Though it wears the clothes of a warm and fuzzy lighthearted comedy, Ang Bagong Pamilya ni Ponching has something to say regarding topics such as class differences and cultural norms.
Thanks to a perfectly (and coincidentally) timed scam text, petty criminal Ponching (Janus Del Prado) is mistaken for the long lost son of Santiago, the dying scion of the Dela Vera family. Ponching's set to inherit a lot of money and swindle the family, but he's a nice guy at heart and he starts having second thoughts. Ponching then goes about and brings the family together in unexpected ways, while wrestling with the morality of his actions.
While mostly fluff, the movie has a few legit heartwarming moments, especially the scenes involving the matriarch of the family, Lola Ludivina. Scenes for some of the other characters aren't as fleshed out and involve just a few conversations. Most importantly, we barely get anything on the second eldest child of the clan, Arianna, and her tendency to try to fix things and control her siblings and mother isn't fully developed.
Rich and poor are clearly unequal in this film - while the poor struggle to survive and often do illegal stuff to move forward in the world, the rich have problems of another kind - problems where issues with money drive them apart, where family name and status come first before love, where a lack of understanding leads to disagreements. Ponching provides a novel point of view for the Dela Veras and helps them see life in different ways. Ponching, on the other hand, goes through a period of self examination throughout the film as well, creating a quirky relationship where both parties help each other.
Ponching's central structure is not a new concept - films where a new addition to a family changes it (more or less) for the better span from Frank Capra in You Can't Take it With You to the unbridled madness of Takashi Miike's Visitor Q. Ponching wraps it in a fun, well-acted package that makes it the lightest of this year's Cinemalaya films.
Hiblang Abo is one of Rene Villanueva's most iconic plays. Back in the early 2000's or late nineties, I managed to see this play as part of a field trip. Its final image, that of an old man, broken and alone, seared itself into my memory. Because of that experience I find it hard to not compare this new movie adaptation, directed by Ralston Jover, to the play I remember so well.
The play (and the film) take place in a senior citizens' home. Four old men, go through the twilight of their lives lost in the haze of their own pasts, going through the motions of the day. Death is not uncommon here, as these are men who are, for all intents and purposes, waiting to die.
We also see flashbacks detailing these character's pasts, where the younger version of all four characters are ingeniously played by Matt Daclan. The casting is deliberate, as these four men are endpoints of the same process - a life filled with heartbreak, bad decisions, and regret.
While the movie does start with some lighter moments, things get dark really fast. It's a mood that sustains itself for the rest of the film, and we join these broken men, hand in hand, as they descend into their own personal hell, as sometimes death is sweet release compared to the agony of life itself. It's helped by excellent performances by the ensemble cast; Nanding Josef and Lou Veloso stand out. While it may not stick in my mind as prominently as the play did, Hiblang Abo captures the darkness of these four men very well.
It took me a while to process Mercury is Mine, Jason Laxamana's latest film. It's definitely a peculiar story, and while I wasn't really on board with where the movie eventually took me, there were parts of the movie I really enjoyed and at the very least, it caught my attention.
Mercury is Mine pairs Mercury (Bret Jackson,) an American kid with tons of emotional baggage and Carmen (Pokwang), a cook with dreams of stardom. Both have their own issues with their lives: Carmen has tons of insecurities and wants someone to connect to, and Mercury is a lonely kid who shifts from manic rage to gentleness - he's pretty messed up. They strike this strange relationship that has tones of friendship, parental love, and a current of Oedipal sexual tension.
The first two thirds of the movie develops this relationship as Carmen and Mercury work together and try to understand each other. Their relationship is my favorite thing in the film. It's a unique and complex bond between two strangers that I haven't really seen anywhere else. Of course, the relationship can be interpreted as is; while if we take it on a deeper level it can be seen as a commentary on colonialism, with the naive native dazzled by the charms of a handsome yet deeply flawed foreigner, idealizing him, emulating his skin color, hair color and appearance. (Okay, that's probably a bit too deep.)
This relationship is interesting thanks to the performances of the two leads. Pokwang's performance is funny, charming, even a bit endearing in a way. Bret Jackson has some interesting moments too, but sometimes it's hit or miss.
