Netflix: Review of THE TIME THAT REMAINS: Constant Champion

October 16, 2025

One night, 88 year old Filomena "Lilia" Reyes (Bing Pimentel) was shot in the abdomen in her home in Baguio City. The ER nurse Isabelle Pineda (Beauty Gonzales) told Ms. Lilia that it was a 30-ish man with long hair brought her, and assumed he was her son. However, the old woman teasingly told her that he was not her son, but her boyfriend Matias (Carlo Aquino). When they got comfortable with each other, Lilia began to tell Isabelle her life story.

This new film, directed and co-written by Adolfo Alix Jr., was mostly set in Baguio City. Lilia's story spanned decades starting from 1941 when the Japanese invaded and she was moved out of Baguio by her parents, and ended in 2018 when she was shot in her home. There were episodes in between, set in 1954, 1960, 1971, 1975, and 1986, when important stages in the epic love story between young Lilia (Jasmine Curtis-Smith) and Matias. 

There was a subplot about a senior policeman Inspector Rafael Angua, Jr. (Bembol Roco, Jr.), nicknamed "The Collector" in his precinct because he never solved a case. Angua suspected that they was dealing with a long cold case of a serial killer whose spree started since 1970s. This was all fine, except that the casting of 71 year-old Roco creates confusion because a scene showed him to be only a small child in the 1970s. 

Another subplot involved Ami (Cristine Reyes), the owner of the Black Cat Tattoo Studio. Her look was all Goth, in keeping with the eerie medieval castle ambience of her place of business. Old Lilia needed two units of type A-positive blood. Matias knew Ami kept blood in bags in her refrigerator, and lo and behold, two units of this supposedly rare blood type was right there in the very front! How she got them was never explained. 

The acting performances of the lead cast could not be faulted, especially Aquino, Pimentel, and the ever-ravishing Curtis-Smith. Aquino was hampered by the ugly wig he had to wear as Matias. He never changed his thick mullet with bowl-cut bangs hairstyle, ever since he was a native warrior during the Spanish era! Because he did not vary his do to fit the times, he was suspiciously distinct, such that Angua even recognized him from a photograph taken in the 1970s.

The locations Alix chose to shoot in were very scenic and appropriate for the story he was telling, from Lilia's beautiful houses in Baguio, the old mansion with the tall corn fields in Batangas, to the hanging coffins of Sagada. It was too bad that he stuck with time-worn cliches -- shapeshifting into a black cat, sleeping in a coffin, melting in the sun, etc... -- for the creature Matias was to be, coming off as unintentionally funny in the process. 5/10

Review of THE KISS OF THE SPIDER WOMAN (2025): +

October 16, 2025

It was 1983 in an Argentina still under a military junta. Luis Molina (Tonatiuh), a gay man working as a window dresser, was imprisoned for doing indecent acts with a minor. In prison, he was assigned to share the cell of political prisoner Valentin Arregui (Diego Luna). To keep the mood light in their cell, Molina told the story of her favorite movie "Kiss of the Spider Woman" starring his favorite actress Ingrid Luna (Jennifer Lopez) in a dual lead role.

This film written and directed by Bill Condon is an adaptation of the 1992 stage musical with music by John Kander, lyrics by Fred Ebb, and a book by Terrence McNally. That musical was in turn an adaptation of a 1976 novel by Argentine writer Manuel Puig. The novel had already been adapted into a 1985 dramatic film by Hector Babenco, one of the first LGBTQ-themed films nominated for Best Picture, Director, Actor at the Oscars.  William Hurt won as Best Actor.

The two films told basically the same story of the book, with a different spin on the ending. The main difference between the two films was the nature of the movie that Molina was telling Valentin in prison.  In the original movie, it was a wartime love story starring Leni Lamaison (Braga) as the femme fatale girlfriend of a German Nazi officer. Braga also portrayed the titular Spider Woman in a second unrelated story Molina told Valentin on his final night.  

