The Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) has been fielding better-than-usual lineups since the Covid-19 pandemic began turning moviemaking tradition on its head in 2020. It kept counterproductive scandals at bay by awarding the coveted best picture prize to worthy winners (“Fan Girl,” “Big Night,” “Deleter” and last year’s “Firefly”) and runners-up (“The Boy Foretold by the Stars,” “Kun Maupay Man It Panahon,” “GomBurZa”) that are as commercially viable as they are thematically substantial.
While the annual cinematic merrymaking has often been mired in controversy, it has also given the industry some of the most celebrated films during the second golden age of Philippine cinema in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s.
Those classics were helmed by the legendary likes of Lino Brocka (“Ina Ka ng Anak Mo,” “Bona”), Ishmael Bernal (“Himala”), Eddie Romero (“Ganito Kami Noon, Paano Kayo Ngayon”), Mike de Leon (“Kung Mangarap Ka’t Magising”), Celso Ad Castillo (“Burlesk Queen”), Lupita Concio-Kashiwahara (“Minsa’y Isang Gamu-gamo”), Danny Zialcita (“Karma”), Mario O’Hara (“Bulaklak ng City Jail”), Eddie Garcia (“Atsay”) and Marilou Diaz-Abaya (“Brutal,” “Moral,” “Karnal”).
But what’s the point of revisiting the past if its hard-earned lessons can’t help inform and shape the future? As it turns out, there’s also much to celebrate as the MMFF commemorates that legacy on its 50th anniversary.
While this year’s superstar-studded 10 entries have their share of imperfections, each production is nonetheless boosted by significant themes supplemented by fine performances and first-rate production values. And unlike the festival’s previous incarnations, not even its weakest title this year is—to put it bluntly—walkout-worthy. Even the entries of perennial crowd-drawers Vice Ganda (Jun Lana’s “And the Breadwinner Is…”) and Vic Sotto (Michael Tuviera’s “The Kingdom”) are a cut above formulaic blockbuster fare.
We weigh in on the entries below:
‘And the Breadwinner Is…’
After five years, Vice returns to the MMFF with his finest film—and strongest performance—to date, utilizing a potent combo of rip-roaring comedy and relatable drama to examine issues about the downside of the Filipino diaspora, sexuality, personal sacrifice and complex family dynamics.
Vice plays 44-year-old Taiwan-based breadwinner Bambi Salvador who comes home realizing that all his savings have been squandered by his inept siblings. But when he is falsely believed to have died in a traffic accident, his family turns tragedy into timely opportunity. Can Bambi stay dead long enough for his desperately cash-strapped brothers and sisters to collect a P10-million insurance claim?
Vice seizes the dramatic spotlight in an extended confrontation sequence with all the major characters in attendance. In it, Bambi spills his heart out as he describes his role in his family as the burial ground of his dreams: “ang sementeryo ng mga pangarap ko.”
Carefully paced and earnestly staged, the scene plays well to the strengths of its performers, particularly Vice and the consistently reliable Eugene Domingo (as Bambi’s estranged sister Baby). Indeed, this “Breadwinner” is a veritable crowd-pleaser fueled by its huge beating heart.
‘The Kingdom’
Set in a fictional Philippines never conquered by colonizers, second best picture winner “The Kingdom” benefits as much from its eye-candy appeal as its intricate “Succession”-style mythmaking.
Directed by best director co-winner Michael Tuviera, the film casts Vic Sotto against type in a role—as widower Lakan Makisig Nandula—that allows viewers to see the comic luminary in a more serious light.
As Makisig faces off against Sulo Tagum (Piolo Pascual, dashing as ever), the son of a disgraced former royal guard, the aging monarch also finds himself torn between duty and family as he’s forced to weigh in on his grown kids’ contentious loyalty.
In this parallel reality, the future of the Filipino nation rests on reckless Prince Bagwis (Sid Lucero), the ambitious Princess Matimyas (Cristine Reyes) and the soft-spoken Princess Lualhati (Sue Ramirez). But are they up to the task?
‘The Uninvited’
A tougher row to hoe is Dan Villegas’ gripping but ultimately predictable “The Uninvited,” which casts Vilma Santos, convincing as usual, in the role of a mother raring to avenge the violent death of her only daughter (Gabby Padilla).
But seeing the impassioned but frail-looking teacher transmogrify into a one-woman army during billionaire Guilly Vega’s (Aga Muhlach) 55th birthday fete strains credulity. It doesn’t help that the hardworking Aga lacks believability as an unhinged crime lord.
One of the production’s bright spots is Nadine Lustre (as Guilly’s rebellious daughter Nicole), who manages to turn a relatively small role into an award-worthy portrayal.
‘Topakk’
As action films go, nothing packs as much wallop as third best picture winner “Topakk,” a daringly realized movie about guilt-ridden, PTSD-stricken former soldier Miguel Vergara (Arjo Atayde, powerful but too scrawny for the role) who now moonlights as a security guard.
