My Rating:
Uninvited is now showing in cinemas. Check showtimes and buy your tickets here.