In the new musical version film, the brightly-lit, glossy, and colorful movie scenes looked very different from the actual dark, dank and drab prison scenes. Jennifer Lopez went all out to play the actress Ingrid Luna and her two bombastic characters in the movie -- the alluring magazine publisher Aurora and the legendary village-protector Spider Woman.  Lopez is attracting Oscar buzz again, but this was mostly a song-and-dance performance piece, not much acting.

Another big difference was that the actors playing the cellmates were also playing roles in the Ingrid Luna movie. Tonatiuh played both Molina and Aurora's personal assistant Kendall, while Diego Luna played both Valentin and the dashing photographer Armando. These two actors show off their versatility here in scenes of extremely different nature -- engaging JLo in campy musical numbers, as well as each other in the very serious prison scenes. 7/10

Review of QUEZON: Commonwealth Chameleon

October 13, 2025

This film about Manuel Luis Quezon has been highly-anticipated ever since it was announced as the third film of the "Bayani-verse" trilogy by director Jerrold Tarog. Starting with "Heneral Luna" (2015) and "Goyo" (2018) set during the Philippine Revolution of 1896-98, Tarog's third installment will take a significant time-jump to the 1930s, tackling the story of the rise to power of the charismatic politician who would be elected President of the entire Philippines. 

The present generation of Filipinos have a shallow knowledge about Quezon -- his name, the province and the city named after him, the P20 bill and coin, his advocacy for the Philippine language and the Philippine Commonwealth of which he was the first President. This new biographical film paints a multifaceted portrait of this complex man by detailing the conflicts he had with his contemporary political personalities on the way to the presidency.  

The first conflict was a fictionalized one -- Quezon vs. Joven Hernando. The fictional character of Joven Hernando is the string that connected all three films of the trilogy as he wrote about their lives as a journalist and as their friend. Hernando, now played as a middle age man by Cris Villanueva, had just his newspaper called Alerta closed down, and he believed that none other that Quezon himself caused that to happen. 

The second conflict was between Quezon and Sergio Osmena. While Quezon was the Senate President (following his role in the passage of the Jones Law of 1916 that put the Philippines en route to independence), Osmena, played by in a simpering manner by Romnick Sarmenta, was the Speaker of the House of Representatives. Their scenes together had an unexpectedly comic tone as their relationship was compared to a bickering married couple. 

The third conflict was between Quezon and American Governor-General Leonard Wood. Wood is played by Scottish actor Iain Glen, more widely known as Ser Jorah Mormont in the HBO series "Game of Thrones." He was sent to determine if the Philippines was ready for independence. Quezon felt insulted when Wood called him an "unscrupulous chameleon," and tried to discredit the American even if it meant getting retired Emilio Aguinaldo involved. 

The fourth conflict was between Quezon and Aguinaldo (still played with intensity by Mon Confiado), who actually ran against each other in a heated first national presidential election in 1935. As early as back then, underhanded tactics were already being used. Two of this film's most memorable scenes happen in this chapter -- Aguinaldo's campaign parade in Malolos, Bulacan, and the stressful presidential mudslinging face-off in Bagac, Bataan.

Tarog also touched on early Filipino filmmaking with the character of Nadia (Therese Malvar), Hernando's daughter, Quezon's god-daughter. She was an aspiring filmmaker whom Quezon commissioned to create campaign short films for him. Nadia's films were silent and in black and white as she was a fan of Murnau and Lang. Quezon also namedropped Harris and Tait, producers of "Zamboanga" (1927), Americans with top-of-the-line movie equipment then.

Jericho Rosales was an inspired choice to play the charismatic president, who spoke, argued and cursed with oratorical flair and passion. This film was certainly not romanticized nor haigographic.  Rosales played him as domineering, devious, dishonest to achieve his noble goal of independence. In so doing, he inadvertently promoted a toxic political culture that still pervades even almost century hence. Rosales's Quezon was fiercely egotistical up to his ultimate declaration of "I am the Philippines!" before the final fade to black. 