The last third of the film takes us into territory that's unexpected and a bit absurd. Some of the character decisions during this part kind of baffled me and I was trying to make sense of it all even after the credits were rolling. (At one point I wondered if the scriptwriter wrote himself into a corner and had to do something crazy to get out of it, but who knows.) The ending in particular also threw me into a loop. Perhaps I need a second viewing for this one.
All in all Mercury is Mine had some things I absolutely loved, and some things that completely confused me. I'd like to hear your thoughts on this one.
Communication underscores one of the central themes of Lando and Bugoy - miscommunication leads to misunderstanding, broken family bonds, and in one case, erroneous dates on gravestones.
The two titular characters are father and son. Their family life is more or less nonexistent - while Lando, the father, slaves away making gravestones, Bugoy, the son, slacks off, drinks booze and smokes cigarettes. The lack of a mother figure and the resentment stemming from said lack of mother definitely doesn't help things at all. Lando then decides to go to school in an effort to encourage his son to quit playing hooky.
The central conflict involves both father and son completely failing to understand each other. It's a communication gap that has existed in the relationships of fathers and sons as long as fathers and sons have existed. They're simply unable to express themselves to each other verbally as fathers and sons are wont to do.
Lando and Bugoy's plot and concepts could probably have worked as a shorter film. The focus on education doesn't stand out as much, even though the true story this movie is based upon is centered on education. There is an emphasis on how hard work and dedication can get one through school, but it plays second fiddle to the central father-son narrative. On the other hand, a particular scene near the end could have been extended a bit more, to show that at last, somehow, something was getting across from father to son.
Overall Lando and Bugoy is just ok.The way the story is structured doesn't completely work, but it has some really nice moments thanks to Allen Dizon and Gold Azeron.
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WE WANT SHORT SHORTS Cinemalaya 2016 edition Short Shorts Reviews
Set B
Butas has some gorgeous shots of the mountains of Benguet (finally somewhere where I can say drone shots are needed here.) It manages to portray the hopes and fears of a single mom living a dangerous life for the sake of her young son. I wanted to flesh out the mother's backstory a bit more, but I'm satisfied with what I got. 3.25/5
Ang Hapon ni Nanding is an interesting balance between Milo Tolentino's old and new work. The overall effect is a bit mixed, but there were some genuinely nice moments in there. 3.5/5
Get Certified is short, sweet and speaks for itself. I love the concept and the Hitler portrait. I do wish the Q and A portion for lack of evilness could have been expanded a bit. 3.25/5
Fish Out of Water is well shot and decently acted. One of its plot devices has been rehashed to death (if my interpretation is correct) but I love this film for some reason that I can't explain right now. It tackles discrimination, identity and family in such a short time (in contrast it took I America ~100 minutes to try to do the same thing.) 4.5/5
At first, Forever Natin looked like it was shot as a series of Instagram videos, but it does have a romantic hook that can be seriously affecting for some. Not me, I'm probably too jaded. But it's pretty interesting if its concepts float your boat. 3.5/5
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Two more feature films and I'm done with the competition entries for this year's festival. So far I haven't seen a film that I really, REALLY liked, but I've been hearing good buzz on these last two films, so I haven't lost hope yet.
I also like the fact that people are disagreeing on which films they like or don't like. I've heard some good arguments why a film I didn't like was great for some, and vice versa. More discussion = more discourse. So keep on disagreeing, everyone.
Next up (hopefully), Nora Aunor's contribution to this year's festival.
2 comments:
To me, the ending of Mercury is Mine echoed Carmen's better knowledge/judgment of (some of) her kababayan's tendencies to prey on foreigners (as already foreshadowed by the women who stole from him at the motel). Like an "I told you so," to Mercury's optimistic view of his future, strengthened by the developed trust towards the "friendly" Filipinos he met at the carinderia.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts! I had thought of that idea as well, although initially I thought that Mercury's fate at the end of the movie kind of renders most of the relationship they shared moot. Eventually, I approached the relationship as allegory and with that approach, it kinds pans out.
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