Review of SAVING CHERRY: The Necessity for Non-Negotiables

September 3, 2026

Cherry Valdez (Barbie Forteza) and Jude Nicolas (Khalil Ramos) have pledged themselves to remain pure and chaste until marriage. In anticipation of losing her virginity, Cherry was being advised by her gang of close pals. They are: flirty Jewel (Mika Salamanca), married Beth (Mikee Quintos), reserved Ingrid (AC Bonifacio) and comical Martha (Sassa Gurl), she was advised on the perfect wardrobe, scent, positions, and moans. 

Their wedding ceremony and reception party all went great. On their wedding night, Cherry was nervously psyching herself up for her first time in their honeymoon suite, but Jude was taking a very long time to arrive. Both concerned and impatient at the same time, Cherry went out looking for him. She was shell-shocked to find her new husband in a compromising canoodling clinch with another girl named Eunice (Monina Lawrence).

A major part of the film written by director Ivan Andrew Payawal with Fatrick Tabada dealt with Cherry's wrath at Jude's betrayal by wanting to get even. Borne out of her extreme frustration to still be a virgin after all these years, her method of choice was to get herself devirginized by any man -- be it by a random hot guy at the disco Josh (JC Alcantara), an ex-boyfriend Matthew (Than Perez), or even a macho dancer Omar (Kokoy de Santos). 

Honestly I was not really a fan of these loud, noisy and raunchy scenes of Cherry and her gang. I know Forteza and her fellow actresses were just doing all of their exaggerated facial expressions and body posturing in the name of being funny, but I admit I am not the target demographic of these gags. I realize they are supposed to be "funny," but I did not find these funny at all, only annoying and, in my view, even demeaning to women.

When practically every heterosexual male characters with a name in this film were depicted to be cheaters, it was as if Payawal and Tabada were generalizing this unfortunate unflattering trait to all men. It was suggested that it was a social norm that women simply have to accept the situation, forgive him, and move on with their lives as a couple. Could there not have been an exception to the rule somewhere to represent us good guys, loyal to their wives?

When all the madcap hubbub and superglue mishaps finally settled down, Cherry and Jude got their moment to get serious and talk. It was clear that Forteza and Ramos were at their best when in their dramatic wheelhouse. While mixed signals were being bandied around for most of the film, it was only in the last 15 minutes that Payawal and Tabada's main message to women about setting non-negotiables in relationships was delivered loud and clear.  4/10

Review of PLUMP BLOSSOM: AI in Animation: Acceptable or Anathema?

September 1, 2026

It was the Hwang Dynasty in China. The Emperor (Audie Gemora) had one daughter named Ruo Hwa (Candice Tan). She was better known as "Plump Blossom" because of her chubby cheeks and frame, symbols of good health and prosperity. She had six meals between her breakfast and her dinner. Instead of her royal duties, she would rather spend her days in the kitchen, helping Chef Bao (Gutch Gutierrez) and his staff prepare the food. 

One night, Ruo Hwa saw the chef tending to the wounds of a seriously injured young man. He was Yu Jian (Don Puno), who turned out to be a young general in the army protecting the palace from its enemies. Unmindful of her station and reputation, Ruo Hwa took care of him and nursed him back to full consciousness. Thinking that she was a kitchen maid, the handsome soldier with abs like a jade pillow soon developed a close friendship with her.

Likely inspired by Disney animated films, Hwang also included animal sidekicks who can communicate with their masters. For Ruo Hwa, it was a dignified Pekingese dog named Yuan Yuan (Yeng Her) to whom she confided her secrets. For General Jian, it was a battle-scarred carrier pigeon named General Feathers (Chad Williams), who served to bridge their long-distance love affair. With their witty banter and wisecracks, they provided much comic relief.

This is the feature-length directorial debut of Kapitana Films producer Rossana Hwang, who also wrote the screenplay. This passion project of hers was certainly an audacious undertaking for three reasons. First, the language of this film is English (with Chinese subtitles), which may be misinterpreted as classism. Second, her story was based in historic China, odd for a Filipino filmmaker to do considering the WPS issues. Third and most controversial of all, she openly admitted that she used "AI-assisted" tools in this film, as obvious from the trailer. 

It is unfortunate for Hwang that whatever quality her movie has, it would likely always be criticized for its use of AI -- especially since it is the first Filipino-produced film released in cinemas to openly admit using AI tools. Hwang cited budget constraints as her reason to use AI, but even then, AI remains to be a sensitive red flag topic when it comes to creating art. AI is perceived to be the "lazy" way to do animation as it can take over the frame-by-frame work of human animators that would cost way more time and money. 