With this final installment, Tarog continues the high technical, production and entertainment value, signature of the whole trilogy. Cinematography, production design, hair and make-up, and musical scoring were all top-notch.  As before, there were lots to learn about the less well-known details about the country's political scene during that time. Don't leave right away after the last scene as Tarog inserts an exciting mid-credits surprise. 9/10 

Review of GOOD BOY: Canine Commitment

October 13, 2025

Todd (Shane Jensen) brought his pet dog Indy to his late grandfather's house located in a wooded area in New Jersey. Todd is seriously ill with a chronic lung disease where he had violent coughing fits. He would only get occasional visits from his sister Vera (Ariel Freedman), who believed that this house was haunted. As Todd's condition worsened, Indy saw a tall sinister-looking figure covered with mud lurking in and around the house. 

This horror film co-written and directed by Ben Leonberg is very unique in that the whole film was shot in the point of view of the pet dog Indy. Therefore we only see human characters at the level of their legs, even barely seeing their faces at all. The dialogue from the human characters is only treated as background noise, only establishing situations, not elucidate plot, since the dog does not really understand what they are saying anyway. 

This original concept made this film completely engaging and fun to watch, especially for those who have a dog of their own at home. Leonberg cast his own a Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever Indy to be Todd's dog. It must have taken Leonberg a very long time, patiently waiting for Indy to have that perfect facial expression for the right emotion, or react just the perfect way to respond to the stimulus, and making sure the camera caught them.

I am sure a large part of Indy's acting was not exactly because he was an exceptionally talented dog actor. The "performance" we see on the big screen was because of Leonberg's astute camera work and meticulous editing of Indy's various random shots, picking out the right shots for the right situations. The illusion is then completed by the appropriate choices of sound effects and the eerie musical score by Sam Boase Miller. 

One memorably harrowing scene was that Indy was chained down in the pouring rain, when suddenly a ghostly hand appeared and was pulling the chain and the dog into the doghouse.  How Leonberg trained Indy to act frightened and figure out a way to get himself out of that trap was truly impressive. The final sequence had Indy running around the house and basement in an attempt to rescue his master out of danger. That was truly heartwarming to watch. 7/10

Cinemalaya 2025: Review of CHILD NO. 52: Fanatics Forgive and Forget

October 9, 2025

Max Garcia (JM Ibarra) is a 17 year-old high school student from Pinili, Ilocos Norte who lived with his mother Alicia (Rochelle Pangilinan-Solinap). He was a very active content creator on the PokPok app, where he posts live streams of himself as @BabyKana2dMax. He believes he is the son of superstar fantasy action actor Maximo Maniego (Vhong Navarro), best known for playing the superhero Boy Kana in a series of films.

When his girlfriend Marie May (Zairene Fernandez) suddenly dropped a bombshell on him, Max rode a bus to Manila to seek his father out, wanting to learn important life lessons which only a father can give. His quest did not go exactly as he was planning. However, he did discover new things about his parents, just in time to make an important decision between accepting responsibility or achieving a lifelong dream.

This film directed and co-written by Tim Rone Villanueva (his feature film debut!), was really light-hearted, fun and funny. There were clips of old Boy Kana films complete with glaring color quality and primitive special effects. There was also a great scene of Max breaking into his father's mansion depicted as a video game. Highlighting Pinili's cherished heritage cottage industry of weaving Inabel cloth was a very good touch. 

This is the big screen debut of 2024 Pinoy Big Brother housemate JM Ibarra, and he goes straight to playing the lead role here. Good-looking and charismatic, Ibarra knew how to tickle the fancy of his female fans, yet he was also able to deliver the goods in the dramatic parts of the film. It was not clear though why he only saw his mother as his basher when she had obviously dedicated her whole life to raising him, yet he yearned for an absent father.

