Eiga Sai 2019: Kakegurui, One Cut of the Dead, Lu Over the Wall

日本映画祭　２０１９　Festival Log Final

Gambling anime is a genre that satisfies a very particular itch: the excitement of gambling without the associated risk, with excitement elevated through ludicrous levels via the nature of the medium. Kakegurui represents the insanity and craziness of the genre quite well, by making its a good chunk of its characters insane gambling machines.

The Kakegurui live action movie follows two successful seasons of the live action series and two seasons of the anime. The movie is partially based on the side story light novel Kakegurui Joker, with new movie-only characters thrown into the mix.

The movie starts off slowly, introducing each new character and setting up the gambling-stuffed climax, but the payoff is worth it. The mechanics of the games themselves and the psychological tactics are what draws viewers to Kakegurui; in this case, the games featured are variations on games we've already seen in other gambling anime such as Kaiji but are still fun to see play out either way.

The Kakegurui is a crowd pleasing, entertaining movie that is sure to please fans. Non-fans will probably find the first third or so slow and tedious, but the movie falls into place well enough by the end.

It's best to watch One Cut of the Dead blind, but if you have done so (perhaps multiple times, which is best) then read on.

There's a certain wonder to self-reflexivity, when artistic works of genre take a look at themselves and peel back the layers behind their creation. The resulting creation is something much more profound than the initial work, operating in multiple levels.

Such is the movie One Cut of the Dead, which starts with a one take movie within a movie, full of the sort of kitsch and charm one sees in independent productions. However, that section is only one third of the complete story. Once the "real" movie starts (the Japanese title is 'Camera wo Tomeruna!' or 'Don't Stop the Camera!') we see what went on behind the scenes, a cinematic zombie riff on Henry Lewis' The Play that Goes Wrong.

The three act structure also does not feel haphazard or insular; each element in the film within a film is a seed that bears fruit once the same scene is revisited in a different context. Director Ueda skillfully weaves in these elements so that they yield maximum rewards. 

Thus, from horror, the film becomes comedy and metafictional self-examination, and it's refreshing and actually even inspirational in a way. Shooting movies is hard, guys.

Masaaki Yuasa's Lu Over the Wall, a quirky animated tale about an aspiring musician and his newly discovered mermaid friend, is more about eliciting a certain mood rather than telling a story. The film ends up being disjointed as a result, but is no less visually lush.

Yuasa's personal animation style is felt in full force here; it is flowy, imaginative and expressionistic, and colorful. It's reminiscent not of his anime contemporaries, but classic american cartoons from the early 20th century. It helps that he isn't bound to sticking to a certain style or material, such as his work with The Tatami Galaxy.

The film touches on themes of tradition (and breaking from that tradition) as well as the strained relationships that form between children and parents. The characters of Lu over the Wall have at least one parent who has left them behind, and that dysfunction affects them in different ways, whether it entails acting out, seeking attention, sticking stubbornly to traditions or overcompensating to bad effect.

Though the climax is rousing enough and the emotional beats are felt, the impact could've been more deeply resonant had the storytelling been equally up to snuff. As it is, Lu Over the Wall is par for the course, but nothing special.

Eiga Sai 2019: Mixed Doubles, Laughing Under the Clouds, Perfect World, Yakiniku Dragon

日本映画祭　２０１９　Festival Log 3

Tamako Tomita (Yui Aragaki) hates Ping Pong. She's actually good at it, but an overbearing mother and a grueling training regimen turned her off the sport. But when her boyfriend (Seto Koji) betrays her for another woman, Tamako is led down a path towards Ping Pong once more.

A perfect fusion of sports movie, romantic comedy and ganbare! film (the kind of film where a person gets better at a very specific skill), Mixed Doubles is the hilarious brainchild of director-screenwriter duo Junichi Ishikawa and Ryota Kosawa. The two have worked together before in another feature film, but are perhaps better known for their TV work, including series such as Legal High (which also starred Yui Aragaki).

However, Mixed Doubles definitely feels like a film, and a very entertaining one at that. It's filled with the highs and lows of a sports drama, complete with a climactic match up set to inspirational music. It has the quirk and charm of a romantic comedy, and Eita and Aragaki are both wonderful in terms of chemistry. It is also an interesting character study - all of the characters in this film have their own reasons for playing, whether it be to escape the stifling environment of being a trophy wife, to honor a lost loved one, or simply to combat the ennui and loneliness of being left behind.

Like fellow Ping Pong movie Ping Pong (2002), Mixed Doubles isn't about winning, it's about falling in love again, whether it be the sport you left so long ago, or the person beside you. It's irreverent, funny and a solid entertainer from start to finish.

Anime adaptations are usually either hit or miss, as adapting a long series or manga to a couple of live action movies means that a lot of things are going to be taken out for the sake of time. In the case of Laughing Under the Clouds (Donten ni Warau), the alterations to the story are pretty substantial.

The gist of the movie is this: in the Bakumatsu period, three brothers protect a town from the return of Orochi, a snake demon. Ninjas want the demon to return. The government doesn't, and trouble ensues.

The film focuses more on the oldest brother, Tenka (Sota Fukushi) and less so on the other two brothers - even giving him a crucial scene that belongs to another character. A group of government soldiers tasked to seal the Orochi are all turned from interesting characters with their own quirk into a boring boy squad with little personality or backstory.

The film seems to have been modified for the ikemen-hungry crowd, to the detriment of some fans of the original source material. It's kind of a shame, considering that the source material is pretty good by itself and that the film is technically well made, especially during the first half. Katsuyuki Motohiro certainly has the pedigree to make this work, having worked on adaptations like Ajin and original films like Summer Time Machine Blues, so with the right material he could've made this shine.

Fans of Fukushi and pretty Bakumatsu bois will find much to like here, but the anime series and the manga are far superior to this particular iteration.

Based on Rie Aruga's manga of the same name, Perfect World is the story of Itsuki (Takanori Iwata) and Tsugumi (Hana Sugisaki) who fall in love with each other. It seems straightforward, but there's just one little detail about their relationship: Itsuki is paralyzed from the waist down.

The film examines how life would be like living with a person with disabilities. It's certainly full of its own set of challenges - medical conditions like pressure sores are common, family and friends can and will tend to misunderstand and discourage such relationships, and just being a caregiver on top of being a romantic partner is added challenge enough. All this, in a setting where accessibility for disabled people is very much available.

The conflicts, however, feel more weighty when Itsuki and Tsugumi are dealing with these everyday problems, compared to a major  unexplained medical speed bump in the third act that feels very contrived. Perfect World is best when it lets its two characters breathe in the world they're in, instead of manufacturing drama for the sake of drama.