The final frame called this film "a hybrid production combining traditional animation techniques with emerging AI-assisted tools and workflows. There were human creatives behind the scenes: Rene Francis Hermoso as Chief Animator, Pedro Chuidan for VFX, Justin Zapata and Franz Niedo for character sculpting. As for the songs, Hwang and Ken Aoki were credited as lyricist and arranger, while Candice Tan, Maria Buenaventura, Paulina Yeung and Paeng Sudayan as the vocalists. The voice actors were likewise all credited accordingly.

Putting aside all the AI hullabaloo (impossible now, I know), this film may still find its limited niche among Generation X, they who share the same world view as Hwang herself. There were admittedly moments that were delightful, moving, cute and "kilig" sprinkled throughout this film which our aunties or titas will like and enjoy. How the film industry and the viewing public will view the seemingly inevitable role of AI in filmmaking in succeeding years still remains to be seen. Rossana Hwang just boldly dared to cross that Rubicon earlier. 

Review of FILIPIÑANA: Metaphors in a Microcosm

August 29, 2026

Dr. Palanca (Teroy Guzman) was the charismatic Ilocano president of a golf and country club catering mostly to tourists from China. One of the tee-girls working there was Isabel (Jorrybell Agoto), who was walking from one part of the club to another looking for Dr. Palanca in order to return a golf club to him. No one seemed to know where he was exactly, not even his wife (Agot Isidro) nor their bodyguard Rodel (Dyas Adarlo). 

Meanwhile, Clara (Carmen Castellanos), a young balikbayan student, was on the green that same day with her caddy Ina (Isabel Sicat), playing with her uncle Renato (Carlos Siguion-Reyna) who was a member. There was also a nanny (Thea Marabut) who was looking for her ward (Jewel Sotelo), a little girl in a red dress with dragonfly-shaped clips on her hair, whom Isabel actually saw running around the golf course. 

This film is the feature-length directorial debut of Rafael Manuel. I was able to watch his breakthrough thesis short film also entitled "Filipinana" (2020), of which this current film is the expanded version. I have seen this golf course, tee girl Isabel and her cohorts before, and was already enthralled by his unique cinematic vision with his color palette and shot selection. It had won the Silver Berlin Bear for best short film and other international awards back then.

With its manicured grass, water sprinklers, electronic carts, a golf course is a perfect symbol of the privileged elite. While the wealthy club members go around hitting little balls into little holes, they are being waited on hand and foot by their caddies, tee girls, ball pickers, food servers, etc. Most were developed out of farmlands, from whom the tenant farmers had been driven out of their homes and livelihood -- further emphasizing the class divide. 

Cinematographer Xenia Patricia was able to capture and relay the bleakness of the golf course despite of its aesthetic exteriors and luxurious interiors. The costume designs by Carla Villanueva and Tatjana Fanny Honegger were striking aspects of this film. There was color-coding for ease of character identification -- mint green mini-dresses for the tee-girls, hot pink uniforms for the female caddies, all-white outfits for the Chinese club guests. 

Music is also an important part of this film. There was a fragment of a melody that Isabel kept humming, but cannot recall the title and lyrics. Filipinos will likely recognize the folk song when it is sung in full later in the film. Also featured is a band of blind musicians led by Bullet Dumas as lead singer. They rendered a very catchy campaign jingle to re-elect Dr. Palanca, accompanying a lively dance by middle-aged matrons and their teenage boy partners. 

Even when it can get rather annoying for mainstream viewers, the slowness of the pace of this film's storytelling, with dialog which sometimes seemed to go  nowhere, was also a deliberate metaphor of the frustrating snail's pace at which our country is progressing (or not). While the satire was mostly light and whimsical, it did turn very dark at the end when it suggested that youth and innocence are the biggest victims of this dire system we are in.  

Isabel represents us, the common Filipino. We need to sneak around in order to enjoy simple joys of life -- like a luscious mango or a refreshing shower. We are obsessed in following the rich and famous around, even if our fates are at their mercy. We call for help when we see a problem, but often these fall on deaf ears, so we need to act on our own. However, our eagerness to help others can also lead us to our own harm. 8/10

 

Review of INSIDIOUS: OUT OF THE FURTHER: Diabolical Dentistry

 August 23, 2026

When Gemma Hall (Charli Penton) was a little girl, she was left to her devices by her mother Ingrid (Laura Gordon). When she came home from school, Gemma had to prepare her own dinner and study by herself in the dark using a flashlight. One night, Gemma witnessed her mother have an attack of mental disturbance while in the bathroom. Ingrid told her poor daughter to watch her as she banged her head on the wall, until the door banged itself shut.