I only knew Rochelle Pangilinan-Solinap as one of the Sex Bomb Girls 20 years ago, and now here she is playing a mother to a teenager. She mostly played it serious here, and she did well as the emotional support of her son as he came of age. Playing a smaller yet marked role as Boy Kana's fan club leader Mother Betty is Irma Adlawan, particularly in that one delightful scene she had reminiscing with Max and Alice -- my most LOL scene of the whole film.  7/10

Cinemalaya 2025: Review of REPULIKA NG PIPOLIPINAS: Memos on a Micronation

October 8, 2025

50 year-old Corazon D. Vitug (Geraldine Villamil) was a widow and childless. The carabao she considered her son for 17 years had also passed away. Now, the municipal government of Pulong Palay was laying claim on her farmland, but she would not cave in and sell out. Exasperated, Cora declared that she and her farm are seceding from the Philippines, calling herself the President of her own micro-nation, the Republic of Pipolipinas. 

While Cora bravely faced the aggressive tactics of the Mayor Prospero Dakila IV (Omar Perez) and his minions, she had at least two young people on her side -- Ekay (Natalie Maligalig) and Ogie (JM Salvado). Ekay considered Cora her second mom because her real mother, town hall employee Juliet Lipana (Kakki Teodoro), was always busy at work. When Cora's plight went viral online, it attracted the attention of actress Alessandra da Rossi to help her cause.

Majority of writer-director Renei Dimla's body of work had been on TV. This is only her third feature film screenplay, and is the first full-length feature she directed. She called this film a mockumentary, as the subject and event covered was purely fictional, with an intention to satirize. We hear her voice as she and her camera followed Cora around her daily routines and through all her political travails, while she interviewed the townspeople with her.

As this was a satire on the subject of citizens standing firm against political oppression, the humor was on the darker side. We cannot bring ourselves to laugh out loud at Dimla's absurd situations because deep inside we can relate to and feel Cora's difficulties. This film also takes a timely and pertinent shot at corruption at the level of the local governments, here in the form of garbage disposal company supposedly owned by a foreign national.  

When there were more members of Pipolipinas, we felt bad when President Cora gets pushed back by the more educated, more opinionated and more popular. Unfortunately, this is the way our democracy works. When someone nominated actress Alessandra de Rossi (playing herself, tongue-in-cheek) for president, we applaud that anonymous man who bravely clapped back, saying "Filipinos do not want actors in politics anymore because they are corrupt." 

One of the surprising things I learned when watching this film was the existence of an organization called the Association of Micronations in the Philippine Islands, represented by the current president of Kaleido, who had a cameo in this film. So, now we know that micronations actually exist in the Philippines, and there are more than one of them. I did not seriously think that Dimla's concept of Pilopilipinas was not so far-fetched after all. 

I had seen character actress Geraldine Villamil playing the title role of Mother Courage in a Dulaang UP production of "Nanay Bangis" last year. She had been in numerous local films and TV shows since 2009, and it is about time that she gets her very first lead role in a film. She was well-cast in the role, as she was able to achieve that difficult feat of balancing Cora's kindness of heart with strength of character and audacity of action.  7/10

Cinemalaya 2025: Review of OPEN ENDINGS: Cause to Commit

October 7, 2025

Gen Z lesbians Charlie (Janella Salvador), Hannah (Jasmine Curtis-Smith), Mihan (Leanne Mamonong) and Kit (Klea Pineda) had been lovers with each of the others in the past.  While they were technically were all exes of each other, yet they remained very close friends. One day, Hannah announced her engagement to her client Matteo (Migs Almendras). She didn't think that her upcoming wedding would triggered a sense of regret in one of the girls.

The cast was led two mainstream movie stars, Janella Salvador and Jasmine Curtis-Smith. They are already well-known quantities as actresses and they delivered on their portrayal of their respective characters as expected. Salvador's Charlie was a "real talk" type of friend, the talkative one, the active one. Curtis-Smiths's Hannah was the beauty of the group, both of face and of heart, so she was the easiest one to love among the four. 

