Tag: MMFF

MMFF 2025 Review: I’mPerfect

After watching I’mPerfect, I realised I knew very little about people with Down syndrome. Over the course of the film’s 131-minute running time, I was thrust into a world that really made me face my ignorance and broadened my understanding of their condition. At first, my biggest worry was whether the film would exploit their disability for drama, but I’m happy to have seen these characters portrayed not only with agency, but also shown in the most human way possible. The film explores their wants and needs and presents them as equal as those who do not share the same condition.

The story follows two people living with Down Syndrome, Jessica (Krystel Go) and Jiro (Earl Amaba). The two meet at school and fall in love almost instantly. Jessica lives with her single mother, Norma (Sylvia Sanchez) and her absentee father (Joey Marquez) suddenly return to their lives, regretting his decision to leave them when Jessica was born.

Jiro comes from an affluent family of doctors. His mother, Lizel (Lorna Tolentino), is overprotective and clings to him tightly, while his father (Tonton Gutierrez) is way more lax. Jiro is also close to his younger brother, Ryan (Zaijan Jaranilla). When both mothers dismiss the relationship blossoming between their children, Jessica and Jiro decide to elope and run away to the province to prove that they are adults (which they are) and capable of being independent.

I’mPerfect, directed and written by Sigrid Andrea Bernardo, takes care to really show Jessica, Jiro, and all their friends as lively and vibrant people. They go through the familiar narrative beats of any romantic comedy, only punctuated by their particular speech patterns and movements.

At first, it feels almost comical until you realise that what’s filtering it is our own blind spots. We are so used to abled-bodied people in this genre that seeing others go through the exact same things we do can feel alien and strange.

By the time Jessica and Jiro make it to their school dance, and Bernardo gives them a lovely sequence where everyone is dancing, happy and free, do we start to realise our own biases.

Bernardo also takes special care to really emphasize the dynamics of each relationship – Jiro with his family and Jessica with hers – and we really see that despite their disability, they are grown adults (Jessica is 28 and Jiro is turning 30) and they stand firm in the decisions they are making about their lives.

In some ways, the way Jessica and Jiro stand up to their parents becomes symbolic of how people with Down syndrome are asking from us to treat them the way they want to be treated. The film manages to make us face our own misconceptions about people with this condition and see them for who they truly are.

I can say this safely because these are the feelings that hit me as I was watching the film, and it was the same things the people in the row behind me, who could not help themselves but speak out loud about their own realisations. By the end of the movie, we were all rooting for Jessica and Jiro’s independence.

This film is revelatory in that way, using the genre to fully maximize film’s ability to broaden the audience’s world and to represent a sector of society that is voiceless in our society and culture. It made us laugh and cry, and, more importantly, it allowed us to see without the filter of our preconceived notions. In that sense, the film is truly successful.

There are times when the film slips to scenes that feel pedagogical, with the able-bodied characters talking about their feelings in a very literal manner. It’s inelegant and a bit inorganic in the way it was written but I understand the need for it. But it is in these moments that the film works its transformational magic on the audience. While it is not as cinematic as I might hope, but it does what it sets out to do.

The performances here are very strong. Sylvia Sanchez and Janice De Belen, who plays Jiro’s former nanny, are so in the pocket with the film’s world that their portrayals allow Go and Amaba to truly shine, and playing off the more experienced actors. The scenes between Ryan and Jiro are also particularly strong, showcasing the wonderful chemistry between Amaba and Jaranilla.

I’mPerfect can get pedantic at some points, but the power of film lies in how it amplifies the voices of people who are never really properly represented in film or in society. It does a powerful job of showing their humanity in the most familiar ways.

My Rating: 3 Stars

Experience the heart, humor, and humanity of I’mPerfect. Check showtimes now and see this uplifting story on the big screen.

January 2, 2026
MMFF 2025 Review: Shake, Rattle & Roll: Evil Origins

The Shake, Rattle & Roll has become a sort of MMFF tradition – the staple horror film of the season – and it makes its return to the festival with its 17th installment Shake, Rattle & Roll: Evil Origins. As per usual, the film is divided into three shorter films, an anthology of horror films, usually by three different filmmakers (some earlier installments were directed by only one or a pair of filmmakers). But this time, there’s a twist. For the first time ever, the three stories are sort of interconnected; telling stories from three different timelines but with a narrative link.

The first film, set in 1775, is set in a cloister, where a mysterious crate arrives and holds a dark evil within. If the darkness within isn’t terrible enough, the nuns have their own issues to deal with, including the harsh, rigid leadership of Madre Juana (Janice De Belen).

Shake, Rattle & Roll: Evil Origins

A lot of the nuns and novitiates have a dark past, and even one is held captive (Carla Abellana) for her prophetic visions. Director Shugo Praico amps up the claustrophobia, keeping the scares in tight spaces and in the darkness of candlelight and lamplights. What makes this segment unwieldy is how the dramatic set-up feels better suited for a full-length.