And finally, I was unaware that Wishing Chong's Yakiniku Dragon was based on his play of the same name going into the movie theatre, but from the first few minutes of the movie I knew that it felt like a play on film. On second viewing, my suspicions were confirmed, and the film's theatricality proves to be its greatest weakness.

The film follows a family of Koreans living in Japan, and their struggles as they try to fit into society and sometimes fail. At the same time, there are love problems among the family's daughters. The film tackles issues of discrimination, marginalization and human dignity in the face of hardship.

Owing to its theater roots, Yakiniku Dragon's drama works when it works. But at the same time, it suffers from a lack of restraint, in that some things a play would take for granted don't exactly translate that well when adapted into a feature film.

The film is best when it shies away from histrionics, which is unfortunately not that often; most of the film is composed of hysterics, hitting, shouting and screaming. After a while, it gets kind of shrill and tiring. The romantic subplots of the film feel a little too tacked on, and are easily some of the most skippable parts of the film.

The film also lacks restraint in terms of editing. There are many moments in the film where one anticipates a cut to the next scene, but the scene just keeps going on and on. In a play, the script would be responsible for the overall pace, but not so in film. The extra dimension of temporality that a proper edit brings seems to be lost on the film's first-time director.

Eiga Sai 2019: Mirai, The Crimes that Bind, The 8-Year Long Engagement

日本映画祭　２０１９　Festival Log 2

Mamoru Hosoda's latest film, Mirai, begins with an overhead shot of a city that slowly meanders toward a peculiar house, the setting of most of the film. It is a perfect visual representation of what the movie strives to portray: the plasticity of fate, the flow of time, the place and evolution of a family among generations.

The film follows Kun, a young toddler, as he deals with the fact that he is no longer an only child. His newborn sister, Mirai, is a source of frustration to the child, and he acts like children do, doing things and saying hurtful words that he does not have the full capacity to understand. But then another Mirai appears, this time from the future, and she's here to teach him a lesson about growing up and being a good brother.

Kun's adventures could all be made up, taking place entirely within the confines of his imagination, or they could be real. But whether it is real or not is beside the point compared to the lessons his adventures impart: lessons on humility, family responsibility and the reality of being a new brother.

And, in an step forward from films such as The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (2006),  Mirai is about our relationship to time and how it relates to our own interpersonal bonds. We grow older each day, faster than we can sometimes comprehend. And in the context of our families, we are a collection of stories, tapestries composed of individual decisions that resonate through generations.

The Crimes That Bind is the big finale to a years-long adaptation that started with the 2010 TV series Shinzanmono, and continued on with a couple of feature films and TV specials. Based on the popular series of novels by Keigo Higashino, the overall story is about detective Kyoichiro Kaga, a veteran detective who solves difficult and complex mysteries.

This film begins with a death that is very personal to Kaga: in fact, it is his raison d' etre for moving to Nihonbashi in the first place. The movie then segues to the real mystery, the discovery of a corpse in an apartment that is not hers. Somehow, these two events are related, but we are left to wonder why.

The mystery is engaging and complex, with the pieces of the puzzle only gaining true form during the film's melodramatic climax. The movie has a penchant for on-screen 'narration' that gives the film a sort of formal, procedural flavor. Everyone involved is excellent, but for this installment it is Nanako Matsushima and Fumiyo Kohinata who get to shine in their respective roles, even though they appear in a fraction of the film.

The film tries its best to be cinematic -  a confrontation scene between Hiroshi Abe's Kaga and Nanako Matsushima's character is particularly striking - but it remains beholden to its television roots. Regardless, fans of Shinzanmono or of Higashino's novels will find much to appreciate here.

And finally we have The 8-Year Engagement, a romantic melodrama that sounds so unbelievable until you realize that it is actually based on a true story.

The gist of it: a man and a woman get together, fall in love, woman contracts an extremely rare medical condition, man turns out to be a saint and stubbornly sticks with her until she gets better, but problems ensue.

It could've been ridiculous if it weren't executed so sincerely. Tao Tsuchiya is excellent here, even though she spends most of the film in a hospital bed. She makes the best of her character's flaws, compared to Takeru Sato's character, who is so saintlike and flawless that he should be canonized and given the Nobel Peace Prize for three straight years. I kid of course, as Sato manages to bring a bit of gravitas to a character who loves purely, with all his heart, and without regret. It's par for the course for Zeze, a director who has dabbled in both mainstream productions and pinku eiga, whose works focus on the details of human relationships.

The medicine in this film is well-researched, from initial confinement until rehabilitation. It has to be, since it's based on real experiences. This film is good for a little cry, appropriate for those in need of some pure, pure love.

Eiga Sai 2019: The Tears of Malumpati, After the Storm, Samurai Marathon

日本映画祭　２０１９　Festival Log 1

The Tears of Malumpati's nature as a Japanese-Filipino collaboration mirrors its true to life story: an international collaboration that managed to bring clean water to a community. It touches on themes of volunteerism similar to past Eiga Sai films like Crossroad, but in this case the end result is far more satisfying.

The film follows Asuka (Miyuu Tsuji) who, for the flimsiest of reasons, goes to the Philippines for some volunteer work. She is immediately smitten by the town and its people and vows to help them at least until the project is completed.

Tsuji, an idol who is perhaps better known for her voice acting work and her membership in the idol unit 'elfin, is capable in this film. The Filipino cast fares a whole lot better compared to Crossroad, a cast that includes Joel Saracho, Sue Prado and Miel Espinoza of Pan de Salawal fame. However, it's clear that some of the Filipino cast are not as comfortable acting in English as they would be in Filipino, perhaps attributable to the occasionally corny dialogue.

That said, what's most interesting about the film is its acknowledgement, however indirect, of Japan's atrocities during World War II. The film posits the idea that the country's penchant to help other countries may be a function of guilt, or perhaps a sense of taking responsibility for Japan's past actions. "Apologizing is a negative action, but (volunteering and helping) is a positive one," a character says. A good number of us would have liked the apology too, but hey, it's a start.

The Tears of Malumpati is a decent enough charmer, full of moments both happy and sad. If anything, it's an interesting exploration of the idea of international volunteerism that approaches the subject in a different way compared to similar films.

Very few films encapsulate the humanist essence of Hirokazu Kore-eda as much as his 2016 work After the Storm. A meditation on familial bonds and regret, the film wafts in like a gentle breeze, only to leave you devastated with quiet, unassuming moments.

Its protagonist, Ryota (Hiroshi Abe) is a novelist currently sidelining as a private eye, working mostly under the employ of suspicious husbands and wives wanting to uncover evidence of their spouse's infidelity. He uses the evidence to play double agent and convince the other party to destroy this evidence in exchange for a generous fee.

