Underdeveloped Madness

Where's the Genie?

Nerseri is directed by Vic Acedillo Jr. It receives the least of my admiration in the competition. I have to disagree with its attempt of depicting a deranged family. I certainly understand the illness and I think they are bordering on the clichés with just a pinch of the true nature of the madness. Although it tries to change the color palette with hues and saturations for artistic merits, I still do not buy to the entirety.

The color palette is interesting but that is just about it. I am not a symbologist like Langdon to further interpret anything that I would see. That would be the start of my insanity. It is up to the audience to interpret it. Mai (Jacklyn Jose) is a mother who is more casual about the abnormalities happening in their house. His eldest son Dean (Lance Raymundo) is a junkie who has manic tendencies every now and then. The other brother Jun (Alwyn Uytingco) is also a drug addict who constantly hears voices. Lyn (Claudia Enriquez) is the sister who is a total weirdo and sometimes she just bangs her head on the wall. The youngest is Cocoy (Timothy Mabalot) who is perfectly normal. He even masturbates at a time when Dean is hallucinating. One day, Mai decides to sell their land in Bohol. It is up to Cocoy to take care of his other siblings apart from his own sanity.

Jacklyn Jose is well reserved as the mother. It could be true that taking care of orchids is one therapy to alleviate her from the stressful day to day situations she is experiencing inside their home (I doubt she will talk to the orchids). The story basically progresses while Mai is far from their home and Cocoy do the normal chores in store for him. But months have passed since they lacked the support from their mother (similar to Koreeda’s Nobody Knows) and he experiences the downside of the illness of Dean and Lyn.

The interesting aspect of the film is its attempt to inundate the viewers with the colors of the images. Has this something to do with the insanity aspect of getting colors that are of no ordinary tones? I guess so. The story is basically more into the situational type or is it from the director’s personal experience? It is not really something that we should rave about. Yes it is simple but it lacks the authenticity of being demented. Since most of the characters are like that, well it is expected to integrate a more careful depiction of the characters. The film is more on the trivialities involved like will the young Cocoy be insane too? I think we need to assess the sickness itself. Is it really a threat? There are certain films that have tackled this with a more natural approach in their relationships. They have been subtle all along; they should have stuck with it all along.

Well, nothing is really all good in festivals. This could be the least kind of film that I would like and could commend in the further screening. The only interest the filmmaker has is something very visual, more in tune with the colors and the possible effect of the style to the viewers. Well for me, everybody has a ‘tic’ in our head that would create a different tone in our perceptions.
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Charlie Koon's Rating:

Holy Cow

Let's pray. Don't smile at the camera

True enough, Padre de Pamilya is a troubling film (literally) just like what the bishop said about it. On the other hand, it is good to see that the attendance was adequate while I was watching. I suspect that the film format is quite new to their senses (indie spirit). This film is well promoted by the Catholic Church. I guess even Shake Rattle and Roll XXV will be recommended by the church as long as the aswang is shown praying the rosary.

Joselito (Ariel Rivera) is a government employee working in the sanitary division. He gets to approve permits from businesses and factories in the town. His son needs to have a new computer for his studies. His wife Maggie (Jacklyn Jose) is also troubled by the family’s budget and sometimes shoplifts. Joselito is soon bribed by one of the rejected businesses and he gives up all his principles in order to buy his bratty son a computer.

The film tries to maximize the plot’s irony to come up with a seemingly simplistic instrument for the conflict to arise. Joselito is convinced to buy his son a computer package. I would be more practical about it and suggest computer rentals. But there are other desires that tempt him towards a better life. Maggie dreams of a family life that is trouble-free and even hints her husband to be a little more open to the opportunities present in his post in the government. I am still not convinced with how the film sets itself to the flame. Situational films that tackle moral uncertainty must have a better logic for each action that could lead to the aim of the film. Padre de Pamilya appears more of a parody than a valid reproduction of a society’s moral downfall. They could have layered the story with more sincerity and avoided cliché plots and unnecessary compounding dialogues that have no mark for the allegory.