Shake, Rattle & Roll: Evil Origins

The film is probably less than an hour but there are so many characters – played by Loisa Andalio, Ysabel Ortega, Ashley Ortega, Elijah Alejo, Arlene Muhlach, and Ara Mina – and each with their backstory, the film gives us all this narrative material but never really gets to explore these before the evil is released and begins wrecking havoc.

Shake, Rattle & Roll: Evil Origins

There are some really frightful scenes and its share of jump scares but the narrative is too bogged down by all its characters. It doesn’t help that the nun’s habit only gives us the faces of the actors that it’s quite difficult to tell them apart in some scenes. The dramatic set-up and each novitiate’s backstory is really something that they could have explored more and could fill up a full 90 minutes.

The second segment, set in 2025, is the strongest of the three and is a lot of fun to watch. Historically, the second segment of ‘Shake, Rattle & Roll’ is usually a comedy horror, and while ‘2025’ does have its share of laughs, it operates more in the realm of the thriller and the slasher film.

Set during a Halloween masquerade ball in the basement of some unidentified structure, teens have to survive when they are attacked by a vicious cult, who need human blood and sacrifices for a demonic ritual. DirectorJoey De Guzman stylizes his scenes for a hypnotic aesthetic amplified by the excellent score by Mikhail Ali Hooshmand but still manages to take the time to really allow us to get to know our protagonists – Faye (Francine Diaz) and Sky (Sassa Gurl) – who are gatecrashing the party so they can steal from the rich kids at the rave.

But Faye catches the eye of Sean (Seth Fedelin), a rich kid with some issues with his father who is a politician. Along with DJ Elle (Fyang Smith) and James (JM Ibarra) and a few others, the survivors of the initial attack must now play a deadly game of hide and seek all over the underground complex to find the elevator to get them out of this death trap.

Joining them is Faye’s parents, Malena (Manilyn Reynes) and Bano (Alex Calleja), who are catering for the party, who have access to the other parts of that complex.

‘2025’ is a fun, slasher film with Diaz and Fedelin showing strong chemistry and handling the genre very well. As actors, they hold your attention and get you to care. Reynes is always a strong actress and elevates the piece by giving Faye and Sky someone to really care for but it’s Sassa Gurl who really stands out and elicits the strongest laughs.

Sassa Gurl’s Sky becomes more than just a comic relief and her interactions with Francine Diaz’s Faye also helps the audience to invest in these characters – which is so important in a slasher film.

The final segment, directed by Ian Lorenos, is set in the future. Entitled ‘2050,’ the film is set in a post-apocalyptic Manila where aswangs have ruled the earth and the remaining humans are in hiding.

Edris (Ivana Alawi) is in search of a woman who may have the key to stopping the aswangs for good and comes across a small community of survivors: Rosdan (Richard Gutierrez), his brother Riel (Dustin Yu), Dong (Matt Lozano), Dong’s younger sister Drea (Celyn David), and Rosdan and Riel’s aunt Malena (Manilyn Reynes).

‘2050’ relies heavily on CGI to reimagine a ruined Manila while the film takes on the action and horror genre. While the film serves well as the finale for this trilogy, this film can also be adapted for a full-length but the screenplay by Noreen Capili and Gina Marissa Tagasa keeps it simple so that it can hold on its own at its shortened length. What burdens the film is that the action sequences can be quite messy and chaotic, that we don’t get to feel the full force of the spills and thrills.

Shake, Rattle & Roll: Evil Origins

While Gutierrez is very comfortable in the action genre from his previous work, the others don’t do as well so it sometimes feels that Lorenos is directing around the limited capabilities of some of his cast.

Shake, Rattle & Roll: Evil Origins

It could hit harder, could be shot with a little more clarity of the choreography so we can enjoy the full range of action that the film offers. There are enough moments to get the audience to scream but this could have been tighter and more stronger.

Shake, Rattle & Roll: Evil Origins

Surprisingly, Shake, Rattle & Roll: Evil Origins is a lot more gory and brutal than I remember the franchise to be – probably an influence over our times – but it has the DNA of a proper Pinoy horror flick.

My Rating: 2.5 Stars

Check showtimes now and catch Shake, Rattle & Roll: Evil Origins on the big screen. This MMFF horror staple is best experienced where the screams are loudest.

December 29, 2025
MMFF 2025 Review: Bar Boys: After School

There’s something warm and fuzzy about Bar Boys: After School. A direct sequel of director Kip Oebanda’s Bar Boys, which came out in 2017, the film follows the characters from the first movie almost a decade later, as as they face new challenges and witness a whole new batch of law students preparing to take the bar exams. Bar Boys: After School, directed once again by Kip Oebanda and written by Oebanda, Carlo Catu, and Zig Dulay, feels like a tight hug in what some would describe as a really tough year. The movie leans into sentimentality and even being corny at times, but as the film unfolds, I found myself asking, “Why not?”

The movie is meant to inspire, to appeal to the kindness of the Filipino people, and to take lawyers to task in preserving the law and fighting for justice. There’s an ambiguity surrounding the role of lawyers in the first film – a discussion that was made about whether criminals have a right to a strong legal defense – and while it was discussed, was never really given a definitive answer. In the sequel, we see through one of the main characters, Erik Vicencio (Carlo Aquino), that he has taken this to heart and works at a law firm that helps underprivileged people, sometimes accepting crops as payment instead of cash, as that is what his clients can afford.

