It's that time of the year again. Cinemalaya, our most-awaited and most celebrated annual independent film festival. The event I cannot not afford to miss.
So for this year we only gotten to watch Short Films B, most tickets were sold out. We wanted to watch other films to have a point of comparison, but, unfortunately, it simply didn't happen.
Lola - is a thriller set during Christmas season and revolves around a grandmother’s quiet afternoon that turns deadly when an unexpected visitor drops by. This gave me an inexplicable feelings I can't tell you whether I liked or hated it. This film, I've found, was merely ok. I wouldn't have guessed the backdrop of the story at all. It was dark, I think, if we are to speak in colors.
Indayog ng Nayatamak - is a film about a painter and his struggle in his artwork. It is a visual representation of inequality, a word that encompasses many facets of society. Let's not dwell on this because there's nothing to chew on.
Nakakabinging Kadiliman - about two siblings whose lives haven’t been the easiest—one is blind while the other is deaf-mute. The two sisters, who rely greatly on one another, are called to endure some changes when a handsome neighbor moves in. It has a very much simple story yet heartfelt. In reality, the simpler a story, the more likely it gets appreciated.
Eyeball - A vain man is out to meet a woman he met on Facebook for the first time. While waiting for her, he comes upon a naive guy whom he teaches his ways on attracting women. But the vain may need to learn some more. See, it starts out as straight comedy, with antagonist and protagonist talking in a small eatery. The comedy continues throughout, until the ending was tragic. It’s only after the film has finished that you start to appreciate that the darkness of the film really is present from the beginning. It’s like someone throws jokes at you so that you don’t realize that you’re watching a tragedy until the final act. I did like this.
Ina-tay - A beautician named Elvis (also known as Elvira) finds out one day that he has fathered a bouncing baby boy and is left with the challenge of single parenthood. The storyline is far too common. The opening shots will make you smirk, but everything afterward is hilariously awful.