It is thus ironic that while Ryota's clients keep their marriages relatively intact, Ryota's own marriage is in shambles, and the blame is mostly on him. He wastes away his earnings on horseraces and gambling, and is unable to pay his divorced wife (Yoko Maki) child support fees for his young son Shingo (Taiyo Yoshizawa). Ryota fears that he is quickly becoming the mirror image of his own father, who pretty much did the same to him.

Ryota's regret forms much of the center of this film, where he spends mulling over faded, past glories and what-ifs. Yet he is either unwilling or unable to change himself for most of the film, leaving him stuck to old ways. Perhaps it is a fear of the future, his elderly mother (Kirin Kiki) says. When a typhoon passes over the city, trapping Ryota and his family, he yearns for a catharsis, a Hollywood-like reunion and a happily ever after.

That doesn't happen, and what we get instead is something equally cathartic, yet something so subtle and gentle that its emotional impact hits one out of left field. Within the film's climax, composed of simple, unassuming moments, there is a sense of letting go, a sense of forgiveness, a realization of having to fight for what you want instead of letting things pass you by. The house still stands after the rain, changed but unshaken.

And finally we have a film that ticks the Eigasai box of a historical epic that is somehow tied to a contemporary ritual, much in the vein of 2017's The Magnificent Nine. From director Bernard Rose, better known for films such as Candyman (1992) comes this period (albeit fictionalized) ensemble piece.

Set in the Bakumatsu period, the film follows the arrival of Perry's Black Ships and the beginning of a significant change in Japanese international relations. Spooked by the arrival of the Americans, some of the samurai clans are understandably nervous. One such clan, headed by Katsuakira Itakura, decides to run a race for all his soldiers and footmen in order to prepare for uncertain times. A spy for the central government, Jinnai Karasawa (Takeru Sato), mistakenly sends out a message, thinking it to be tantamount to rebellion. When he realizes his mistake, he must protect his lord from assassins and correct his wrongdoing before it is too late.

But the story is not Karasawa's alone. Many other characters join the race for their own reasons, as the price of victory is a wish granted by lord Katsuakira himself. Hironoshi (Shota Sometani) is the fastest runner among all the soldiers; he joins the race for his family and to become a true samurai. Tsujimura (Mirai Moriyama) joins the race to perhaps win the favor of the princess Yuki (Nana Komatsu). And Yuki herself joins the race in disguise in order to gain freedom from her father and old traditions.

The stories may have conclusions that feel a little rushed compared to how they were built up, but it's all about the journey (or the race) rather than the finish line. Overall the movie reflects a society on the verge of great change. With change comes the collective anxiety of the higher ups in the face of technological superiority, while the common folk are too occupied with their own concerns to care about the future. Considering that most of the people participating in the race are samurai, there's a level of tragedy in knowing that in only a few years, their entire caste and way of life will disappear.

The film then is a way of showing that in a moment of solidarity, a group of disparate people can and will unite for a common cause and begin a tradition that continues even today. 

Rebuild of Kontr@diksyon 4.20 this is (not) a review

this is... actually not a bad poster

If you've read this blog in any meaningful capacity you'd know that the vast majority of pro-EJK films are badly made pieces of shit. This time however, we have someone different at the helm: multi-hyphenate Palanca award winner Njel de Mesa, co-writer of films such as Respeto (!!). Aside from preferring to use the title "Direq" (yes, that is a thing) he also has two giant pieces of tape on his face like he's covering up third and fourth face nipples. I guess given MTRCB standards this is acceptable.

in the future he's going to use DIREQCHKHCKHKKHCHKHC

And the result? Well of course it's trash, but besides that.. you guessed it, it's still pretty much a film written with the logic and reasoning of an angry six year old. (Apologies to all the six year old children I know.) At a whopping two hours and thirty three minutes, it is an absolute slog to go through. It is, however, a nice glimpse into the complicated mental gymnastics performed by these people - gymnastics so convoluted Nadia Comaneci looks like the QWOP guy in comparison. It made me wonder if someone can retroactively take back a Palanca award. It made me thank all the deities Treb Monteras changed Respeto into what it eventually became, otherwise the film might have made Ang Guro Kong Di Marunong Magbasa and Requited look like Citizen fucking Kane.

What happens when a semi-competent person tries to make propaganda? Let us begin a journey into the insanity that is KontrAdiksyon.

Chapter 1. A Home Invasion

Jake Cuenca, an otherwise decent actor who keeps getting drafted into terrible films, plays Alexis. Thankfully, he doesn't jack off into a rock here. He is a staunch supporter of human rights, and the movie begins with some sort of press conference with him saying something to that effect. The film treats his speech like a spongebob meme, because fuck human rights.

All is well and good. Alexis goes home to his hot wife and two kids (one of whom is dressed like an angel, which in Palanca-award winning playwright terminology means... *ruffles through pages* EPIC FORESHADOWING.) 

Suddenly, his front door is blown open by what looks like explosive charges. At once, I thought these couldn't be drug addicts, because these people should have the mental coordination needed to plant explosive charges properly. But since this movie makes little actual sense, of course they are.

In walks a gang of thugs in masks making cartoonishly stupid poses. To further push the point, they do drugs on the dining table, just to emphasize that yes, they do drugs.

So they do the Michael Haneke Funny Games thing, but like if Funny Games was directed by Dinky Doo. Hot wife gets raped, with implication the kid's also getting some premature D. Head gang member (who curiously doesn't do any drugs) gives Alexis a gun, daring him to shoot, then unbuttons his leather jacket because it's hot and there are no electric fans anywhere... revealing that he too, wears a *gasp* anti EJK t-shirt! Now if this were a stupid film, Alexis probably wouldn't have the guts to shoot because the lead gang member is an ally and he "sHoulD reSpeCt hUmAn RigHts." of course he doesn't do that because...

oh wait, he does that. He hesitates shooting because he respects human rights or something.

sigh let me repeat this for the people in the back

YOU ARE ALLOWED TO DEFEND YOURSELF

THIS ISN'T ABOUT PROTECTING VIOLENT CRIMINALS FROM _ANY_ REPERCUSSIONS

VIOLENT CRIMINALS DESERVE TO BE PUNISHED/INCARCERATED

VIOLENT DRUG ADDICTS DESERVE TO BE PUNISHED/INCARCERATED

of course the film/filmmakers are morons, so this goes over their heads. All that duct tape must be sucking out important nutrients for the brain. Instead, as if to mock the critics, his wife cries out "pAaNo nA AnG AdBoKaSiYa mO?" while she is raped.

The official mascot of KontrAdiksyon

Fear is a giant factor in the mentality that goes behind these things. The middle class fear of a home invasion, the fear that makes one lock the doors when an insane-looking or dirty person walks by the car. Can you blame people for losing their mental capacity because of that fear? I don't know. Ask spongebob.