Bar Boys: After School

Torran Garcia (Rocco Nacino) questions his role as a corporate lawyer, finding more meaning and value in teaching law at a school.

Bar Boys: After School

It’s his story that connects us to the younger cast, which includes Trisha Perez (Sassa Gurl), a trans woman vying to graduate with honors, and Arvin Asuncion (Will Ashley), struggling working part-time to pay for his studies.

All of this unfolds while Justice Hernandez (Odette Khan), the mentor to the four main characters, lies in the hospital with a terminal illness.

Gone are the neutrality and bare-faced facts of the first film (though it had a lot of heart). Now, Bar Boys: After School is presenting to us the ideal. As each character goes through personal challenges – additionally, among the main cast, Christian Carlson (Enzo Pineda) returns home from America as he is coming to terms with the breakup of his marriage, while Joshua Zuniga (Kean Cipriano) is now a has-been actor who is going to law school himself – the film takes the most heartwarming road toward a positive resolution. It doesn’t shy away from the hardship, we get to see it firsthand, but it is always aiming for something that will uplift your spirits.

Bar Boys: After School

I found myself resisting the film at the beginning, but as the film continued, I found myself warming up to the warm embrace of its goodness. For the Christmas season – and for all the tough times that may come in 2026 – this movie feels like the warm hug I mentioned earlier. Oebanda painstakingly creates a fiction that inspires and motivates us to be better. It’s so sincere, and that sincerity, in all honesty, is refreshing. I’m happy for it.

Unfortunately, the film is weighed down by its large cast and the need to give each character a moment and a storyline. The strongest storyline here is that of Erik Vicencio and his battle for justice for some farmers, Toran Garcia and his role as a teacher, and Justice Hernandez and what she means to people. Aligned with this, all of Toran’s students, Trisha and Arvin and CJ (Therese Malvar), help solidify the film’s thematic core. Sadly, the storylines of Christian Carlson and Joshua Zuniga don’t necessarily fit squarely into the film and seem like they are only there for the purpose of continuing the stories of their characters. I honestly wouldn’t have minded if they took more of a supporting role, as the film is strongest when it works with the three storylines of Erik, Toran, and Justice Hernandez.

The whole cast, though, is very strong. There are fantastic performances all around, with Odette Khan and Sassa Gurl standing out with such strong performances, but the ones that stood out most for me are those of Rocco Nacino, Will Ashley, and Sheila Francisco, who plays a lawyer representing the landowners at odds with Erik’s clients. Francisco embodies the antithesis of Justice Hernandez and relishes the role, without ever turning her into a caricature. It’s a role with little screen time but with great impact on the entire film. If the movie is meant to inspire goodness and kindness, Francisco is ably allowing a contrast.

Rocco Nacino is effortless in his portrayal of Toran. He is the moment, in his character’s skin, that everything he says and does feels spontaneous and right in the pocket. He comes off so naturally that it never feels like acting.

Will Ashley, meanwhile, is a powerhouse. He draws you into Arvin Asuncion and makes it real, making his character’s struggles palpable, tangible. There is a scene (as seen in the trailer) where he talks about his hardships that had me completely attentive and I just started crying. He musters a vulnerability that grabs you and, and having seen his other MMFF film Love You So Bad, I can see he has incredible range. He’s going to be a star

Bar Boys: After School is a refreshing, feel-good movie that doesn’t resort to escapism but instead appeals to our best nature, inspiring us to do good and be good. It feels like a film from another time, yet it is so well-suited for the era we’re in. It’s the perfect film for the MMFF.

My Rating: 3.5 Stars

Catch Bar Boys: After School this MMFF and feel the warmth, inspiration, and heart that only this film can deliver, don’t miss it! Get showtimes here.

December 28, 2025
MMFF 2025 Review: Unmarry

I’m a huge fan of director Jeffrey Jeturian’s work. From his earlier films like Pila Balde and Tuhog, which I teach in my class, to his gritty, award-winning film Kubrador and the hilarious satire Ekstra, Jeturian has a keen eye for detail, bringing them out to the forefront in his stories while using cinematic techniques to make these narratives touch upon universal themes. So, naturally, I was excited to see his return to the MMFF with Unmarry, a film that tackles annulment but, with screenwriters Chris Martinez and Therese Cayaba, approaches it in a very human, very Pinoy way.

At the law office of Attorney Jacqueline Lambridas (Eugene Domingo), Celine (Angelica Panganiban) and Ivan (Zanjoe Marudo) meet in a full rom-com set-up.

Unmarry | Attorney Jacqueline Lambridas (Eugene Domingo)

Unmarry | Celine (Angelica Panganiban)

Unmarry | Ivan (Zanjoe Marudo)

Celine is filing for an annulment from her controlling, misogynistic husband, Stephen (Tom Rodriguez), while Ivan needs a lawyer as his wife, Maya (Solenn Heussaff), is filing one for their marriage.