This is Klea Pineda's first major film role, as she had mostly been acting on TV since winning StarStruck in 2015.  A lesbian in real life, Pineda was striking with her morena beauty and her height. However, Kit's current relations within their friend group had been purely platonic.  To lengthen her screen time, Pineda's Kit was a pre-school teacher who had a clandestine affair with Alexa (Yesh Burce), the mother of one of her students. 

The major spotlight was shone on lesbian musician Leanne Mamonong on her promising feature film debut. Her Mihan stood out because she was the only one of the four who wore a suit and pants when they tried out their wedding outfits. She had a mother Rina (Jackie Lou Blanco) who fully supported her. It was Mihan's emotional journey which was tracked most fully in this story, and Mamonong's sincere portrayal made us root her on. 

With the big name stars and the lush cinematography, this Nigel Santos film was a very mainstream type, than a typical "Cinemalaya" indie. While there have been a number of GL films before, this was probably the only one where the four main lesbian characters all were ex-lovers. This gave this film a unique psychological milieu upon which the story of these friends revolved. Writer Keavy Vicente's ending was just as the title said it was going to be -- I wish it wasn't. 6/10

Cinemalaya 2025: Review of RAGING: Repression and Release

October 6, 2025

19 year-old Eli (Elijah Canlas) lived in a small hut in a remote forested area in Sibuyan Island, Romblon Province. Lately, he was being haunted by nightmares about himself wallowing in what looked like mud. Apparently he had experienced something traumatic about weeks ago which he kept to himself. He would just record himself verbalizing his thoughts day by day on cassette using his precious Walkman and listened to the drone of his voice on playback.  

This film was very much a slow-burn drama set in a rural community -- pretty much the signature style of works by writer-director Ryan Machado, whether it was his one-act plays or his debut film "Huling Palabas" (Cinemalaya 2023). This one felt even slower because the audience had no idea what happened to Eli, and nothing much was happening to give us any clue. The first mention of the incident was ever so subtle, as if it were just an afterthought. 

This traumatic incident that tormented Eli was also a metaphor for the ongoing abuse of Sibuyan by mining companies that continue to exploit nickel and other minerals illegally despite being officially banned. The area around the tallest peak Mt. Guiting-Guiting was supposed to be a protected natural park, but the Mayor himself oversees illegal mines there, mirroring the political corruption seen elsewhere in the country. Menfolk, like Ely's Tatay Manuel, are forced to endure dangerous work conditions in the mines because of their poverty. 

The language used in this film was the Ini language spoken on Sibuyan Island. Machado wrote the original script in Tagalog, then let Rodne Galicha translate to Ini, which Machado did not speak. It was remarkable that all the main actors, who only received their audio guides just days before the shoot, delivered their Ini lines in a very natural-looking manner, thanks to Galicha who was also the language coach on the set.  

This was practically a one-man show for skilled young actor Elijah Canlas. As he would in most of his past films, he also fit into the character of Eli like a glove.  Canlas convincingly portrayed the deep repression Eli subjected himself into, followed by the slow process by which he steadily extracted himself out of this funk. This consuming feeling of extreme shame quietly built-up within Eli, inevitably percolating into a violent eruption of pent-up rage. 

Reynald Raissel Santos played Eli's gay childhood friend Jepoy, a role that broke the monotony of grief that hung over the first two acts. Santos's Jepoy was a ray of sunshine, as she was smart and confident, a reassuring presence for constantly depressed Eli. The other supporting actors include Ron Angeles who played neighborhood ruffian Arjo, and Glenn Sevilla Mas, who played Mayor Bernardo, who thought Eli was crying wolf. 