Several years later, adult Gemma (Amelia Eve) was now working as a dental hygienist. She was a single parent to a young daughter Maya (Island Austin), and had a police officer Nick (Brandon Perea) as a boyfriend. One night, Gemma had a scary nightmare about a mysterious voice calling her on the phone, telling her to help him. When she woke up the next morning, she saw an old flashlight she had found in her dream was on her bed.

The first serious scare came about 30 minutes in when Gemma found herself crawling in a narrow passageway where she first came face to face with three ghastly-looking white-faced entities, one of whom gave her a brooch to bring back. Right after, Gemma had to clean the teeth of one of those creepy people on their street, Lester (Joshua Lopez), in a very unsettling and disgusting sequence that is the stuff of every dentophobe's nightmare. 

Of course, fans of the Insidious franchise will get excited when parapsychologist Elise Rainier (Lin Shaye) first shows up. We are reminded that Elise had been dead since 2011, but she still existed in the Further. To help Gemma with her problem, Elise directed her to see Clare (Maisie Richardson-Sellers), a medium between the real world and Elise in the Further. It turned out that Gemma was a traveler and a courier between the two dimensions. 

The first "Insidious" (2010) introduced Lynn Shaye's Elise to us, but the character died right there. In sequels "Insidious: Chapter 2" (2013) and "Insidious: The Red Door" (2023), Shaye still played Elise appearing as a spirit like in this one. "Red Door" ended the Lambert's story when their red door was sealed. With this sixth installment, a new red door opened for Gemma and for more sequels to come, should the filmmakers decide to proceed for the fans. 7/10.

 

Review of THE END OF OAK STREET: Prehistoric Peril

August 21, 2026

It was 1982. The Platts are a typical middle-class American family who lived on Oak Street, in the suburban Flowervale, Michigan. Greg Platt (Ewan McGregor) was in between jobs, making ends meet by delivering pizzas. His marriage with his wife, aspiring novelist Denise (Anne Hathaway), was shaky, with divorce in the conversation. Their two kids, Audrey (Maisie Stella) and Brian (Christian Convery), were not oblivious to their troubled situation. 

For the past few nights, there were odd things appearing in backyards of neighbors, like an extinct prehistoric plant or a huge pile of stinky manure.  One stormy night, there was long blinding flash of bright light, then power, phone and water all go out. That morning, their dog Starbuck was missing, so Greg and Denise went to look for him. Instead of the dog, they saw a giant beaked creature which immediately turned to chase them. 

In the opening scenes, we get our first glimpse of Oak Street during a fun neighborhood activity.  We see Brian out biking on the streets with his three pals, and we feel like we are inside a Steven Spielberg film. I felt like I was watching a scene from "ET: The Extra-Terrestrial," which incidentally was released in 1982, the time setting of this sci-fi thriller. However, it would later turn out that this would not be the only Spielberg film referenced.

When there were big flashes of light in the night sky, we were reminded of the way the aliens were gradually revealed in "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" (1977), However, this time around, there were dinosaurs instead of aliens, which of course called to mind "Jurassic Park" (1993). There had apparently been a wormhole in time that their whole community was transported to prehistoric time when dinosaurs still ruled the world.

Any actor could've played Greg and Denise, but having McGregor and Hathaway there did give it some additional charm, especially to that time travel thing at the end. All the characters are aware that they need to be alert and resourceful to survive the prehistoric peril around them, yet they still had the time or temerity to argue about their domestic or school issues, which were so petty now considering what they're up against. These confrontation scenes under threat of carnivorous dinosaur attacks were corny and frankly, unnecessary melodrama. 6/10 

Review of DEAR YOU: The Depth of Devotional Diligence

August 18, 2026

The happy married life of Den Bhagseng (Wang Yantong) and his wife Sogriu (Wang Xiaohui) was interrupted in the late 1940s when he was drafted for military service in the Civil War. He fled to the Nanyang area, first to Malaysia, then to Thailand. This left Sogriu alone to raise their three young children by herself. However every month in his absence, Bhagseng dutifully sent qiaopi or remittance letters with cash to Sogriu to support her and his kids.