The two end up bonding over their shared predicament, though they’re on the opposite sides of the case, Celine wants to separate while Ivan wants to fight the annulment, as both find kindred spirits in each other.

The film goes through each step of the annulment process, with Celine and Ivan find themselves leaning on one another as their whole lives are laid bare out into the open: all their mistakes, their vulnerabilities, and their weaknesses come into the foreground.

But as Celine and Ivan prepare for a serious legal battle, sparks begin to fly, and the possibility of a new romantic beginning starts to sprout between the two.

What initially surprised me in the first twenty minutes was the utter simplicity of Jeturian’s direction and the script of Martinez and Cayaba. It wasn’t what I was expecting. The mise-en-scene is quite conventional, with no complicated camera work or playful visual setups. The script could be very straight-forward, though funny at all the right moments. At first, I was disappointed, anticipating something bigger and grander.

But as the film unfolds, I realised that the simplicity of it felt deliberate. Through its clean, neat, and no-frills direction, Unmarry ends up highlighting the themes of the story, allowing the characters to be seen as human beings going through a very difficult challenge in their lives. While it has the pacing and the tempo of a commercial film, it never feels like it exploits these characters’ drama for entertainment. We see them as people, and we witness the very struggles of wives and husbands who are going through the annulment process.

Even the acting is deliberately downplayed. Panganiban and Marudo are consistently so powerful and reliable in the work that they do. This could easily sway into the realm of the melodrama, but they play it so light and so naturally that the emotions feel real. It’s very human and it’s such a delicate performance, it’s wonderful to watch.

This is also one of my favourite Eugene Domingo performances in a long time. This feels like early-era Eugene Domingo where she just played the scene as is, letting the humor come out with just the smallest of gestures and expressions, impeccable timing, and need to dig in deep. And when she has to get serious, she shifts seamlessly so that she helps the film to pivot tonally when it needs to in key moments.

Heussaff delivers such an honest performance, with none of her lines ever feeling scripted. She’s always such a strong screen presence, but in this film, she allows herself to get vulnerable without having to perform it, staying in tune with the rest of the cast.

My only issue, though, is with Tom Rodriguez’s Stephen. Rodriguez is a good actor, but his choice to play Stephen as a one-dimensional narcissist feels off-putting in a film that is otherwise so restrained. He is the film’s primary antagonist but since everything about this film feels grounded, his singular attack on a narcissism feels cartoon-y here and out of sync with the grounded tone of the rest of the movie.

Someone very close to me has gone through what Celine has gone through, so watching this movie really hit home for me. All the emotions, the struggle, the self-doubt felt very familiar to me. I found myself recalling all the late-night talks with this person as I was watching the film and I cannot stress how wonderful it is to see this movie present these issues in a restrained and non-judgmental way.

The way the whole cast and crew juggle the tonal shifts, jumping seamlessly back and forth between comic and tragic, amplifies the human aspect of these events. The film makes no prescription about marriages that are falling apart. Some characters are for it and some characters are against it; the aftermath of which are the character’s own rewards or consequences that they have to face. It’s up to the audience to make their own decisions. And while this is a work of fiction, the authentic human experience is there for us to discuss.

I really do hope people see this film.

My Rating: 4.5 Stars

Don’t miss this charming, human take on love and annulment and authenticity of Unmarry. Check showtimes here.

December 24, 2025
MMFF Movie Review: Though the First Two Acts Are Messy, ‘And the Breadwinner Is…’ Lands Its Ending

There’s a whole landscape of Filipino movies about the OFW experience as this is a phenomenon that has struck our society so deep. At some point, they have been called our present-day heroes. Films like ‘Anak’ and ‘Transit’ and ‘Hello Love Goodbye’ and the documentary ‘Sunday Beauty Queens’ are just some examples of films that tackle the emotional landscape of this set of people. So when director Jun Lana (co-writing with Daisy G Cayanan and Jumbo A. Albano) and Vice Ganda team up to tackle this narrative in an MMFF entry, it’s bound to get a lot of attention.

This is my first Vice Ganda movie (I know, this is something I plan to fix by watching the rest of his filmography soon) so I wasn’t sure exactly what to expect. I’ve seen snippets of Vice on ‘It’s Showtime’ when it shows up on social media or when I’m on a bus and am familiar with his quick wit and razor sharp delivery of jokes. But to see it in action in a film is something else. The way the audience reacts to every punchline shows his mastery of comedy and that is unquestionable.

‘And the Breadwinner is…’ is the story of Bambi Salvador (Vice Ganda), an OFW working in Taiwan to help support her family in Pampanga. She works multiple jobs and has sacrificed their identity to build a house back at home that she and her family can truly call home. But the sudden death of one of her co-workers encourages her to return home early to be with the people that she loves only to find that her home has not been built and her family has wasted away all her money on failed businesses and frivolous things. In frustration and anger, she leaves home and is mistaken for dead. They discover that her life insurance would give the family ten million pesos and Bambi and her family decide that to pay off all their debt and start anew, Bambi would continue to pretend she’s dead.

