Social media has fundamentally changed how we perceive the world and how we look at our fellow human beings. With cameras readily available to anyone with a phone, each event, whether innocuous or not, becomes a spectacle to be shared with the world. But even social media platforms, as selective as they are, are curated behind the scenes: content moderators filter almost everything that gets posted on social media sites, deleting videos and images that are violent, salacious or exploitative. But no human being can tolerate humanity in its most unfiltered, primal form for too long and people cope with that in various ways.
For Lyca (Nadine Lustre), the images or videos of people on her screens are no longer people. "They're data," she tells someone, referencing Stalin when he said that "the death of one man is a tragedy. The death of a million is a statistic." In order to not lose her own humanity, she ironically dehumanizes the people she sees on the screen. She is no different from the people gathering around and taking pictures of a dead corpse on the street, not thinking that this was once a person like them.
Deleter is less a film about content moderation and more about how we lose empathy for others because of an overwhelming surfeit of information. There's too much going on that it's hard to care for any one person, and for Lyca, it just takes one person not cared for to change her life for the worse. Mikhail Red merely uses content moderation as a setting to tackle a larger, even simpler, message.
And, unfortunately, that's the thing that prevents Deleter from becoming good or even great. Fundamentally the film is flawed - to reduce, dismiss or lightly touch on the many complexities tackled in the film makes the whole affair a tragic waste of potential. There is much horror to be had within content moderation and in the content itself without resorting to a superficial ghost story: the dilemma of sharing the truth vs withholding that information, the fine line between moderation and censorship, the various economic factors that force people into content moderation in the first place, the mental stresses and lack of psychological support, and even the drive for people to produce and consume disturbing content in the first place.
Nadine Lustre carries the film and it is relatively well shot, but the darkened office spaces even during work hours stretch disbelief - in an office with late shifts, it's only common sense that a bright, well lit workspace helps with fatigue and eyestrain. Besides, effective horror can still be achieved with white, sterile office lighting. The horror is hit and miss - one scene where an otherworldly apparition types on a keyboard for some reason is more funny than scary, while another scene near the end that builds on anticipation and fear is one of my favorite scenes of the whole year.
Deleter is a film built on questionable decisions. It's not as bad as I thought it would be - I think in the greater scheme of things, it's an okay film. The problem is it had the potential to be a great film, and that's honestly a shame.
Jack (Vice Ganda) is a successful host with a successful show. Unfortunately, in the process of getting famous, he had to leave his hosting partner Rose (Ivana Alawi) behind. The two reunite under less than auspicious circumstances and compete in order to interview the country's richest man, Don Bill (Rez Cortez).
Among Vice Ganda's body of film work, Partners in Crime sadly ranks below the average. While there are some parts that are entertaining, it's not as entertaining or even as funny as some of his best MMFF films. It's not all bad, however, as there are some things that the film does well or okay: Ivana Alawi is a surprisingly competent foil to Vice's character, and there is effort to some of the visual gags, especially in the challenge rooms.
As for the not so good stuff, where do I even start? The script reads like it was written by children, which I guess tracks for an allegedly family-friendly film. Then again, I did chuckle a bit at a few raunchy penis and sex jokes, especially when I heard those jokes while children are running around the cinema. Sex education for our children is a good thing, so I hope y'all talked to them after the screening. The middle part of the film drags a lot and is honestly pretty boring, and a lot of character development feels shoehorned in, making the eventual emotional payoff feel forced.
The film feels like it's drawing from some of Vice's personal experiences in the industry, and the moral lesson is to be considerate of others, be transparent when dealing with colleagues, don't step on others while advancing your own career and that forgiveness for those who are regretful for their sins is a virtue. The fact that Vice has repeatedly included fellow comedians and up and coming actors in these MMFF films is a testament to the fact that Vice walks the walk. There's some value to Partners in Crime for fans, but for everyone else, it's an affair that many will likely forget until the next Vice film comes along in the next MMFF.
It's a strange yet kinda apt coincidence that a day before watching Nuel Naval's Family Matters, I watched Zahim Albakri's Split Gravy on Rice (2015/2022), which is also a film about an aging patriarch who gathers his children and resolves various family problems in the process. Ultimately, thanks to a strong script and fully fleshed out characters, Family Matters is in my opinion the better film, and (so far) my favorite MMFF 2022 film.
Family Matters follows a family drama formula that's been a staple of MMFF films past, though there's a little twist in this film: Francisco (Noel Trinidad) and Eleanor (Liza Lorena) do some house hopping to each of their children after their daughter and primary caretaker (Nikki Valdez) leaves for the US. While visiting their children's homes, the couple (and the audience, by extension) learn of each family's situation and respective problems. Perhaps the most consequential to the story is that of Kiko (Nonie Buencamino,) Francisco's eldest who struggles with work and problems with family.
Because the characters are fully fleshed out and well written, the relationships between them (and the conflicts that arise) lead to an abundance of material to work on. There's nothing particularly tragic or overdramatic in the film because it doesn't need to do any of that: it stands on the merit of its simple, yet engaging character dynamics.
The entire ensemble cast is competent, even wonderful in their roles, with Nonie Buencamino and Ian Pangilinan being standouts. The film is shot rather conventionally, but there are a couple of drone shots at the beginning and end that are quite impressive, as if the DP was trying to flex (and for good reason).
However, with an abundance (or an overabundance, even) of material, the film struggles to wrap things up. The film is half an hour too long, and a lot of character conflicts could have been resolved more succinctly (for example, a relatively shocking moment in the film's third act serves only to bridge the gap between two characters, is ultimately unnecessary and could have been replaced with a shorter scene.) A certain shot into the sunset would have been a great place to stop the film, but there's still 15 minutes left of trying to tie up loose ends! Sometimes it's okay to not tie everything up in a cute little bow, though watching these characters is such a treat that all that superfluous time is mitigated a bit.
In a festival billed as catering to the family during Christmas, I think Family Matters, a film that celebrates all things family with all its warts and blemishes, is a fine addition.
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