Their exchange of letters stopped in 1978 when Sogriu believed Bhagseng already had a second family. In the present time, Hiou-ui (Zheng Runqi), who was then deep in debt, thought of going to Thailand to seek help from his grandfather Bhagseng, rumored to be very wealthy now. He found the letters kept by his 88 year old grandmother Sogriu (Wu Shaoqing) to get his address. When he got there, he was told that Bhagseng had been dead since 1960.

The drama of this film was built around the qiaopi -- letters with money sent by Teochew immigrants in Southeast Asian countries back to their families in China. Sogriu had consistently receiving qiaopi from Bhagseng, all the way up to 1978. The main narrative was actually based on drafts of a lost letter, told from the point of view of the woman whom Sogriu believed was her husband's mistress -- Zia Lamgi (Li Sitong).

This independent film was produced on a small budget with a cast of mostly non-professional actors. However, despite beginning at a low rank in the box office upon its opening, it slowly gained more traction in the coming weeks with excellent word of mouth on Chinese social media, eventually reaching the #1 slot a month after its release. Its viral appeal then crossed overseas, making it a big hit as well in the Southeast Asian market.

The language used was Teochew, so we really had to rely on the English subtitles to understand what was going on, although the occasional lines that sound like Hokkien were welcome to hear. I admit the first few modern day scenes were not easy to get into right away. However, once we got our bearings straight with the multiple characters and timelines, we were riveted with the irresistible charm and emotional depth of the multi-layered story. 

While mostly sentimental melodrama, there were scenes of humor, suspense, as well as a mystery behind an old photograph that caused a 40-year-long misunderstanding. We will be attached to the characters -- Bhagseng, Lamgi, Lamgi's father (Fang Peisong), the Chinese teacher Digang (Chen Qinqin) -- and care what happens to them. This film by Lan Hongchun was a nostalgic look back at the lives of early Chinese immigrants to Southeast Asia, and should be of special interest to our local Chinoy community.  8/10

Cinemalaya 2026: Review of 2 VALID IDS: Bureaucratic Bull

August 17, 2026

Ramon Ramos (Joey Marquez) had been transferred from his hometown in the Ilocos to a hospital for better treatment of his severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.  His wife Sylvia (Marietta Subong) watched over him and took care of things that he needed. They had befriended Denver (Zaijian Jaranilla), young watcher of the old man lying in the bed beside them, to help watch Ramon when Sylvia had to go out on errands.

Ramon's aunt working in New Zealand agreed to send them money so they can transfer to semi-private and finally schedule the bullectomy surgery that he needed. However, when Sylvia went to the remittance center, the clerk there required her to show two valid IDs before the money could be released. With the help of her niece Mercy (Meryll Soriano), Sylvia had to go to great effort and expense in order to fulfill this cumbersome requirement. 

Comedian Pokwang used her real name Marietta Subong here, so we know she is in serious mode, giving a sincere, no-frills performance that was truly moving. She just quietly endured the indignities thrown in her way, until all her pent-up frustrations simply can't be held back no longer. Joey Marquez turned in an exceptional dramatic performance here. He and Subong had excellent chemistry together, so we root for them to pull through against all odds.

All the screenings of this film in all participating theaters were sold out from the very first day -- making this an automatic box office hit and audience choice from the get-go. This is not surprising because the film tackles needless bureaucracy -- a problem that every Filipino went through in order to apply for an ID card valid to establish one's identity. To make it even more difficult, you need have two valid IDs, as one ID is usually not enough. 

The screenplay of Abet Pagdagdagan Raz was frank, direct, straightforward, without resorting to satire or metaphors, as is where is. As much as Sylvia wanted to do things completely on the level, the processes were taking so much time, such that it would tempt her to resort to under-the-table means just so the necessary surgery could finally be done. Director Ma-an L. Asuncion-Dagñalan made sure we felt Sylvia's desperation as that noose tightened. 8/10  

Netflix: Review of GANITO, GANYAN, GANOON: Depths of Dysfunction

August 16, 2026

Joanne "Jo" (Jodi Sta. Maria) was a successful writer for a top-rating soap opera and was extremely busy and stressed out. One day, she received a phone call from her Nanay Des (Ruby Ruiz) from their provincial hometown that her mother Paz (Agot Isidro), who had abandoned Jo 27 years ago, was suddenly back from New York City. She brought with her a young man she introduced as her son, Matti (Gabriel Lazaro). 