II. DIRE((KAYAKO NOISES)) NJEL DE MESA

Meanwhile a call center agent (Kris Bernal) sidelines as a pusher. She brings over some drugs to a hotel party where everyone's in their underwear for some reason. One of the partygoers (the woman who got the drugs in the first place) overdoses. This is important later, but for the meantime, boobies.

Alexis wakes up in a pool of blood. He's naked in the bathroom. Unlike in Nuwebe, he thankfully doesn't jack off in the shower. Directors need to stop telling Jake Cuenca to jack off in random places, for fuck's sake.

It looks like he's being framed for the crime, but the justice system in this movie is actually quite competent. He has a solid legal defense, and DNA evidence points to his innocence. Despite that, he ignores the lawyer and becomes a full fledged vigilante.

Alexis goes back to the scene of the crime and broods like a two-cent batman when one of his co workers at the anti-EJK advocacy group meets him. He tells him that they won't act on this because the police didn't kill this person. Alexis, not understanding how human rights groups actually work, gets angry. Yeah, because crimes like this are INVESTIGATED BY THE POLICE, you absolute bellend.

III. Direくくくく　Njel de Mesa

Alexis walks into a classroom (?) where drug addiction is being taught as a chronic brain disease that irreversibly changes a person's life. This is a very generalized statement that seems to imply that rehabilitation is a waste of time. But whatever, right.

IV. Jesus take the bong

There's a church scene now. Lou Veloso is saying that killing is bad (generally true) because of the commandments but Elizabeth Oropesa goes total DDS mode, saying that the old testament has been superseded by the new testament's two great commandments, even quoting the first one: "love God with all your heart, etc etc."

This is evidence that the direQCHKCHtor that made this film didn't exactly read his bible because he kinda neglected to understand the second great commandment: "love thy neighbor as yourself." Maybe he was too busy choreographing dances to attend Sunday school.

So if we think killing our neighbor is okay, are we in the self hating business now? Do drug war supporters want to kill themselves or something?

Elizabeth Oropesa's character shyly raises her fist. Might as well've put that fist in her mouth.

V. real assholes wear pink

A guy wearing a pink bonnet kills a bunch of people in a drug lab while grooving to classical music. Because... REASONS???? (okay, maybe he was eliminating competition, but we don't know this... yet. This is straight out the Dinky Doo filmmaking playbook.)

I'm actually surprised he's the same size jacket as the guy he killed, cause that dead guy was kinda fat.

Meanwhile, Alexis becomes a PDEA asset. He's psychologically unstable, but PDEA director Katrina Halili gives him a pass, because we don't need stringent psychological standards for our law enforcement. We need a couple more vengeance obsessed psychopaths to protect us I guess.

Also, boobs.

The mastermind behind the whole thing (someone called "the President") is arranging a deal with a foreign guy, who is explicitly not Chinese, but a westerner. In the background, there's a zombie...? This will become relevant later.

VI. Jesus take the meth pipe too while you're at it

"Separation of church and state!" one pro-admin priest spouts as he defends extrajudicial killings, completely misunderstanding the term. He seems to think that "the church should keep out of the government's business" means "the church should turn a blind eye when thousands of people are being killed." Are these guys on drugs? Do you, DireQ, ever think about the words that are coming out of your screen play?

Do you think about what those words mean?

Do you think?

The film pushes for killings to happen, the subtext isn't that deep. Most of the addicts in this film are portrayed as either unpredictable insane people, or violent subhumans. Curiously there aren't a lot of poor addicts depicted in this film, as if the film is trying to evade that notion. Guess how many poor addicts are killed a day in this country. Not that they matter, right? Because according to this film, they aren't people.

Like any good propaganda piece the film deflects the blame onto drug people. OF COURSE it's the drug lords who do the vigilante killings in order to eliminate the competition.

VII. Left 4 Dead is a fun game but I don't have any teammates huhu

After having a dream where his dream wife berates him for having no spine and not killing her rapists because he's a "hUmAn rIgHtS AdVoCaTe", Alexis wakes up. Also, boobs.

Alexis visits an internet cafe, believed to be the base of a drug supplier. Beside him, kids are playing Left 4 Dead, which is actually a fun game. Too bad he didn't start a round, because I'd rather watch that instead. 

Drug lady with shotgun-cane Odette Khan (okay, I admit that was kinda cool) says that the supply is going down, which is, I think, reflects the thinking behind this war. If no one does anything about demand, people are still going to find ways to drugs anyway. Alexis faces off against a duo wielding nailed bats and beats them up. Eventually he kills Odette Khan and her minion... right in front of Kris Bernal's character. Whoops. 

He chases Kris Bernal down and stops her, and that is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

pAaNo nA AnG AdBoKaSiYa mO?

VIII. Dire((white noise)) Njel de Mesa

pro-admin priest guy and altar boy does Tokhang-like activities in what is obviously an upper middle class subdivision which is totally not poor at all, because reasons. The tenant of the house, upon being told to surrender her child, refuses.  Some random guy on a motorbike kills priest, because...?

Oh no poor defenders of the drug war huhu thoughts and prayers

Meanwhile, a minority politician is making anti-EJK legislation. He plans to bring the case to the International Criminal Court. Another "minority" politician steps in and calls bull, saying that even the minority supports the administration. lol.

IX. quiet in the library

Alexis and Kris Bernal go to meet her supplier, a blonde young adult who apparently hangs out in a library and smokes weed. Does no one smell the smoke? Does the supplier have invisibility powers?

She runs from Alexis and his new squeeze, and Alexis chases her. A bunch of security guards fire on them and Alexis uses the supplier's body as a human shield. For a film that treats druggies as objects, I found this par for the course and also hilarious.

After this, Alexis whines because he got splattered by spaghetti sauce, not at all caring about the girl he hurled into the path of several bullets. This is, of course, on brand.

Alexis and Kris Bernal decide to do the dirty because boobies. Of course he stops because he remembers the death of his wife and his PTSD cockblocks him.

X. 1+1 = 420

The film says that these motorcycle riding in tandem killings aren't done by the government, so they aren't extrajudicial killings by definition. But Lou Veloso protests the priest's death, saying that it is an EJK??? Okay whatever

XI. Fake news

Alexis is chased by a drug goon disguised as a MEDIA person riding a motorcycle. If we consider how this administration treats media persons that don't toe the line, if that subtext isn't screaming in your face, I don't know what is.

Alexis finally has a standoff with the guy, who happens to be pink bonnet guy, who happens to be the guy who led the attack on his house. He reveals that he really wasn't after him for being an anti-EJK guy, he was after his wife (!!).

As it turns out, pink bonnet guy (whose name is monster, very subtle, 10/10 palanca award winning writing) was boning a nurse at the local rehab facility to... spy on people I guess. He gets access to this because he was boning the nurse.