The first two acts of the film is messy, firing at all directions. There’s a feeling that each scene is more a skit, a gag, before moving to the next. The narrative’s flow is broken by these moments of humor. Each family member – from the younger brother Biboy (Jhong Hilario) and his wife Mayet (Gladys Reyes), to her even younger siblings Boy (Kokoy De Santos) and Buneng (Maris Racal), and her eldest sister Baby (Eugene Domingo), who had abandoned the family to live and work in Italy – gets to have their own story and while it’s an ensemble piece, at 123 minutes, it makes the film seem bloated as each one has just the same amount of story time to play out. Adding upon this is the deception plot regarding the insurance money as an inspector, Anton (Anthony Jennings), is trying to find out whether Bambi is truly dead or not.

It’s a hodge-podge of scenes and gags that range from slapstick to witty comedy, bringing back characters from Vica Ganda’s filmography, and situational comedy that can hit or miss depending on the range of one’s taste. While the delivery is outstanding, there are jokes that make fun of fat people or ridiculing someone’s appearance and hurtful physical comedy that’s just not my cup of tea. But these elicit the most laughs because of Vice’s impeccable timing.

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When the film slows down to become tender, especially when it’s geared towards the queer stories in the film; is when it gets touching. Joel Torre’s Popsie, the deceased patriarch of the family, has the most touching scenes in flashbacks. The way by which he adores Bambi is truly beautiful to see. The acceptance is something we need to see in films more to help normalize this. And the way by which Bambi returns that acceptance to Boy, who comes out to him creates a chain of kindness directed towards the community. It’s one of the more moving parts of this film handled expertly by Vice, Torre, and De Santos.

But as messy as the first two acts are, the final act is when all that chaos is channeled into the film’s shift into drama. All the gags and the jokes, all of the misunderstandings and snide comments against each other, funnel into a confrontation of the whole family and Bambi ends up delivering an almost ten-minute monologue that embodies a whole lot of unsaid resentments from the OFW community. It’s a litany of the things that, as a culture, we are afraid to say out loud because we put family first before our own selves. It’s a magnificent space for Vice Ganda to show his acting chops as he throws out every emotion that feels like it has been trapped there forever, for the fifteen years that Bambi had suffered alone in another country. It’s visceral. It’s explosive. It’s done in a one-shot that puts Vice’s acting front and center. The whole movie was pushing towards this confrontation and it’s the reason why you should see this film.

My Rating:

And the Breadwinner Is… is now showing in cinemas. Check showtimes and buy your tickets here.

December 29, 2024
MMFF Movie Review: The Parts of ‘Isang Himala’ Are Stronger Than the Whole

I was scared coming into ‘Isang Himala.’ I love the original film by Ishmael Bernal and Ricky Lee. I teach in my classes in Philippine Film History, and it is truly a groundbreaking work that still holds the test of time. I’m also in love with the stage adaptation by The Sandbox Collective, directed by Ed Lacson Jr. and music and lyrics by Vincent De Jesus. That production turned the whole stage, including the audience, into the town of Cupang and it was filled with incredible performances by its incredible cast. While the same cast is brought into the film adaptation of the musical, I feared that what made the stage play so magnificent – the way by which the whole town of Cupang comes alive and all the audience immerses themselves into the longing and desperation of that place – would be lost as it moves into the screen. How does a camera make the audience part of that world?

But knowing that Pepe Diokno was coming in to direct gave me a little hope. After all, his ‘Gomburza’ was excellent. To differentiate his world from the stage play and the original film, Diokno shot the whole film on a studio, which allowed for full control of lighting and sound design and they could control the massive crowd scenes that inhabit this film. It gives the feeling of old school Hollywood musicals from MGM where the sets look too perfect, too manufactured and they bring this charming aesthetic to the narrative. I’m talking about ‘The Wizard of Oz’ or ‘Singing in the Rain’ or even ‘Seven Brides for Seven Brothers.’ There’s a leaning into the formalist tradition of cinema with Carlo Mendoza’s stunning cinematography turning the town of Cupang into the brilliant ochre shades that matches the film’s heavy tones and themes.

‘Isang Himala’ is about the town of Cupang, a town in need, ravaged by a drought, and the townsfolk believe that they are cursed. When Elsa (Aicelle Santos) proclaims she is having visions of the Virgin Mary and is seen healing a sick child, the town enters into a frenzy of religious fervor and zeal. A cult is quickly formed around her, tourists come from all over to receive Elsa’s blessings and healing, and the once-poor town suddenly gains a resurgence in economic growth. Factions are formed, as Elsa’s followers don’t take kindly to Nimia (Kakki Teodoro), who returns from Manila to open a cabaret while a documentary filmmaker, Orly (David Ezra), records Elsa’s movements, selling the footage and the photos he takes to newspapers in the city, while hoping to build a film about her. Elsa’s mother, Aling Saling (Bituin Escalante) is caught in the middle, a hapless observer as the town and her daughter are caught up in the madness of it all.

