Audience Choice Award - Patintero: Ang Alamat ni Meng PataloGender Sensitivity Award - Patintero: Ang Alamat ni Meng Patalo
Best Supporting Actress: Annicka Dolonius (Apocalypse Child)
Best Supporting Actor: Lou Veloso (Water Lemon)
Best Screenplay: Lilit Reyes (Water Lemon)
Best Artistic Achievement: Lawrence Ang for editing (Apocalypse Child)
Best Director: Mario Cornejo (Apocalypse Child)
Best Actor: Dominic Rocco (Sleepless)
Best Actress: Tessie Tomas (Water Lemon)
Netpac Prize for Best Documentary: Crescent Rising
Netapc Jury Prize for Best Picture: Sleepless
Circle Competition Best Picture: APOCALYPSE CHILD
Unfortunately, I haven't got the chance to see Apocalypse Child, Gayuma and Water Lemon. But it's still a fantastic week with so many great films that the festival has offered. Here are my capsule reviews for the ten films I've seen. You may also read my long review for Patintero: Ang Alamat ni Meng Patalo at http://themoviebud.blogspot.com/2015/10/patintero-ang-alamat-ni-meng-patalo.html
- Stress-relieving but easily forgettable. Hello, World is cool despite its jumbled plot and weightless conflict. It's nothing but fun, especially for those liberated millennials.
MATANGTUBIG (Jet Leyco): ★★★★☆
- A masterful and horrifying look on how one incident can create a rippling effect and destroy an entire ecosystem. Matangtubig reflects how pure the Philippines was before and how chaotic it became today.
- Magnificently illustrated how a classic Filipino novel can be incorporated to the tragic disappearances during the Martial Law. No doubt that this is a virtuoso for cinephiles. The slow start is just not my cup of tea.
- Intact with its point but shaky on its presentation.
Beware: Kapatid is everywhere.
- Gloomy is an understatement to describe this saddening film. There's a point where it became too tiring to watch, but it returned with a hard punch and ended strong. I feel like this can get better with a simpler approach, just relying on its high-caliber actors than its overbearing musical score.
SLEEPLESS (Prime Cruz): ★★★½☆
- Warm, comforting, almost to the point of sleep-inducing, but Sleepless is a charming film that celebrates life amidst the pains and confrontations we have to face in this confining city. The trouble doesn't seem so troubling when you have someone by your side.
LOVE (Gaspar Noe): ★★★☆☆
- Deep, but not profound. Visually-stimulating, but not spellbinding. Passionate, but not romantic. Love is still a worthwhile 3D experience despite the unsuccessful attempt to elucidate its complex subject. The biggest fault, perhaps, is that it failed to make us fall for Electra. Everything is so sensual that we never got the chance to see what is essential about her. Life is hard, especially when you're always hard.
DEKADA '70 (Chito Roño): ★★★★☆
- There have been two sides during the Martial Law, those who've benefited and those who've experienced the injustice of its time. This is a remarkable story about the latter, portrayed by a powerhouse cast, reminding us to think, stand up and fight for our right. But most importantly, be not afraid to cry.The restored and remastered version is more heartfelt than the last time I saw this when I was in elementary. It just so happened that MMFF 2002 became controversial because this movie lost to a lame TsiNoy film. I'd still prefer Lastikman and Spirit Warriors: The Shortcut (also an entry from Chito Roño) over that bourgeois family drama. Well, let's forget about that because time told that Dekada '70 was the better one.
Despite its powerful screenplay and outstanding cast, the film had a couple of rough transitions, a poorly-staged public demonstration scene and an abrupt ending. I love how this movie was not overpraising the Aquinos, even if Kris Aquino had a cameo. It's just about how Marcos' dictatorship affected some of our fellowmen. But I also feel that we need films that will describe the Corazon to Noynoy Aquino administrations. Did we really won after the EDSA Revolution or were we just transferred to a lesser evil authority? And now that the 2016 presidential elections is heating up, God only knows what will happen to this corrupted country for the next six years. So choose wisely, and vote for the least problematic government officials.
SHADOW BEHIND THE MOON (Jun Robles Lana) : ★★★★½
"This world has been connected. Tied to the darkness, soon to be completely eclipsed."
[Kingdom Hearts]
Politics became a lot dirtier. We don't know who we should trust. It's hard to accept but we're just pawns of these politicians as of today. We're always choosing for the lesser evil.
Aside from its outstanding screenplay and cinematography, the film holds itself because of its leads. LJ Reyes commands the screen as an oppressed, confused yet deceiving woman in a no man's land. Luis Alandy and Anthony Falcon elevates her complicated character with their convincing portrayals.
It's sometimes too theatrical and spoon-feeding, but the arguments are always interesting. I love how it showed both sides of the rebels and military. A good companion piece to Lav Diaz's Mula sa Kung Ano ang Noon. Sino nga ba ang kapre? Sino ang tao? Sino ang nagpasimuno at bakit pa ba nila pinagpapatuloy ito? Buti pa sila Goku at Cell, sa wasteland nagpapatayan para walang madamay na inosente.
This should have a commercial release, but I doubt that SM will screen it because the intercourse scene is necessary and sanitizing it can ruin the one-take trick of the film. It's extremely early to say but I believe that this can be our ticket to Oscars 2017.
THE LITTLE PRINCE (Mark Osborne): ★★★★½
"Growing up is not the problem, forgetting is."
- The film adaptation took the classic tale to new heights by applying it to this robotic, vain and capitalistic world. Everyone is rapidly aging through their smartphones nowadays, especially kids. We should let them read and understand this book. The Little Prince will live for as long as there's a dreamer inside of us.
Fair warning though: Don't expect to see a lot from Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's work., even if those scenes are the film's strongest points. The only reason why I can't give it a perfect score is that it requires you to read the book first to fully understand the journey. It's quite disappointing that The Snake was not fully fleshed-out and some of my favorite characters from the book were omitted, specifically The Drunkard. Nevertheless, The Little Prince is still a quite essential film for all generations.
Overall, the QCinema International Film Festival 2015 had a successful run. There are so many outstanding films that I've seen, particularly Patintero, Shadow Behind the Moon and The Little Prince. Thanks for an awesome week and see you next year!
QCinema has ended, CINEMA ONE ORIGINALS naman!
Thanks for reading!
