The history of Pinay Beauty is an interesting one. First slated for a spot in Cinemalaya 2018, the film's synopsis had Lovi Poe be one of the central characters. It was later pulled out from that fest and subsequently offered as an entry to the PPP. One wonders what would have happened had it stayed in Cinemalaya.
The film centers on Annie (Chai Fonacier), who dreams of becoming Snow White - that is, the Snow White at a foreign Disneyland. However, she's been rejected time and again because she really doesn't look the part. Thanks to her boyfriend (Edgar Allan Guzman,) she manages to get the money to have an operation done so she can make herself look beautiful. The problem is, he had to take out a huge loan to get the money. Now the loan sharks are after his scalp, and he either has to get the money in a few days, or else. But there's an alternative. He can also postpone the debt if he can get popular actress and model Lovely G (Maxine Medina) to have a date with the big loan shark boss. He rounds up his friends and they set off on a quest to reach out to Lovely G, or raise a ton of money.
It's appropriate that the filmmakers got Chai Fonacier to take on the role of Annie, as she has long been an advocate for self love and body positivity. Through her videos, she has championed the natural brown complexion of many Filipinas, aand railed against the perception that white is always beautiful. The movie does extol these virtues in spades; as it finds Annie's mantra - "I'm happy if I'm beautiful" - and turns it around.
That said, the film suffers from a number of problems. The movie feels unfocused shifting from one narrative to another, the film neglecting an exploration of Annie's desire to become beautiful. Annie comes off as a little too self absorbed as her friends try to scrounge up money to pay her debt, and we don't really get an idea why they would do so much for their friend.
While it's a promising concept, Pinay Beauty doesn't manage to execute it as well as it could have. It's worth the entertainment, sure, and its message is solid, but there are too many things that negatively affect the final product.
That said, the film suffers from a number of problems. The movie feels unfocused shifting from one narrative to another, the film neglecting an exploration of Annie's desire to become beautiful. Annie comes off as a little too self absorbed as her friends try to scrounge up money to pay her debt, and we don't really get an idea why they would do so much for their friend.
While it's a promising concept, Pinay Beauty doesn't manage to execute it as well as it could have. It's worth the entertainment, sure, and its message is solid, but there are too many things that negatively affect the final product.
1 comment:
Waiting for her upcoming GMA Teleserye Owe My Love, where she is performing as Pacencia.
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