Filipino Short Film Short Review Long Compilation (Part 3)

Here's the last part of the list of all the shorts I saw last week.

We Want Short Shorts Filipino Short Film Short Review Compilation Deluxe Super Mega George Lucas Director's Cut With Jar Jar Binks in Every Scene Edition Part 3

Rotonda

It’s OK, though the ending confused me at first and I had to watch it again. What goes around comes around. 3/5

Chicken

It’s one of the shortest shorts on the list, but the point is clearly conveyed.  It’s also funny. 3.75/5

Rosa

A bit abstract compared to all the others. I want to have that waterproof digital watch. 2.75/5

Tinig ni Eba and Kimkim

Catcalling is bad, friends. I wonder how it would work from the man’s’ point of view. Maybe something like Chicken, but more comprehensive.  I do wish someone would delve in deeper why men act this way instead of just portraying it as bad, so that the problem can be identified and dealt with. 3/5 for both.

Planado

It has a few good ideas, but overall falls flat with the narrative. Maybe it’s because it has a slightly soap operatic feel to it. 3/5

Cyber D3vil x Ahas

Part of the Cinema One Originals festival in some capacity. I’ve just learned it’s some sort of sequel to one of the earlier C1 films. I have a lot of questions though. Why is Ahas biking without hands? Is it because snakes don’t have hands? So why does he have feet? Is he protesting the stark biking conditions in our country? Where is he going? Will he cross the Philippines like Ewan McGregor crossed the world!? I need answers! 3.75/5

Abi

The title means "misconstrue" or "misconception". It has an On the Job vibe to it, and it’s nicely shot. The score is great too; one of the songs use samples from what I think is a relatively popular provincial mayor, which is either ironic or fitting based on how you think the end played out. 4/5

 

Yamyam

This one is from the Davao Ngilgnig festival, which specializes in horror films. Yamyam, I've been told,  means "incantation." There are actually two storylines in this one. The first plot seems more fully realized compared to the second one, and you get the feeling that one could have finished the thing with the first storyline. 3.5/5

Inukban

Other than the fact that the brother loves his sister (and likely the other way around, the plot doesn’t go anywhere. 3.25/5

Ama Namin, Nasa Langit Ka?

Another film from Jose Ibarra Gualla. Probably the most surreal out of all his shorts in this entire list, though not the funniest. The strangeness overall is appealing. 3.75/5

Cinematique

While the technique is hardly original (I have seen a similar film within the last three months; the name of the film escapes me) this one innovates via the use of paintings (at least that’s what I think it is) projected onto the slow motion dancer. The end result is hypnotic and visually pleasing. 3.75/5

Pakot

The film takes its time acclimatizing you to the rhythms of provincial life, but I feel the film could have made its point in half the time. Also, a plot point with a spurned (?) boyfriend doesn’t fully pan out. 3.25/5

One Week Earlier (incomplete)

Couldn’t finish this one due to technical hiccups. Based on what I did see, it was beautifully shot and the color correction was great.

Drama Station

It’s a film where real life and fictional drama intersect. There’s a creepy-cute conversation ala Sleepless too. Is the female lead the actress from the opening scene of Violator? If so my head canon considers this to be a prequel. 3.5/5

Kibkib

Have you ever wondered the worth of what we consume in the media? Have you ever wondered if endless commercialism on TV binds us instead of it giving us choices? Yeah. 3/5

A Dog Named Bantay

Well that was sad …and kinda disturbing. 3.5/5

Hulahoops

This film, a story of weird, serendipitous love, was written by Joel Ferrer of Baka Siguro Yata fame. I laughed out loud at this one to be honest. 3.75/5

Pasan

This had real Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind vibes, but for some reason the focus shifts from the patient to the one performing the procedure, robbing us of the opportunity to see the full repercussions of having gone through the procedure. 3.5/5

Sky is Everywhere

This had a lot of angst. I actually prefer this to #Y for some reason. The medical images are legit, too. 3.25/5

Bye Bye Bituin

There are some nice shots of the hot air balloon festival in this one. I like the uncertainty in their words, their relationship, all the way up to the end. 3.25/5

Malati Ya Mu (It's Small)

It’s all about the punchline (which is also the title.) And it works. Was this filmed in Subic? 3.5/5

Ang Nanay Kong Superhero

The parallels between ‘nanay’ and ‘superhero’ are quite obvious, but the conflict and resolution to the story does give us a few new ideas, especially having the kid be the superhero mom’s greatest nemesis. 3.25/5

Yanbu

As an only child, having a family with so many brothers and sisters, like the one depicted in Yanbu, is unfathomable to me. But the documentary shows, aside from the fact that they are a very large family, they are just like any other normal family, bonded together by love and faith. 3.5/5

Eskinita: Bayan ng Kontraktwal

This short is part of a series on Youtube called Eskinita. In this case, it’s about the unfair conditions that are being given to contractual workers, despite various laws to protect them. Some of these ‘contractual’ workers have served their respective companies for many years, and they are being denied benefits for the sake of the bottom line. 3.5/5

Posporo Palito

A movie with a ‘kapit sa patalim’ storyline involving underground boxing and seedy promoters. Doesn’t focus much on the boxing itself, and the character’s struggle is not as developed as I would have liked, but I do like the ending. 3.5/5

Kusina ni Clara

That look in Gladys Reyes’ eyes as she looks at the screen in this film’s final frames really encapsulates what the movie is about. It’s almost a Mariquina-lite, with Barbie Forteza taking another “rebellious kid who needs understanding and guidance” role. She pulls it off fantastically as always, and the rest of the small cast is no slouch, either. 4/5

That's it. It's done. I'm free.

Anyway, check out Pinoy Rebyu for the results of the best full length feature films of 2015 (and then some), as judged by a number of online bloggers, reviewers and film critics. Many of the films in this list can be seen on Youtube, Viddsee or your local film festival.