So, like in a porno video, Alexis' wife walks into the nurse's office and sees the two of them doing the horizontal tango. The wife has no context of what's going on, and the whole thing could be alibied away as some sort of tryst. The wife doesn't know that Monster is connected to drugs, or drug lords or anything like that but because reasons, Monster decides to make a little visit to Alexis' house.

While Monster is delivering dialogue, Kris Bernal aims her gun at him, and Alexis tries to stop her. Of course, this leads to Kris Bernal failing miserably and Monster escaping. This was, of course, for them to be able to pinpoint the "President's" location.

XII. Yup, they went there

Alexis and Kris Bernal finally meet with the "President", and to the surprise of no one, he is actually THE MINORITY ANTI-EJK POLITICIAN WE SEE EARLIER IN THE FILM.

They did it

They actually fucking did it

They blamed anti-EJK politicians from the political opposition for extrajudicial killings

These dense ass motherfuckers

Why did he do it? Well, because he had to be an asshole to enact change. So... if it's not the current president instead of this guy, it's not okay? Or is he okay? What the hell is he on about? The film struggles to give a logical reason why this guy does what he does, including sending a drug over to a drug rehab facility which turns the docile rehabilitating people into freaking Zombies.

IS THIS INSPIRED FROM LEFT 4 DEAD??? WAS THAT ALSO FORESHADOWING? LOL

kimochi warui

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, the movie has turned into a zombie movie. Head PDEA guy tells his men not to use their guns, and in a speech with the ambition to rival the stirring of the riders of Rohan, but with the tepidity of a bag of wet noodles, they all bring out their zip ties.

THIS

FUCKING

SUBTEXT(aboutdrugusersbeinginhumanzombiesbecauseofcoursethatshowtheyactandhowrehabisuseless)

RIGHT

HERE

A PDEA agent hugs a drug addict zombie with a grenade, while rehab workers are trapped inside. Instead of throwing away the grenade from the crowd of people like he is supposed to, he does nothing, and the building explodes, killing everyone inside and rendering his effort completely useless.

XIII. 

Alexis and Monster kill each other, and he is visited once again by dream wife. At least here dream wife isn't spongebobing her husband. Also boobies

22 people died in the zombie attack - mainly people who died not because of drugs, but because some idiot forgot how to neutralize a grenade.

The end of the film is a bookend of sorts. There's a press conference, but it's held by PDEA guy. His speech? Stop criticizing the government because it hurts huhu and we know best. Also it's not our fault. Even though we've done everything to paint everyone else in a bad light we want (((unity))) and peace.

Right. If someone made a shot for shot remake of Birth of a Nation and tacked on a scene at the end about blacks and whites living together in harmony, I'd call bullshit too.

I FUCKING KNEW IT

In closing, KontrAdiksyon is just like most of the other films out there that try to present a worldview that doesn't really hold up to logical scrutiny: it's smarmy garbage that doesn't know the depths of its own stupidity. Perhaps it's multihyphenated DireQQQQQQQCCHCHCHCHCHCtor should stick to writing dated, shitty plays about the complexities of using umlauts when writing text messages.

Sunshine Family

Sunshine Family's production and aesthetic involves a lot of international intersections. The film has a Filipino cast headlined by powerhouse acting couple Shamaine and Nonie Buencamino. It has a Korean director best known for directing dramas about taxi drivers (not the one you expect, probably.) It's a story based on a 1992 Japanese film. And, the promotional materials seem to be referencing an American indie darling also with Sunshine in the title. The end result? Something unique and quirky, though not perfect.

When breadwinner Don (Nonie Buencamino) accidentally runs over a woman after a drunken night out, his wife Sonya (Shamaine Buencamino) decides to hide the incriminating car inside their house and dispose of it piece by piece. But there are curious neighbors and other problems in the family that need to be addressed as well.

The film skips out on a lot of exposition, rushing its way through its first third and beginning as if it started in medias res. This leads to a lot of missed character development, and certain emotional scenes later on fail to land because of this. We get only the slightest background on husband and wife, and the two children (played by Marco Masa and Sue Ramirez) fare a bit worse, with their own side stories relegated to relatively inconsequential storylines. Anyone looking for any deeper examination of this particular family unit will not find anything substantial, but the film does teach a few lessons about acceptance and family solidarity, in that a family is always stronger together.

Thankfully, things pick up during the second half and there is enough charm and quirk to wash away the failings of the first half. The film is genuinely funny, and from an entertainment standpoint the film delivers in spades. It's also a treat to see the Buencaminos act together in a husband and wife role - as their already strong acting chops are augmented by their natural chemistry as a real life couple.

Sunshine Family is a fun, entertaining experiment, and a cross cultural project that deserves attention. It manages to pull together all its diverse artistic talent to create something unique in the landscape of local cinema.

A very busy May/June Week in Cinema 2019 (2 of 2)

Quezon's Game follows Manuel Quezon in the late thirties as he tries to save Jewish refugees from extermination at the hands of Hitler and the Nazi party. The Philippines has yet to join the fight; the attack at Pearl Harbor is still years away.

Despite being set in the past, Quezon's Game is also about the present. It is a call for empathy and understanding in the face of overwhelming bigotry and apathy. Throughout the film Quezon tries to outmaneuver political foes and allies alike, who try to stop Quezon because of their internalized prejudice or their own political interests. And here's Quezon, his health fading, wanting not to be remembered by statues or plaques, but by the goodness of his actions.

For a film that is composed almost entirely of meetings, the film is relatively engaging. The film's two hour run time is barely felt because of a capable edit. There's a bit of old fashioned hokeyness to the dialogue, but the film's tone calls for it, in my opinion. This could have been a very staid, bland film, but there is personality in Quezon's Game's earnestness, and it shows.

The film shows its limitations early on but it does the best it can with the limited resources it has. The camerawork is mostly simple with a couple of inspired shots, though one could argue that you can only shoot a meeting scene so many times.

My mother, who typically doesn't watch movies (local or otherwise), really enjoyed the film and the messages it contains, and that's a testament to the reach of this film. Quezon's Game is a timely plea for humanity in a world that is quickly becoming isolated, tribal and self-centered.

Note: Implied spoilers for Godilla: King of the Monsters.

Picking up five years where the previous movie left off, Godzilla: King of the Monsters feels like a distillation of the semi-serious Heisei-era Toho Godzilla films, where Godzilla has to face off against a number of monsters while being assisted by the relatively insignificant humans on the ground. Off the top of my head, it reminds me a lot of Godzilla, Mothra & King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack (2001).

