ALL FILM REVIEWS
‘Essential Truths of the Lake’ REVIEW: Murkier and murkier truths
Essential Truths of the Lake finds Lav Diaz revisiting moments that are undoubtedly familiar. It’s a story that has been previously presented in more striking fashion, but its present iteration is still an adventure worth diving into.
‘Arnold is a Model Student’ REVIEW: Bad students, worse governments
Arnold is a Model Student shows rallying students and activists side by side to make everyone realize how oppression exists in all forms, a subtle jab at the current Thai administration that curtails its people’s basic right to free speech. The school is indeed a microcosm of the community, where the principal and the head of the country both boil down to a single, authoritarian evil.
‘12 Weeks’ REVIEW: Defining Control
Though unrefined in some aspects, 12 Weeks still finds itself to be a fascinating debut from Anna Matutina.
‘Autobiography’ REVIEW: Solid debut on the downside of power and loyalty
Autobiography is very much a product of its home country. Due to similarities in customs and social issues presented in the film, other Southeast Asian audiences might find the film hitting close to home. Its structure feels familiar but what makes it stand out in this year's releases is its coherency and brilliance in all areas.
‘Plan 75’ REVIEW: A Slow, Tender Burn
Even if one finds difficulty in the film’s individual plotlines, Plan 75 snakes around these at least with frames and shots that outline the loss of personal grief and humanity that come with the titular program.
‘When The Waves Are Gone’ REVIEW: Lav’s Return to Film
Lav Diaz’s return to film sees one of his grimiest, darkest creations in When The Waves Are Gone, an absurdist presentation of the decay of man and masculinity early in the Duterte regime.
‘Ajoomma’ REVIEW: One Warm Adventure
If anything, Ajoomma works in the same way most other K-dramas work: family. Every plot point in this film revolves around the importance of it and the ways it changes dynamically, yet always having love remain in spite of everything.
‘You Can Live Forever’ REVIEW: Young love stands the test of time and faith
Having grown up in a Jehovah Witness community, Sarah Watts definitely succeeded in achieving her main purpose of making this. With the help of her co-director Mark Slutsky, You Can Live Forever turned out to be a sweet and tender sapphic drama that was made with such passion and care for its subject material.
‘Asian Shorts’ REVIEW: Gorgeously Shot Socially Relevant Cinema from Asia
This year’s Asian Shorts film program for QCinema features a diverse selection of socially relevant films from filmmakers from China, Nepal, Indonesia, and the Philippines. In their own ways they each deal with issues that afflict their local communities and continue to exemplify the unbridled power of cinema as a tool for reflection on the state of human society today.
‘Itim’ REVIEW: An Explosive Gothic Horror Debut
At its core, Itim bedazzles its audience with an ethereal approach to storytelling. Much of it is quite moody and even beautiful in spite of its darkness. The way it couples together elements to examine the forsaken and the damned, the horrifying and sometimes disturbing treatment of different imagery, they all manifest a film that proves how excellent and seminal Itim is as a debut film in a legendary filmmaker’s catalogue.
‘She Said’ REVIEW: A retelling of how an article sparked a much-needed conversation
‘She Said’ is a compelling narrative storytelling of the months-long journey of Megan Twohey and Jodi Kantor as they write an article that helped in taking Weinstein down and starting a conversation about workplace harassment.
‘QCShorts’ REVIEW: Wonderful Stories of Transformation
This year’s QCShorts certainly felt refreshing, in that the range of creativity espoused across all films in question reveals a creative pool of talent that is clearly present in today’s Philippine cinema. Ideas fresh and familiar, unique and exciting, they all come to play for this year’s roster of short films.
‘Elehiya’ REVIEW: A Disappointing Swan Song
Despite the array of searing performances from its cast, Elehiya does nothing to stem the confusion that comes from vaguely dissecting a spiritually-charged island and its colonially-subdued inhabitants.
‘Mona Lisa and the Blood Moon’ REVIEW: A Stylistic Pulp Movie Soaked in Eccentric Neon Visuals
Amirpour's unwavering commitment to her vision of a stylistic neon pulp movie makes up for the lack of narrative, making the watching experience quite a vibe.
‘Next Sohee’ REVIEW: A Grueling Rat Race
July Jung’s exposé of such a rat race is interesting, in that it identifies a dimension of South Korean culture not often expressed in detail, much less the unfairly competitive system built on corruption, crab mentality, and ruthlessness of working-class labor. If only Next Sohee could consistently find itself crawling out of such a tepid structure, which makes it feel too repetitive despite the emotionally devastating walls it puts up.
‘Return to Seoul’ REVIEW: On Dealing with Cultural Conflicts and Identity
Davy Chou’s Return to Seoul is an engrossing character study on identity and what it means to belong, cycling through the inner serenity and restless intensity of oneself, full of multitudes, incredibly evocative, and admirably purposeful. While it may be meandering and confused at times, it is a journey worth taking.
‘Corsage’ REVIEW: A compelling, modern portrait of an empress ahead of her time
With the use of various surreal imagery, the film effectively removes the idealized version of the empress the majority would have in their heads. It conditions the audience to see her for who she really is, an enigma, and possibly connect to her struggles not as a monarch, but as a human being.