There are so much great things happening in this movie. Diokno’s ability to really move that camera through that madness is riveting. He creates these large set pieces as the two transforms over the course of a song from impoverished to booming in minutes. The crowds come in and make the whole set come to life. The singing is exceptional. With performers like Santos, Escalante, Ezra, and Teodoro in the cast, there’s no question that we’ve got incredible vocals to go with Vincent De Jesus’ score.

But I felt so disconnected from the piece – a narrative that I’m in love with from its original film and its stage adaptation – and I realised that I find the adaptation of the stage musical into a film needed space and width. Cupang’s design is enclosed in canyon, everything is bunched up together and claustrophobic. Everyone is in everyone’s business. There’s a mass of people entering and exiting the scenes and the camera can come in close for the close-ups to capture the drama that is unfolding in this story. But the script does not illuminate the characters and their motivations clearly enough for us to warrant these close ups. The stage adaptation makes the whole town the central character and the audience is witnessing the transformation that it takes from the distance of spectator. We can’t really know these characters because of that distance. Here, the camera can come close. It gets intimate, but the script never really explores these characters inner worlds. I am left with no real clue on who Elsa is aside from the push and pull of people’s desires for her benediction nor do I really, truly understand what motivates Orly’s interest in her. If these are done through the songs (as most of the film is sung-through), it can get lost in the production of the music.

The only character who truly shines and creates the film’s contrast is Nimia. While everyone is great, Kakki Teodoro fully embodies Nimia’s practicality and sense. Unlike everybody else, she believes in herself and is unafraid to stand up to her former friend. Teodoro brings this to the performance and sings the hell out of one of the best songs in the musical. Of all the characters in the film, hers is the clearest of what she wants and what she believes in. As I’m writing this, I heard that Teodoro won Best Actress at the MMFF Awarding and it is so well-deserved. Shes the one everyone is talking about when I left the cinema.

At two hours and forty minutes, I felt exhausted. The film is an intense roller-coaster of powerful songs that lean more towards opera than it does to musicals. A lot of the songs aren’t melodic, which is fitting because there’s no real rhythm or melody to suffering. In the play, on just a piano, it is haunting. Here, it’s loud and aggressive. Played by a full band that makes each song feel like a finale. It’s big and the film never gets quiet enough to process all of the madness that happens within this town.

The claustrophobia and the lack of true character moments makes this world feel small. Whereas Ishmael Bernal’s use of wide empty spaces and long shots help creates that distance for the viewers so what we see is the town. Here, I see Elsa. I see Orly. I see Nimia. I see Aling Sepang. I see the characters but except for Nimia, I don’t really get to know them fully. So, I’m impressed by the performances, by the aesthetics and the filmmaking behind ‘Isang Himala’ but I’m left struggling with what I’m supposed to feel afterwards. It’s a heavy movie to take in but wonderfully made.

My Rating:

Isang Himala is now showing in cinemas. Check showtimes and buy your tickets here.

December 29, 2024
MMFF MOVIE REVIEW: Julia Barretto and Carlo Aquino Can’t Save ‘Hold Me Close’ From Its Shallow Characters and Flimsy Premise

It’s fortunate that Jason Paul Laxamana’s ‘Hold Me Close’ has the combined star power of Carlo Aquino and Julia Barretto because they are working hard to try and make this movie, with its thin premise, work. Set in Karatsu, Japan, the magical romance teams up Aquino and Barretto two people with respective traumas who find each other and set the journey towards healing. The catch? Barretto’s Lynlyn has the ability to tell if a person is “positive” or “negative” (whether they will be the cause of joy or pain) by simply touching them.

Aquino plays Woody, a man searching for a place to call home. He seems to be independently wealthy, not having a job but taking on a lovely house in Karatsu. In the morning market, he meets Barretto’s Lynlyn, who sells squid at the market with her two brothers Tantan (Jairus Aquino) and Botbot (Migo Valid). It’s love at first sight. Woody ends up helping Lynlyn and her brothers after her power discovers one customer is a “negative” and sparks a strong reaction that causes a stir. For Lynlyn, she feels that Woody is safe because he is neither “positive” or “negative.” He begins to visit her every day and she tags along because he will not cause her harm. Woody is persistent and consistent and eventually Lynlyn is charmed and what seals the deal is that Woody is now a positive. They begin to date until, on a date, Woody suddenly becomes a negative. The two protective brothers try to keep them apart but Lynlyn, overcome with her feelings for Woody, gives him three chances to turn into a positive. She then helps him evaluate his life and his choice, delving into his past and encouraging him to fix his relationship with his family. In the process, she will soon discover that she must also face her own demons.

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What makes the film a frustrating watch is that Laxamana builds the thinnest characters here. Unlike the characters of his previous films, Woody and Lynlyn end up appearing one-dimensional no matter how much work Aquino and Barretto put into them. Woody arrives in the city, and he seems to not do anything except chase after Lynlyn. He has no job, no passions or goals. He’s just a man running away from his issues and no matter how charming Aquino can be, there’s not much there to root for. At some point, he laments that no one loves him, but we don’t actually see him being a part of the world in any meaningful way. Lynlyn, on the other hand, is completely defined by her ability. She panics when she’s electrified by a negative reading of a person but every customer she has, she holds on to them trying to find out if they are good for her or bad. She also seems to not have any other dream or goal than to sell squid with her brothers in the market. Not much is said about her background: why she and her brothers are there and what is their goal in life. It seems these characters are only there to exist for the purpose of this movie.