This movie seems to have heeded the audience reaction to the first movie, in that it focuses more on the monster fights than the human characters. However, that decision leads to even more problems. Yes, there are more monster fights, but you can barely see them, since most of the action takes place at night, or during a storm. The human character arcs that are left are not that interesting, either, save for one or two characters, notably Charles Dance's ecoterrorist character and Ken Watanabe's role as Dr. Serizawa.

While I enjoyed the spectacle of the film, something did bother me about it. Godzilla has always been a symbol of the neuroses and anxieties that Japan faced at the end of World War II. In this film, however, Godzilla's origin and motivations are tweaked to say he was there from ancient times, even giving him an ancient radioactive power source (instead of the nuclear bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.) There's also a scene where the sole Japanese character in the movie seems to pass on the torch to the next generation. There's a sense that Godzilla is no longer of Japan, but of a larger world, and I have to ask: if we take away the Japanese-ness of Godzilla, what else is left?

A very busy May/June Week in Cinema 2019 (1 of 2)

By any objective metric. Banal isn't exactly the best of films. It's your usual teen horror movie about a group of teens doing really stupid things in a sacred mountain, with one teen in particular embracing the sunken cost fallacy wholesale. The acting leaves much to be desired, with probably only Bianca Umali turning in a decent performance.

With all that said, Banal is relatively enjoyable in a sense, mainly because of two things. First, it consistently delivers an atmosphere of horror without depending too much on cliched horror tropes. Second, like in any horror movie where loads of stupid characters die off, there's a certain amount of catharsis seeing them kick the bucket in creative ways. That "earwax" scene is worth the price of admission in this reviewer's honest opinion.

There's a tacked on message at the end about the social responsibility we all have in taking care of natural resources, but the real meat of Banal is its depiction of western society and Catholicism versus indigenous culture and paganism, drawn in clearly gendered lines. It takes a traditional approach to that depiction, but I think it's still worth looking into why exactly that is the case.

Banal will undoubtedly turn a lot of people off, but for what it's worth, its the local horror film I've enjoyed the most since 2019 began.

A tip for everyone planning to watch Code Geass: Lelouch of the Re;Surrection: this film is a sequel to the three part film series that reimagines the original anime TV series. People who go into the movie who have only watched the TV series (like myself) will be confused as to the fate of certain characters.

The film follows the ending of Code Geass (which is basically the same in both the movie and TV versions). The peace created by the events of the finale has reverberated around the world. However, the Kingdom of Zilkhistan, who profited from the endless war isn't having any of it, and decides to kidnap two of its top officials.

The film is pure fanservice, containing all of the things people loved about the original TV show: mecha action, high stakes chess matches, witty strategies from our titular character, overall weirdness and lots of lore. Sadly, there is not a single Pizza Hut in sight.

I'm not sure non-fans will see this as anything other than an incoherent mess, but for fans of the series, this is a definite recommendation.

Speaking of incoherent messes, yipes. This film. I desperately wanted to like Finding You, and the fact that disappointing is the most flattering thing I can say about it makes that feeling even worse.

Nel (Jerome Ponce) has hyperthymesia, a sort of super autobiographical memory where he can perfectly recall every moment he's ever lived. However, when he finds mysterious messages posted in the past on his social media account that he cannot recall, this creates a mystery that is too tantalizing to ignore. Conceptually, the irony in having a man who does not forget dealing with repressed (?) memories is intriguing. Unfortunately, this does not pan out.

The film's timeline flits from past to present, but this is not adequately covered by the film's editing. The whole affair is mostly confusing. Nel tries to confront his previous lovers in the hope that they could shed light on his mystery, and that only serves to lampshade the fact that he is an unlikeable character, reflecting the worst aspects of hugot culture. He pines over what is clearly an impossible choice and deals with the situation like a spoiled child. His condition is used as a gimmick more than anything else, and later scenes in the film play fast and loose with reality - a particular scene using electroconvulsive therapy is completely science fiction, and is used solely for dramatic effect.

Finding You is confusing, headlined by a completely unlikeable main character, and the worst part is that there is a far better recent local film out there about memories and hugot culture: Nakalimutan Ko Nang Kalimutan Ka.

The Last Interview is a piece of... work

It is perhaps one of the greatest pitfalls of a biographical film that it becomes a hagiography - in that it portrays its subject as a saint and not as a flawed human being. The Last Interview: The Mayor Antonio Halili Story does not fall into that trap, because it seems to be actually tailored to make you not like the character; the man in the film is portrayed as a well meaning douche. One could think that this film is a mean spirited attempt at character assassination, but then again, the original intentions seem to be to portray its subject as a good guy, so we'll chalk this one up to general incompetence on the filmmakers' part and a glaring lack of self awareness.

Like last year's sylvan masterpiece of wooden acting Ang Misyon: A Marawi Siege Story, director Ceasar Soriano  has once again chosen a topic about a relevant event and  predictably botches the landing like a drunk chimpanzee landing a 747. Last year, the Mayor of Tanauan, Batangas was shot and killed during a flag ceremony. The man had a penchant for parading drug suspects, and although he was publicly supportive of the country's drug war, he was linked to illegal drugs himself (even though no evidence to that effect ever came out to the public.) His killers have never been found.

The film is framed as a pseudo-documentary: most of the movie is a flashback to Halili's life and his journey towards political leadership. John Estrada takes the lead role. Director Soriano himself takes a role as the interviewer, as if the movie was an episode of his PTV show Magandang Gabi, Pilipinas. Again, someone used to Filipino biopics would perhaps expect a hagiography, portraying its subject as a virtuous person - but there is a disconnect between what the film wants to show us and what we really see. If anything, it says a lot about the logic and mindset of people supporting the drug war.

The flashbacks literally start with an elementary school age Halili beating up another kid. The film tries to justify this in an unconvincing scene where his father tells his mother that it's okay that Halili beat up that kid, because that kid was a bully and his son was protecting other people. In any other situation, this kid would be seen as a violent thug and not as a valiant protector. Lesson #1: it's okay to inflict violence on other people, as long as it's against the right people. This theme is maintained throughout the flashback sequences as we see Halili beat up people a few more times. The second time we see this, we are not given a reason why he is beating up said person - we are just led to believe that since it's Halili doing the beat down, that person deserves it.

A sideplot involves Halili's cousin being raped and tortured by a number of nameless bad guys, but we don't know who they are, and the cousin is used as an excuse to justify Halili's tough stance on crime. Shame, then, that we don't really know what happened to that case, and the dead cousin is promptly forgotten. Lesson #2: It's enough to be angry at injustice, and that anger takes precedence over the actual dispensation of justice.