Paz, a former actress, was a high-strung, and unapologetic loudmouth. Even for the slightest of provocations, be it out of mean-spirited sarcasm or even out of what seemed to be concern, she would blow up into foul-mouthed ejaculations and lengthy motor-mouth tirades, which left everyone around her shocked and uncomfortable. She was specially tough on Matti whose mental and emotional issues made him do and say the most unexpected things. 

Because of Paz's psychiatric and medical concerns, Agot Isidro certainly had the showier role of the whole cast. We just saw a somewhat milder version of this mother character in her recent Cinemalaya film "Mag-iina" (2026). Her shrill, twangy voice in this one was definitely several notches more irritating to the ear. She was also unpredictably rude and hurtful, but it was to Isidro's credit that audiences can still care no matter how unpleasant Paz got.    

Jo mostly kept her turmoil inside, so Jodi Sta. Maria wisely underplayed her part -- the quiet calm in contrast with Paz's loud hysteria. Her first conflict here was her acceptance to an American writing fellowship which may just fall through the cracks because of her mother's unexpected visit.  However, Jo had a much deeper reason to hate her mother, an internal wound that festered for 27 years that just got riled up to become unbearably painful again. 

Given Matti's impaired mental, social and emotional issues, neophyte actor Gabriel Lazaro (a son of character actor Ronnie Lazaro) was certainly given a very challenging role to portray for his acting debut. In view of the veteran stars acting circles around him, his inexperience was still quite evident. Matti was supposed to act awkwardly, but Lazaro was obviously trying to act his part. His effort was appreciated, but there is still room for improvement. 

Gardo Versoza played Jo's father Rene, while Ruby Ruiz played Jo's former nanny Des. The rest of the family were gathered together at a welcome dinner. Mitch Valdez played Paz's colorful Tita Abby, while Joel Saracho played her uncle Tito. Floyd Tena played Paz's film director brother Pipo, while Angel Aquino played her actress cousin Stella. RK Bagatsing played Jo's psychiatrist and lover Doc Migs, who paid Jo a surprise visit that same day. 

Cholo Laurel's feature directorial debut was way back in 2005 with the multi-awarded "Nasaan Ka Man." "Ganito, Ganyan, Ganoon" is only his second feature film as director. The buildup to Paz's big reveal was already very well-done, but Laurel just had to insert a candle-lit bull session to reopen wounds all over again. This film and its actors were good, but I wish we'd have less dramas that resort to illness as an intervening factor. 7/10

 

Cinemalaya 2026: Review of TAYO LANG ANG NAKAKAALAM: Shielding Sensitive Secrets

August 14, 2026

Neil (Martin del Rosario) worked in the HR department of a firm. One of the candidates he interviewed was one Robin "Bong" Macaraeg (Miguel Odron). Fast forward five years later in 2012, Bong was very sick, confined in the hospital with a bad case of amebiasis which the usual antibiotics are failing to control. As Neil's boyfriend now, Neil watched over Bong, along with Bong's parents Gloria (Yayo Aguila) and Benjie (Epy Quizon).

This film opened with Gloria and Neil sitting closely together talking and laughing, with Neil calling Gloria "inay." However, when the patient Bong called for Neil, it turned out that Gloria's son was actually Bong, and Neil was Bong's boyfriend of five years, whom Gloria had accepted as her own over the years. With this simple opening scene, Corpuz made sure we understood right off that Gloria practically considered Neil to be a real son. 

Yayo Aguila had played mom for practically all the millennial and Gen Z actors and actresses in Filipino films, indie or mainstream, in the last ten years or so. Most of the time though, these were forgettable roles with only one or two scenes. As Gloria here, Aguila was finally able to play a fully-fleshed out character, both body and soul. When she learned that her boys had withheld a secret from her, we feel and understand her confusion, disappointment, frustration.  

Now 20 years into his career, Martin del Rosario has proven that he is one of this generation's hardest-working and most versatile actors. Neil was the one who had more to risk, as an HR in a relationship with a junior employee. He had to keep major secrets, not only from his boss sir Deej (Bong Cabrera), but also from Gloria whom he considered his second mother. Del Rosario's Neil kept his conflicts mostly inside, an impressive display of restrained acting. 

I had seen Miguel Odron before in "Some Nights I Feel Like Walking" (2025), where he played a newbie gigolo Zion. Odron's Bong here was a young man stricken with a difficult ailment at the prime of his life. As he felt his life gradually spiral out of his control, he still fought to maintain his dignity and have his say. It was too bad that aside from his interview and a quick montage of happy moments, we did not get to know Bong in the pink of his health.