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It doesn’t help that the film takes a moment to showcase all the tourist spots of Karatsu, which ends up taking us away from the film to become a sort of travelogue. Yes, it’s part of the scenes when Woody and Lynlyn are falling in love. But the place doesn’t feel integral to the story. You can replace it with any location, whether local or abroad, and the story can still stand.

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Also, the film doesn’t seem to have a clear representation of what positive or negative means. At one point, Woody is a positive and then another moment he becomes a negative. The film doesn’t quite handle this properly. At one moment, even Tantan becomes negative and then only to turn positive again the next. The whole film’s conceit centers around Lynlyn’s gift but as Woody tries to make himself positive for her, one wonders why Lynlyn gets to determine one person’s worth based on a feeling that she cannot explain. It could be a great metaphor for red flags and green flags, but the film never brings it there. It feels literal in its presentation and that sort of brings down the film’s potential.

My Rating:

Hold Me Close is now showing in cinemas. Check showtimes and buy your tickets here.

December 29, 2024
MMFF MOVIE REVIEW: Defying All Expectations, ‘Green Bones’ Casts a Hopeful Light in the Dark

A story about redemption and hope, ‘Green Bones’ plays out like a sort of dark fairy tale through the filmmaking choices of everyone involved, which allows the movie to play with form and structure in inventive ways that helps take us on an emotional journey about justice and redemption and really exploring the role of prisons in our society. Written by Ricky Lee and Anj Atienza (from a story by JC Rubio) and directed by Zig Dulay, the movie quickly recalls the film ‘Shawshank Redemption’ with Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman but this film carries its own magic. Despite its subject matter, Dulay and Director of Photography Neil Daza manages to create an almost mythical world for this story about the penal system in the country to take place.

Lee and Atienza also manage to play with structure and form by telling two very different stories, though essential the same narrative, by spending the first act in seeing the world through one of its leads, the young officer Xavier Gonzaga (Ruru Madrid), who enters the prison as a new warden in the island of San Fabian. Gonzaga has lost his sister to murder, and he carries his bias with him. The prison colony in San Fabian is a more humane place where the prisoners are given more freedom than what we expect. They are allowed to stay outside to garden and cook and, in the afternoons, are allowed to leave the prison to work in the farm or the fisheries and sell their wood carving projects to locals and tourists. The idea behind this system is to encourage them to repent and get back to their lives. Unfortunately, Gonzaga does not believe that murderers can be rehabilitated, and he has his sights set on Dominic Zamora (Dennis Trillo), a man who does not speak and is incarcerated for murdering his sister and his niece. Gonzaga watches Zamora closely, knowing he’s about to finish his sentence early for good conduct, and when he sees Zamora and the other inmates planning something, he decides to step in and ensure Zamora never makes it out.

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The film then shifts focus on act two, as we see the story through Zamora’s perspective and details his world view and the story of how he killed his sister and his niece and how his life has changed since then. The story is quite different from Gonzaga’s take and the film manages to shift the way we look at the people that are in prison now knowing what we know about the systems that are in place in our country.

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There are multiple stories here: stories about the other inmates, the friends that Zamora had cultivated; the story of the NGO worker who is constantly visiting Zamora (Alessanda de Rossi), and the story of Zamora and his sister (Iza Calzado) and his niece (Sienna Stevens in the flashbacks and Sofia Pablo at present time). Dulay is able to manage exploring multiple themes through the careful interweaving of these characters and as we know more and more about Zamora and his past, we become just like Gonzaga that our eyes are suddenly opened to our own prejudices and misconceptions.

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Trillo and Madrid give out exquisite performances here. Trillo brings such a deep humanity to the character of Dominic Zamora. He is fearsome as Gonzaga imagines him to be, but he is also soft and warm and kind as we see his story play out in the second act. He is the foundation of this narrative, and he carries it so competently that the film succeeds because it has such a strong anchor holding it together. If Trillo is the foundation, then Madrid is the narrative’s driving force. Madrid embodies Gonzaga’s tunnel vision but roots it in his character’s past hurts and trauma. This is not a one-dimensional witch hunt. This is a person that’s hurting, and Madrid is able to layer his character with these stories that allows us to empathize with him even if we suspect he’s not holding all the cards. The rest of the cast is magnificent, from De Rossi and Calzado, to Michael De Mesa and Wendell Ramos (who play the other policemen in the prison) and the inmates played by Ronnie Lazaro, Royce Cabrera, Mikoy Morales, and two others whose names I wasn’t able to find.

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The heart and warmth that Dulay was able to deliver in last year’s ‘Firefly’ is in full display in ‘Green Bones.’ It’s a masterful work that plays with your expectations and takes a hard look at how we think of rehabilitation and how humane are we in treating those who have strayed. The film can get dark, but it has to, because the film shines a light of hope to those who seek redemption. By the end of the film, I caught myself crying along with other members of the audience.