The slow-burn, long silences approach may not sit well with impatient viewers. However for me, this deliberate groping-in-the-dark approach, this very gradual, very restrained revelation of the mysterious trauma that caused Eli's titular raging was precisely the best part of the movie-watching experience.  Because of this, I wonder why the synopsis of the film on the Cinemalaya website spoiled it outright by mentioning it in the very first sentence. I am glad I never read it before going in. Go into this blind. 7/10

Cinemalaya 2025: Review of CINEMARTYRS: Mesmerizing and Mystical Memories

October 5, 2025

Filmmaker Shirin Dalisay (Noor Hooshmand) screened her film about the a bloody episode during the Philippine-American War in the Ilocos before a panel of critics (Soliman Cruz, Rolando Inocencio, Emmanuel dela Cruz) in an effort to qualify for a full grant. She was recommended to fill in the "gap in historical perspective" by filming about another bloody episode during the Philippine-American War, this time in the south, in Sulu. 

"Cinemartyrs" is said to be based on writer-director Sari Dalena’s own experience making her first feature length documentary “Memories of a Forgotten War” (2001), about the Philippine-American War, a war that killed more Filipinos at the hands of American soldiers than in 300 years of Spanish colonial rule. Here, Dalena recreates the challenges faced by female film directors like her from misogynistic colleagues and critics. 

The film started with production assistant Oscar (Giancarlo Abrahan) was going around gathering cast and crew together so their remote location shoot in Ilocos can get going. They had light-hearted moments before the shoot, with stars Angel Aquino (as Mother Mary) and none other than Lav Diaz (as Kristo). Tensions rise when suddenly all the cameras fail to function at a critical moment of the shoot, invoking a sense of supernatural protest. 

In between the Ilocos and the Sulu shoots, we see Shirin frolicking with her boyfriend Kevin (Cedrick Juan) in the UP Film Center, and their encounter with National Artist Kidlat Tahimik talking about his "dwende." There was also a sidebar to Shirin's mother Prof. Lena and her research on three pioneer female film directors -- Consuelo Osorio, Carmen Concha, and Susana de Guzman, all played by Raquel Villavicencio!

The highlight of the whole film was Shirin's shoot in Patikul, Sulu with an all-Tausug cast led by Laila Urao as the bride Karsum. In obedience to Islamic rules, Shirin had to designate the imam's son Medzfar (Bong Cabrera) to bark out her orders. It started smoothly enough, with a reenactment of a Moslem wedding feast that ended in tragedy. As a famous photograph of the resulting carnage was recreated, a terrifying mystical experience engulfed the whole crew. This was a most mesmerizing sequence, especially since this eerie episode of possession really happened in real life. 

The bizarre editing choices for the varied eclectic elements of this film may prove confusing for mainstream viewers. Between a full-length Muslim dance led by 82 year old Ramon Magsaysay awardee Ligaya Amilbangsa and a montage of local pre-war Filipino films directed by women, Shirin had an extraordinary scene of radiant birth that you need to see to believe-- a startling metaphor about filmmaking that no viewer would soon forget. 8/10

 

Cinemalaya 2025: Review of PAGLILITIS: Hyped-up on Harassment

October 4, 2025

Jonalyn Samuel (Rissey Reyes-Robinson) worked as the second executive assistant of Eduardo Guzman (Leo Martinez), CEO of Mother's Pride, makers of infant milk formula. Over the three years that she had been working for him, there had been several instances that she was alone with him in his office, being ordered to do things that made her feel sexually harassed. When she threatened to report him, she was immediately fired.

Two years later, Jonalyn's case was brought to the attention of Atty. Sylvia Ardenia (Eula Valdez), who had been actively posting her advocacy against sexual harassment in the workplace on social media. Jonalyn had already moved on and found work as an online virtual assistant, so she was hesitant to file the case. However, upon prodding by her mother Myrna (Cherry Malvar) and younger sister Jasmine (Barbara Miguel), Jonalyn acquiesced. 

