Kusina introduces us to Juanita, an eager child who learns the art of cooking from her grandmother. Over the rest of the film, we see Juanita grow from child to teen to adult, as she decides to center her life around cooking food.
The film is filmed in a peculiar way; it takes place on only one set - the titular kitchen - and resembles a filmed play more than anything else. Although I doubted whether it would work in the end or not, the positives far outweigh the negatives. Thanks to the way the movie is filmed, Kusina gains a stream of consciousness-like flow, much like how your life flashes before your eyes before death.
Each stage of life or each person is represented by a particular dish. A rebellious child is represented by leche flan; heartache and passion through spicy ginataan. Juanita's life is far from perfect, as her dedication to her craft has its share of consequences.
Judy Ann Santos returns to movies after 2014's T'yanak, and most of the film depends on her to make it work. She more or less succeeds in doing this, dishing out a notable performance as the adult Juanita. Her emotional turmoil brings out the best out of certain scenes, especially during the climax. The rest of the acting is a mixed bag, but Elora Espano deserves credit for her supporting performance.
Kusina is an interesting experiment that works, thanks to the strength of its lead actor and some very clever editing.
Dagsin means gravity, and although I think it's the gravity of the 'bodies falling to earth' type, I think the "gravity" in Dagsin can take a whole different meaning in the context of this film.
The movie is about an elderly man, Justino (Tommy Abuel) who has just recently lost his beloved wife Corazon. Everyday he takes a gun to his head, does a little Russian roulette and pulls the trigger. Through a series of flashbacks we see how this man's life has been a series of endless regrets and tragedies, offset only by the happiness brought by his wife.
That said, the movie takes a long time to get off the ground. The movie goes forward through two timelines - first we see how Justino and Corazon meet and fall in love, and then we go back to the present day, where Justino is looked after by his adopted daughter Mercy (Lotlot de Leon.)
The two parts don't mesh together that well. The film could have touched upon building the relationship between Justino and Mercy in the present day, but they don't really have much of an emotional arc. Memories during Martial Law are relegated to dinner conversations, and the dark secret being hinted at in the film's synopsis is addressed once, sort of implied, but not fleshed out. (In retrospect, this might be the point.) The film just takes us around in circles until we get to the climax of the film, where we realize just how deep Justino's pain is - but by this time it's too late to have any sort of satisfying emotional conclusion.
I do admire Tommy Abuel doing what he can with the material, with what is probably one of this year's standout performances. Throughout the whole film you really feel for Justino and sort of understand why he feels the way he feels, the gravity of his life bearing down on his soul.
Dagsin ends up as an idea that feels incompletely realized. I thought the premise had potential, but tis execution fell short of what it could have been.
We end today's slew of full length reviews with I America, Ivan Payawal's sophomore film. And I have to say I was pretty impressed. It's like the director took everything that felt wrong in his first film, 2015's The Comeback, and improved upon it; creating a solid character study/drama-comedy about Amerasians in the Philippines.
Bela Padilla is Erica, who uses her mixed-race looks to get supporting gigs in commercials. She has a dream of making it to America with her father, with whom she keeps in contact frequently. She's just a step from this dream when she realizes something that turns her world upside down.
Bela Padilla carries this movie, just as Kaye Abad carried The Comeback. She's great in both comedic scenes (of which there are many) and dramatic scenes. Erica's pains are the pains of people just like her, lost children, borne of two worlds, stuck in a culture of their own, surrounded by a sense of uncertainty in their identities and in their futures.
While there are a lot of funny scenes in I America, the tone is far more consistent this time around, and dramatic moments pop out all the better because of it. There are a few scenes, perhaps to shine certain characters in an unfavorable light, that I find unnecessary; but this time it all boils down to a matter of taste. The movie does touch on some issues Amerasians also experience with each other - including the differences in how we as a culture view half Caucasians and half African Americans.
Erica's journey is one that we gladly take together, and the little realization at the end - you'll know it if you haven't realized it already - caps off what is a fine addition to this year's edition.
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WE WANT SHORT SHORTS Cinemalaya 2016 Short Shorts Reviews
Set A
Bugtaw has an interesting premise. I like the animation in this one, and the uncertain ending. I also appreciate the symmertry in these two boys who lack a proper father figure and can only dream of them. 3.25/5
Ang Maangas, Ang Marikit at Ang Makata is a short that I've already seen before. This time around I was able to appreciate more of the wit and humor in the script that I didn't notice during my first viewing of the film. 4/5
Mansyong Papel feels like the Cliff's Notes version of a full length movie. A lot of the movie depends on context and the lack of context really does a job on the film. It ends up very clunky. 2/5
Nakauwi Na has a premise that is as predictable as it can be, but its treatment is entertaining nevertheless. 3.75/5
Pektus is witty, but I wanted more from the climax for it to emotionally pay off. It's still one of my top picks out of the five films of Shorts A. 3.75/5
Four more movies and Shorts B tomorrow. See you then!
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