'Tether' REVIEW: Intriguing concept with a half-baked execution
‘Tether‘ REVIEW: Intriguing concept with a half-baked execution
There are films that you just have to give a try. The reputation of provocative films in this country has been lukewarm. You'd think that a film with an intriguing premise and a provoking trailer that has been chosen to compete in the main competition of a prominent local film festival would exceed the audience's expectations. But in this case, it was a letdown.
Tether centers around two young individuals who after a one-night stand suddenly became connected to one another. They can feel every bit of feeling felt by one another. They grew closer upon the revelation and formed a toxic relationship that rocked their lives.
An intriguing premise, right? Well, what is the use of that if the execution is not even good? Gian Arre's debut feature is lackluster on all fronts. It leaves you wanting for more, in the most baffling way possible.
The most grievous fault of the film lies in its plot. The film plummets downwards in its already little momentum (yes, seeing the protagonists copulate for the first time is pretty underwhelming), considering how it progressed after they discovered that any feeling inflicted upon them is felt by the other. While it is no surprise that the leads would form a toxic relationship considering their respective personalities, it is no excuse to make its pacing seem dragging. There are several moments of dead air that never really say anything, just annoying and unproductive moments of silence that weren't edited out while the film was on the cutting room floor.
The lead performances are far from tolerable. Roles of Jorrybell Agoto in her resume proves that her acting prowess is actually worth watching. Unfortunately, the film fails Agoto's talent. Her screen presence in the film felt dull. In one scene that supposed to showcase it, the emotions she displayed aren’t enough to suggest betrayal and hurt. The lack of the intensity can be attributed to how the scene was edited. Mikoy Morales—the film’s leading man—outshines her, and you can really tell that he tries his very best to make the scenes he's in seem natural. But how much can you save a film when its script doesn’t give you anything worth working on?
Everything could’ve been salvaged during the post-production, right? Proper editing could’ve made the performances even better. Not with this one. The creative decisions director Gian Arre made in this stage feel half-baked. Its soft, almost subdued color grading comes off as lifeless since the film lacks strong shot composition. Most of the shots carry no narrative weight whatsoever. Yes, direk Arre tries to depict the mundane and reality, but with his weak script and direction that only skimmed its themes and subject lightly, the cinematography further dragged the film’s overall quality. It’s devastating that a low-budget student film production is probably better than this, and there are far better-looking student films that have a similar visual mood than this one.
All that is left to say is: sayang. Tether’s R-18 rating suggests that maybe there is something so evocative in this. However, audiences should not expect high-quality transgressive imaginations of horror in this one. You’ll look away not from its non-existent fright but only to check the time on your phone and quietly complain about the film’s snail-paced runtime. In another universe, direk Arre’s wicked bag of tricks might have produced a groundbreaking, provocative achievement in Filipino horror cinema. Sadly, all of this turn out to be a big ball of disappointment.