The title suggested that this second feature film directed by Cheska Marfori would be a courtroom drama. However, this case of sexual harassment and wrongful termination never really reached any courtroom. This was a trial in the court of public opinion via social media. Despite promises made by Atty. Ardenia about , details about Jonalyn's case still leaked out on the world wide web for the netizens to comment about and feast upon. 

Playing the character at the center of all this turmoil is Rissey Reyes-Robinson in her first lead role in a feature film.  She had two memorable scenes that sears into the hearts of viewers. The first scene was Jonalyn narrating her traumatic experiences in first recorded testimony with her lawyer. The second was a painful scene of Jonalyn slowly breaking down in tears when she realized that she might have made wrong decisions. Impressive deeply-felt acting.

Eula Valdez gave Atty. Ardenia a nebulous character that Jonalyn, and all of us, could never really figure out. Was she doing this for Jonalyn, or was she doing this for herself? Jackie Lou Blanco played Eduardo's deeply religious wife, Mrs. Mildred Guzman. She channeled Glenn Close's Marquise de Merteuil wiping off her makeup in front of a mirror, followed by a powerful wordless scene of her clearing out her husband's cabinet of his porn collection.

Over the final scenes, Marfori flashed statistics of women who have experienced sexual harassment in their welfare, and that there was probably a lot more who never reported their traumatic experiences at all. Ironically though, most of this film just showed all the reasons exactly why women decide not to fight for their rights in these cases. When Marfori tried to offer a solution at the end, she never came around to telling these women what to do. 6/10

Cinemalaya 2025: Review of HABANG NILALAMON NG HYDRA ANG KASAYSAYAN: Deconstructing Disinformation

October 4, 2025

When Eleanor Robles (Frances Makil-Ignacio) lost her bid to be president of the Philippines in the 2022 elections, her campaign manager was Kiko Consuelo (Jojit Lorenzo) and her speech writer was David Cruz (Zanjoe Marudo) were disillusioned. Kiko shared his frustrations with his wife Bea (Dolly De Leon), who held the family of new president-elect responsible for the disappearance of her father during the past oppressive regime of his father. 

Greek mythology professor David resumed writing a book using the Hydra as a metaphor for the myriad of problems that beset Philippine politics. Meanwhile, he met election lawyer Mela (Mylene Dizon) on a dating app. The two of them hit if off very well on the first date, so much that it eventually led to their engagement. On the day that his book was formally launched, David learned a fact about Mela's family that threatened their upcoming wedding.

This new feature film is like a spiritual sequel to writer-director Dustin Celestino's acclaimed Cinemalaya opus "Ang Duyan ng Magiting" (Cinemalaya, 2023). When compared to "Duyan," the technical aspects of "Hydra" felt more sophisticated even as the several of same crew worked behind the scenes. The cinematography by Kara Moreno looked more stylish here, while the musical score by Paulo Protacio was more prominent and pulsating. 

Like "Duyan," the true star is Celestino's screenplay. The story was also divided into chapters, this one had eight, each named for a memorable line within that chapter. Each chapter contained astutely-written dialog about political disinformation and injustice that challenge our own convictions. Aside from the titular Hydra, four other characters of Greek myth -- Sisyphus, Cassandra, Pandora and Tantalus -- were utilized as universal metaphors.

Again, like "Duyan," the ensemble of actors all understood their assignments. Two tense excellently-acted scenes make it to my list of best scenes of 2025. One was that post-book launch meal where the exchange of pleasantries between Bea and Mela turned from cordial to bitter. The other one was in the penultimate chapter where Bea faced the man she hated all her life. In both scenes, Dolly de Leon poured out heart and soul in gut-wrenching manner.

Even if it says that any similarities to real-life events were purely coincidental, it was quite obvious what this story was all about. In fact, everyone who watches this film will have gone through the same 2022 presidential campaign and elections. The memories and the feelings are still very fresh, making this indeed a one-of-a-kind movie experience. The enduring and eternal light of the final message touches everyone who shared that passion. 9/10