The story also showcases political issues. Tessie Tomas plays the Mayor whose verbal histrionics is given more detailed attention than her chief authority as a public official. I know they wanted to make fun out of it. But the ideas involving this lampoon could have been executed with much more dexterity. The effect is the other way around as it appears that it makes fun of the film. Another minor issue that tries to thicken up a generally sparse political concern is the garbage handling. Dump trucks are not being purchased due to corruption and there is a segment in the film that the media is making an in-depth exposition about it. Instead of conveying solid evidence, the media attempts to sensationalize by hitting the eye through hidden camera pranks and impromptu interviews of the people within the town.

Acting from the likes of Rivera, Jose and Tomas are sufficient. The direction of their acting is barely passing. What can a director do in order to give other layers to these monosyllabic characters? This is important because the film tries to show family relationships, distraught government officials and parenthood. Although the ending is a bit alarming, this is not very typical of a moral film. It is now an advantage that is seen by religious people. The point of the film is for us to learn from this troubled people with the church’s guidance.

I have no qualms in films that either preach or represent morality for the betterment of the society. But I prefer well made stories and Padre de Pamilya lacks what the definition of well-made is. The structure of the story could collapse at anytime. The contrivance is okay as long as the logic of the situations they wanted to show could be possible. Films are as powerful as the church. We have to use it at its full advantage and not waste energy in making a film that is scruffily written and yet expects the audience to be completely transformed.


Charlie Koon's Rating:

Touching the Untouchable

Where's my rubber ducky?

Masterpieces are not single and solitary births; they are the outcome of many years of thinking in common, of thinking by the body of the people, so that the experience of the mass is behind the single voice. - Virginia Woolf

Third world art is tough for critics to criticize. Next Attraction is so clever with its guard to criticisms. Next Attraction is really good in terms of improvisation. It also receives a special recognition in the recently concluded 10th Cinemanila. It is quite predictable though. I think that is the entire idea of it. As long as you have no budget, you have a weird concept; they will be praised as the new artists.

Next Attraction is about making a film. They have a steady camera recording the behind the scenes of a certain short film. Apparently, there’s a progression within those steady shots. We get the details of what the short film is all about. It is about a guy (Coco Martin) being reprimanded by her mother (Jacklyn Jose) for an act he committed. You can hear the dialogues but it is an art film so you expect something more profound. Instead you get to see a steady shot of the cameraman shooting the scene and the supposed to be director of the film. After fifty minutes of more or less fifteen long takes of behind the scenes, the film shooting packs up. The second part of the film is the short film which is roughly ten or fifteen minutes long.

Actually, the film has achieved many of its supposed goals. Next Attraction has a different perspective with its use of the strategic anticipation within the story. Nonetheless, the audience did acquire much anticipation. It is quite easy to understand the very concept of it all why they shot the film like that. It has inputs in making a radical approach in film making. The film doesn’t tolerate clichés or any form of 'hackneyism'.

To be honest, the film experience is like; I was brought into a different planet and literally got back without any trace of libido. I could have purchased Viagra afterwards. I know this might be my personal opinion on this film but it seems to be as important as how I objectively evaluate films in general. I am no robot. I could easily give four or even five stars with all those deleted scenes. But it is still a film. The film’s ‘in your face’ attitude is quite disturbing. Like “Oh we don’t have the money, and this is our film”, is a bit puzzling to be of good practice. To show some form of appreciation, the film has its defenders for what they have done and I am just not that enthusiastic about it. Anyway, Raya Martin is merely trying without expecting people to actually realize what his goal was in the first place.

Next Attraction is too safe for my opinion to be made by an artist who makes risks. It is quite easy to perceive art films that really have the edge to be noticed. Next Attraction will get the attention it ought to have. But I’m a bit confused as to why the film is shot in digital format, while the short film is with the use of film stock? Is he not too confident enough to stash some cash for a film stock for all the behind the scenes? If it is of equal importance, why did he shoot it in two different medium? Actually, I watch DVDs with bonus features. It’s pretty much this movie.

Charlie Koon's Rating:

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Trivia:

Next Attraction is the second installment of the Box Office Trilogy. First installment is Now Showing. It also receives an X Rating (together with Melancholia and Imburnal) before it is shown in the Cinemanila 2008 Festival after the director made an appeal to the MTRCB.