Halili finds his sweetheart (portrayed at different ages by Kate Alejandrino and Ara Mina) by aggressively courting her. (And by aggressive, I also mean that they bond through Halili beating up several people. It's kind of a trend at this point.) They eventually get married, but then the film inexplicably shows a scene where Halili cheats on her with another woman. Halili is clearly caught in the act, but it's somehow solely the mistress' fault. This is also played up for laughs, considering the accompanying soundtrack. The rest of the film forgets this scene and emphasizes their great romance. Lesson #3: when a man cheats, it's always someone else's fault, and it is just a case of men being men, with no negative impact to their character whatsoever.

When Halili finally does become mayor, he makes good on his promise and cracks down hard on criminality. We get anecdotal footage of people telling us that hey, the mayor's methods kinda work. Soriano frames Halili as an action star, actively taking part in these operations with an M-16 slung over his shoulder, even though there isn't any reason to believe he actually participated this deeply. Lesson #4: "tough guy" politicians see themselves as the action stars of their own movies, a fantasy that seems to be a way to compensate for some psychological complex.

This leads to the parading of suspects that Halili was famous for. The film's 'logic' holds true up to this point. Since these alleged (emphasis on alleged since they haven't been convicted) users and pushers are the bad guys, it's okay to disregard their human rights, even though ironically the film shows footage of a prisoner saying yeah, we have rights too. That doesn't matter, of course. The film does address that there are people that criticize Halili's methods, but this is dismissed quickly, with our erstwhile mayor stating that the people who criticize him must be involved in drugs, too. In this context, this feeling of self-righteousness and entitlement makes sense. Lesson #5: Elected officials are the official, unassailable arbiters of what's right and wrong, and if you criticize them, rightfully or not, you must be an enemy as well and deserve no rights.

This proves to be ironic as Halili himself gets tagged in the administration's narcolist. It's unclear how or why he is involved in said list, as the film chalks it up to "political blabla" (an actual line in the film) and political persecution (by whom, the film never says.) Faced with the possible end of his political career, there's a scene where Halili sees a political future for his daughter, but only because she's his daughter. Nothing in the movie tells us why she deserves that position, she apparently deserves it because of Lesson #5. Lesson #6: Political dynasties are justified. I guess. Considering that his daughter did eventually win as mayor during the recent election, that says a lot about how people think about it.

Soriano uses mostly competent actors this time, which only exacerbates the the fact that it makes the non-actors even worse by contrast. Imagine award-winning actor Noel Comia Jr. delivering his lines alongside a couple of human shaped robots and you'll get an idea how ridiculous it looks like. And it's not hard to see why these non-actors lack the direction needed to give a convincing performance: Soriano himself has the acting prowess of a damp sponge. On the technical side, the film is actually a giant step up from Soriano's previous film, but that's relatively speaking.

The film ends with actual footage of Halili's death, which feels overly graphic and insensitive to its subject. I personally never knew the former mayor; all I know is what the film tells me. For all I know he might have actually been a truly upstanding individual, a respectable public official and a model citizen, who did good by the citizens of Tanauan. It's just that this tone-deaf failure of a biopic doesn't do him or his legacy any favors. It's poorly made, poorly directed, and comes from a place of smug condescension and a total lack of awareness. Whether one is for or against the drug war, there's nothing in this film that caters to either audience, because it sucks. And given that literally no one saw this film (I saw this film alone in an otherwise empty theater) I think audiences picked up on that, too.

Kuwaresma (spoilers)

Note: major spoilers for Kuwaresma.

Set in the year 1985, Kuwaresma follows Luis (Kent Gonzales) as he returns to his home in Baguio to attend the funeral of his recently deceased sister. It becomes clear that something is not quite right in the house, which leads to all sorts of complications. Luis' dad, Arturo, is a controlling, hypermasculine soldier who believes in survival of the fittest, while his doctor mom is subservient to her husband's whims.

There's no question that Kuwaresma creates an interesting atmosphere. Things are off-kilter at just the right amounts and the weirdness is unique compared to other contemporary horror films. Thankfully, the film decides not to rely on cliched horror tropes to deliver its scares (at least, not too much). Like most of Erik Matti's recent films, the film can also be enjoyed at multiple levels, and there's a decent amount of subtext going on.

While the film does do a number of really good things that work on their own, when working together as parts of a greater whole the results are not as effective. Kuwaresma tries to juggle several things at once, and each of those little things affect the others in negative ways. 

The film can be seen as a critique of toxic masculinity, but the demonic possession angle of the film dilutes that message, because now the reason for all the evil acts in the film are can be blamed on a demon, and not solely on the man and the evil built into his character. The film tries to champion the power of a woman, but at the same time the film also conveys the message that when good people do nothing, evil flourishes, inadvertently putting some blame on the woman in what is an obviously abusive relationship. In its construction, the film tries to espouse these messages without thinking too much of the history and power structures that created this situation in the first place.

In its most meaningful twist, it is revealed that Luis is a woman all along, and that his choice to become a man stems from his father's actions, but the suspension of disbelief is too hard to maintain. It's strange to think that Luis would just conveniently forget that he doesn't have a penis, especially every time he goes to the bathroom. How would he take a piss in comfort rooms? Would he mess up his pants trying to piss standing up? And while gender reassignment surgeries were available as early as the sixties, it wasn't widely available in the Philippines (and it still isn't), and there is no indication that any surgery ever happened. It could have been a powerful statement on how sexual identity is sometimes forced upon us by others, but it doesn't stick the landing.

Kuwaresma is not a bad film per se, but it ends up being a victim of putting too much on its plate. While it is entertaining on its own, it collapses under its own complexity and that ultimately detracts from the overall experience.

Between Maybes (mild spoilers)

The latest in a slew of not-quite-romances by Black Sheep, Between Maybes is a peculiar entry in Jason Laxamana's body of work. Like his 2017 film Fallback, this film also explores a side of show business (though not as deeply) and like his other romantic films such as To Love Some Buddy (2018), the overall tone is light and surprisingly funny in its first third.

At the center of the film are Louie and Hazel (Gerard Anderson and Julia Barretto), who meet each other by chance in Saga, Japan. Hazel is an actress struggling to do something more, and Louie is a Filipino residing in Japan. Their characters are two sides of the same coin: Hazel yearns for independence from her overbearing family, but is only escaping the inevitable truth that other than acting, she can't do much else, and Louie is already independent, but yearns for the parental affection that he has been desperately searching for since his childhood.

An unlikely friendship blossoms, and there is the hint of romance, though it's a romance that feels tentative (this is not a bad thing). Hazel and Louie try to live in the space between what could be - but this feeling is short lived. Reality is always peeking around the corner, and while they help improve each other over the course of their stay, they are aware that this arrangement is fleeting. 

There are some weird choices, especially in the first half. Anime-related storytelling devices pop up occasionally in the first third, bringing about a jarring, but temporary, shift in tone. But these same devices are used in the ending of the film to great effect, signifying a hopeful continuation of a not-quite-love story that can't really take off... for now.