But a disastrous run-in with Weng Diwata (Julia Montes) and her irascible brother Bogs (Kokoy de Santos), petty thieves caught in the crossfire of a mob rubout, triggers Miguel’s anxiety attacks and drives him to protect the embattled siblings from two rival factions of corrupt cops (Sid Lucero, Bernard Palanca). The film delivers a mighty punch, but its shocking violence and gore aren’t for the squeamish.
‘Isang Himala’
Bookended by voice-overs—delivered by National Artist Nora Aunor, no less—that help set it up for greatness, fourth best picture winner “Isang Himala” transports viewers into the hot and arid town of Cupang as it revisits the series of Marian apparitions appearing before 29-year-old visionary Elsa (Aicelle Santos). As Elsa’s popularity peaks, we also see the lives of the people around her unfurl into terrifying complexity.
Director Pepe Diokno’s adaptation of the 2003 stage musical comes with a persistent sense of disquiet. But this claustrophobic meditation on morality, faith and faithlessness somewhat dilutes the enigmatic appeal of Ishmael Bernal’s 1982 film classic. It is further weighed down by a running time that should have been 30 minutes shorter.
That said, Aicelle’s clear and sparkling alto (not unlike Isay Alvarez’s or Dulce’s), complemented by the scene-stealing star turn of best supporting actress winner Kakki Teodoro, is well worth the price of admission.
‘Espantaho’
“Beautiful” and “scary” aren’t words that often go together when describing a horror film. But they certainly do in Quantum Films and Chito Roño’s “Espantaho,” about a family that comes undone when its womanizing patriarch dies.
Paced by best actress winner Judy Ann Santos, fine performances are also turned in by Lorna Tolentino, JC Santos, Janice de Belen, Eugene Domingo and the legendary Tommy Abuel.
But what truly brings this movie buff so much joy is seeing the much-missed Chanda Romero on the big screen again. She turns a “polarizing” role into an acting showcase. Even when she delivers the hackneyed line “Sampid ka lang dito” (You’re just a freeloader), she manages to make every word ring true.
While it tugs at viewers’ heartstrings, “Espantaho” is also creepy as all get out and wears its very Pinoy heart proudly. It’s the most original Pinoy horror film we’ve seen in a long while.
‘My Future You’
Best director co-winner Crisanto Aquino’s cautionary tale “My Future You” puts a heartwarming spin on JP Habac’s 2023 Summer MMFF entry, “Love You Long Time.”
In this fantastical romantic comedy, sparks fly when Lex (the charming Seth Fedelin) and Karen (Francine Diaz) connect through a dating app. They soon realize that they’re separated by different timelines: He’s from 2009, while she’s in 2024! But things go awry when they start tampering with the laws of nature and time.
‘Strange Frequencies: Taiwan Killer Hospital’
Kerwin Go’s found-footage horror film, “Strange Frequencies: Taiwan Killer Hospital,” is derivative but viewable. It follows Enrique Gil and Jane de Leon (playing themselves) as they embark on a ghost-hunting and click-baiting trip to Taipei with celebrities and influencers who refuse to heed the red flags that stare them in the face.
‘Hold Me Close’
Jason Paul Laxamana’s Japan-set romantic drama—about a guy (Carlo Aquino) falling for a squid vendor (Julia Barretto) who keeps driving him away—takes more time than necessary to tie up its loose ends.
But if you dig deeper into the production’s deceptively apathetic heart, you’ll see a broken woman who’s haunted by trauma and a man who keeps running away from the repercussions of paralyzingly low self-esteem. It doesn’t help that the movie ends with a deus ex machina moment (no spoilers here) that confounds more than it clarifies.
‘Green Bones’
Zig Dulay’s “Green Bones,” about two morally ambiguous heroes, isn’t just the best picture winner at this year’s MMFF; it’s also one of the finest films of 2024. It proves that GMA Pictures’ win for “Firefly” last year was no fluke. But the fact that the filmmaker responsible for those back-to-back triumphs couldn’t even win a single best director award is absurd.
Best actor winner Dennis Trillo’s appetite for more adventurous work results in a high-wire act that provides insight into his character’s dastardly deed.
In the movie, the actor plays Domingo Zamora, a petty thief and self-confessed former drug addict incarcerated for the double murder of his sister Joanna (Iza Calzado, effective as always) and her deaf-mute young daughter, Ruth (best child performer Sienna Stevens in a career-boosting turn).
After serving 10 years of his sentence at a penal facility, Dom gets his rare shot at redemption when he finds himself eligible for parole. But just when freedom is within reach, the arrival of new prison guard Xavier Gonzaga (best supporting actor Ruru Madrid, now evincing growth and maturity as an actor) exposes a web of lies that puts Dom’s impending release in jeopardy.
As it ruminates on crime and punishment, the production manages to tackle relevant themes without getting didactic—about corruption and the culture of impunity in this country, the toxic intimations of revenge, man’s perpetual quest for salvation, and the polarizing aspects of restorative justice. It asks viewers to mull over a polarizing question: Do criminals deserve a second chance?
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