My Rating:

Green Bones is now showing in cinemas. Check showtimes and buy your tickets here.

December 27, 2024
MMFF MOVIE REVIEW: Revenge Made Sweet: A Review of ‘Uninvited’

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).

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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).

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.”

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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.

December 27, 2024
MMFF MOVIE REVIEW: A Triumphant Reimagining: A Review of ‘The Kingdom’

I applaud Michael Tuviera (and screenwriter Michelle Ngu-Nario) for their vision and care to reimagine our country if it was never colonized. The writing and the world building of the film truly inspires and sparks the imagination and even if the film was bad, I’d be rooting for it just for its sheer vision and bravado. But the thing is, the film is not bad. Far from it. ‘The Kingdom’ is thrilling and filled with interesting characters and a world worth exploring. It’s what makes for good speculative fiction: an image of our country that could have been and by doing so creates a commentary about our country as it is today.

‘The Kingdom’ reimagines the Philippines as The Kingdom of Kalayaan. It is ruled by a succession of Lakandulas (or Lakambini, if it were a woman) and the royal family follows the belief that their line comes from Bathala. In the contemporary world, Kalayaan is besieged by political strife. There are citizens who are calling out the family for their greed and corruption while the current Lakandula, Lakan Makisig (Vic Sotto) has yet to choose between his three children who would succeed him in the throne. His only son, Magat Bagwis (Sid Lucero) is presented as a hot-tempered man more inclined to the finer things in life and is not that interested to lead. His eldest daughter, Dayang Matimyas (Cristine Reyes), shows political savvy and will, but there is tension between her and her father. The youngest, Dayang Lualhati (Sue Ramirez) is a loving child and is set to marry a prince from Thailand, which has the people divided.

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But on her wedding day, Dayang Lualhati is kidnapped and Lakan Makisig must figure out if this is the work of the rebel forces or, as the babaylan suggests, someone from within the palace. Unbeknownst to him, Dayang Lualhati is rescued by Sulo (Piolo Pascual), a farmer with a past that connects him to the family and with his own opposition views regarding the monarchy.

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The film plays out like a political thriller. It has action scenes to help play with the pacing and to heighten the sense of danger. But it is at its strongest with the way it lays out the systems of this world and the intricacies of the character’s relationships and the social dynamics of this reimagined country.

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The first thing I noticed was the beautiful usage of fabrics and designs from the indigenous people of the country. Without colonial rule, there’s amplification of our own local and traditional attire. Guiding the royal family are babaylans and there is an air of spirituality and mysticism that surrounds this government, and it feels so fitting and true. The second thing I noticed was the language of the script. I picked it up almost immediately that the Tagalog that was used was deeper and more unfamiliar. I realised that they were avoiding any Filipino word with Spanish origins (I did catch one, where a character references the grandmother and calls her “lola” but I wasn’t able to catch anything else). The people are marked by tattoos that help align them with a clan or tribe, which calls out to our Filipino value of family.

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And what a family! Vic Sotto gives a restrained performance, showing off what carrying the weight of a whole country on your shoulder feels like on the body. He’s stiff and cold but manages a loss of that control when he’s around his children, especially Dayan Lualhati. His humanity steps out in key moments that keeps his character from being one note. Sid Lucero and Sue Ramirez is always great, though Ramirez is doing the best she can with a tired character, the naive princess. Piolo Pascual is great during the quiet parts, when he is allowed to channel the character’s anger and rage but holding it in because he’s a good person through-and-through, but he doesn’t bring that rage to his fight scenes. Iza Calzado shines in a brief role, carrying the weight of an entire backstory that is never revealed in every look and small gesture. She’s reacting to something that we are not aware of, and it implies a whole backstory in a character that is so well-written despite having such a short screentime.

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But the true star here is Cristine Reyes. Her Dayang Matimyas is competent, tough, and fearless but she softens when she’s around her siblings. She’s commanding without losing any bit of her femininity and the strain of her character’s relationship with her father is evident in her longing stares and quiet moments. She also has the most convincing fight scenes in the whole movie showing off a range we all know she has.

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While the performances were strong and the music by Jessie Lasaten elevates the movie into an epic scale, the action scenes could be cleaner (except for the one in the bridge, that was really good and thrilling) and I think it could have been 20 minutes longer. I just wanted to be in that world for a lot longer. ‘The Kingdom’ showcases the true power of movies: it can reinvent the world and show us perspectives and possibilities through its carefully laid out fiction, and in the process, allow us to criticize and question how things are today. Even in this fictional world, the country is torn apart by class and tribalism and the film asks us to revisit the things that we believe define us and our country: the people who govern us, the things that separate us and keep us from being united, and the laws that we hold on to that allows the powerful to abuse the weak. All of this and more are tackled in the 133-minute film, and seriously, it was so well-done that it could have gone much, much longer.

My Rating:

The Kingdom is now showing in cinemas. Check showtimes and buy your tickets here.

December 26, 2024