Notes on Man and Wife

Laurice Guillen's Man and Wife is the tragic story of a couple, Carding (Gabby Concepcion) and Luisa (Jodi Sta. Maria) who are repeatedly cockblocked by their unsuspecting child. The unfortunate interruptions of sexy time (tm) are punctuated by a thunder storm, which seems to indicate their horniness is a supernatural trigger for adverse weather phenomena. This all comes to a head during the final moments when, during the third such instance of potential cockblocking, said couple locks their child out of their room as they do the deed, traumatizing her for life thanks to 1) the thunderstorm that isn't going anywhere and 2) the sounds of their lovemaking.

But enough of that, there's actually a story in between the first cockblock and the last. The film is actually based on characters from the long-running radio drama series/teleserye Gulong ng Palad, which has been running intermittently in one form or another since the seventies. The setup is simple enough: Carding and Luisa are two lovers, but their respective families aren't shipping this OTP, so shenanigans ensue. In this iteration of the story, Carding and Luisa have settled their differences with their families by not settling them (ha) and running away to America. As the film begins, Carding is then compelled to return to the Philippines because his estranged mother Menang is sick. He brings along his family for the ride. When they return, shit seems to have hit the fan in their small community: Mayor Menang is sponsoring a mining establishment that is wreaking havoc on the local population, and has killed or maimed several people, including people in or close to Luisa's family.

The film feels VERY dated. This is a film that would have been halfway decent in 1982, but it's 2019 and soap operatics like this don't really click anymore. That isn't even including the cheesy voiceover and the old fashioned sexual politics. For some reason, the film isn't marketed as based on Gulong ng Palad - maybe the added marketing would have sold a couple more tickets, or...?

The plot points of the movie seem appropriate given that it's election season, but it does carry with it a number of unfortunate implications (so townsfolk can't solve their own problems unless the collective action is headed by a rich outsider?) And the central conflict between Carding and Luisa feels too much like an Idiot Plot. Maybe this lack of communication stems from the fact that the kid cockblocked them too much over the years.

Man and Wife isn't a bad film per se, and it's actually decently acted. The film is just very old fashioned. In a cinematic landscape where there are limited resources for making films, I'm finding it hard to justify its existence.

Tayo sa Huling Buwan ng Taon [Spoilers]

Note: some spoilers for Tayo sa Huling Buwan ng Taon. Watch the movie first, then come back here.

When I and a couple of friends talked to director Nestor Abrogena about his follow-up to the sleeper hit Ang Kwento Nating Dalawa, he told us about two words that defined the visual language of the film: flight, and orbit. How appropriate, then, that in this film the theme is arguably gravity. Things that fly fight against it; orbiting planets compromise with it to keep from falling into the sun. And its meaning also makes sense with gravity-as-presence, something that is invisible but is powerful enough to change trajectories and perturb celestial bodies.

Like Abrogena's previous film, the approach is subdued, quiet, a slice-of-life. We see Sam (Nicco Manalo) and Isa (Emmanuelle Vera) five years after the events of the first film, having settled with other partners. For most of the film, there are no histrionics, no dramatic moments. It's an approach that is almost experimental in its execution. The film deftly explores contemporary relationships in a manner that is realistic and grounded. The proceedings sound mundane, but they are immersive, helping reacquaint us with old friends.

The film revels in its stillness, aware that this stillness will not last: Isa is ready to begin a new life with her boyfriend in America, and Sam is ready to take the next step with his girlfriend and fellow teacher. The new year then represents upheaval, a permanent change in status quo. But so far these four characters are traveling unimpeded in space. And there is notable space in between these seemingly normal events: things left unsaid, or only implied. Teary faces, perhaps filled with regret. An uncertain "maybe" to a test of commitment. Resentment towards an invisible sibling. 

When Sam and Isa meet again, it is deep in the third act, but this one minor event changes the movie entirely. The camera spins around them at the point of their reunion: these are two celestial bodies affected by each other's gravity, orbiting each other once more. This perturbation sets the rest of the events of the movie in motion - this time in a fantastic long take with characters going to and fro, like billiard balls careening though a table post-break. The musical cues thereafter are subtle, but the chords remind one of Quest's Walang Hanggan - the theme of the first movie. The stillness is soon shattered, and bubbling emotions reach the surface.

This is the consequence of gravity - the invisible presence of a love story left unfinished, like a script whose ending is erased, like the hollow facade of a relationship that once was, yet one that still stands and holds sway over everything else. Perhaps the film could have fleshed things out a bit more, but there is merit in ambiguity, in things left unsaid. There is no spoonfeeding going on in this film, and we are left to piece the puzzle together ourselves. Whether you ultimately like it or not, Tayo is the kind of film that sticks with you, the kind that can leave you stunned as you leave the theater: a low-key, quiet film that packs a lot of surprises.

Notes on Maledicto

Although its structure is similar to many Filipino movies about ghostly possession, the world of Maledicto treats the supernatural with a heavier dose of skepticism than usual. That skepticism is also reflected in the film's protagonist (Tom Rodriguez,) a priest who ironically specializes in exorcisms. 

This is a world where legitimate supernatural activity is waved away as either mental illness or the effect of drugs, a plot point that, when interpreted in a certain way, has some unfortunate implications. For one thing, what does that say about legitimate mental illness and drug related cases in the real world? Does the film inadvertently trivialize that? In a film where an archaic, corrupt institution sacrifices human lives for the sake of modernization, could that be interpreted as an argument for fundamentalism? Maybe. Maybe not.

Either way, even if viewed under a superficial lens, the film suffers from a number of inadequacies. The film's atmosphere through visuals doesn't quite work thanks to a baffling decision to blur most of the frame. It's as if someone smeared the edges of the camera lens with vaseline. This focal length (or whatever camera setting made these images) is suitable for closeups, but wide shots are particularly unwatchable, with more than 2/3 of the screen a blurry mess. I'm willing to give the movie the benefit of the doubt and chalk it up to a projection problem, but other, similar reports make me wonder.

Rodriguez's Father Xavi is portrayed as a cynical, sometimes smug, maybe even sexist priest, who immediately dismisses the claims of Sister Barbie (Jasmine Curtis). Sister Barbie, though herself a more interesting character than Xavi, is pushed to the side. She possesses supernatural powers that are quickly glossed over and are mentioned only once. Her character is a mix of persistence and weak-willedness. Throughout the film she is ridiculed for her opinions and actions (and Xavi even renames her without her consent, a playful move to be sure, but one that is rife for misinterpretation).

Maledicto feels like the pilot episode for a TV series turned into a feature film. Conceptually, the idea of a demon-slaying priest-nun duo sounds pretty good. But given what Maledicto has shown us, I'd be game watching a sequel to this only after major adjustments are made to the storytelling and visuals.