Epy Quizon's Benjie left his family to work abroad when Bong was only five years old. From then on, he would only see his family for short leaves every two years, unable to form closer bonds with his son. He was only back home in time to take care of Bong because he lost his job. Despite all the years he devoted to being an OFW, the family was still financially strapped with no savings, still living in a cramped apartment in a building without an elevator.  

Madeleine Nicolas only had a few scenes as Neil's mother Lily, but she evoked a clear sense of empathy for the tough situation her son was in. Their closeness as mother and son was felt in their few scenes together, especially in that one scene of humorous relief. Bodjie Pascua even had lesser screen time as Bong's uncle, Benjie's elder brother Fr. Emil, but he still made a marked impression in that scene imparting priestly words of wisdom to Neil. 

"Tayo Lang ang Nakakaalam" was directed and co-written (with Iar Arondaing) by David R. Corpuz. He had only directed three films so far, all of them for Cinemalaya -- Jury Prize-winning short "The Ordinary Things We Do" (2014) and full-length feature "Kusina" (2016). In this latest one, he was able to assemble a powerful ensemble piece about a family in deep turmoil that can emotionally connect with any audience, LGBT or not. 7/10

Cinemalaya 2026: Review of STATUS: REJECTED: Striking Senior Sentiment

 August 13, 2026

Virginia "Biring" Divinagracia (Ruby Ruiz) had tried to apply for a US tourist visa five times, but was always declined. She wanted to go in order to meet up with her son Clark (Karl Medina), had been staying the US illegally for several years already. She now lived with her daughter Anna (Alessandra de Rossi), who had a teenage daughter Sophie (Yani Villaosa). Biring's relationship with Anna was strained by their financial woes. 

Biring liked going out with her friend Tessie (Beverly Salviejo), buying used clothes at the ukay-ukay or hanging out at the red light district. Tessie came up with the idea for Biring to updating her social media profile so she can attract an American boyfriend. One night, Biring accepted a friend request from an American veteran soldier named Steve Johnson. When Steve initiated a chat, Biring replied out of curiosity. Soon, an online romance bloomed. 

Ruby Ruiz has been working in bit roles since 1984, but had her big career breakthrough in "Ekstra" (Cinemalaya 2013) which won her awards. Since then, she has been a very visible staple of several indie films that had a role for a senior actress, big or small. She soon got to play lead roles in films like "Iska" (Cinemalaya 2019), "Tigkiwili" (2025), "First Light" (2026), and even played Nicole Kidman's nanny in the series "Expats" (2024). 

As expected, Ruiz went all in in her quirky yet sensitive portrayal of Biring in this latest lead role of hers. Ruiz's Biring was a lonely 69 year-old woman desperately looking for love, even if he was just an online presence. We witness her falling head over heels in love with this mysterious sweet-talker, who even managed to arouse her dormant libido. The whole time, she makes us worry about her, caring if she was just the latest victim of an elaborate scammer. 

Alessandra de Rossi's Anna had been angry all her life for being forced to take up a course she didn't like and trapped to do a demeaning job. This caused her to be bitter at her mother, and hard on her daughter. Beverly Salviejo's Tessie was joie de vivre personified in contrast to Biring's misery. They weren't too clear about what happened to Tessie at the end, something I felt lacking in the story. But we get to hear Salviejo's soulful singing here as she unloaded her inner frustrations at a karaoke bar. 

Director and co-writer Vahn Leinard C. Pascual started his filmmaking career with queer short films. His feature directorial debut had a topic outside his usual wheelhouse, but being a self-confessed "lola's boy," his sincerity and love for his lead character was quite palpable.  Along with the work of cinematographer Martika Ramirez Escobar and production designer  Marielle Hizon, Pascual drew us deeper into Biring's loneliness and second coming-of-age. 7/10

Cinemalaya 2026: Review of MAG-IINA: Matriarchal Mania

August 12. 2026

Anj (Janine Gutierrez) had lived in New York City since she was sent over there at age 15. She finally got to fly back home and reunite with her long-estranged family -- her mother Mita (Agot Isidro), her aunt Ysobel (Cherry Pie Picache) and her grandmother (Jackie Lou Blanco) -- for the occasion of the 40th day of her late father Ynigo Abreu Jr. or Ygo (Bart Guingona). Ysobel had adopted a young boy and renamed him Ynigo III (Lucas Andalio).  An all-around housemaid named Katte (Ness Roque) held sway in the kitchen. 

For people who are familiar with his plays, if it is written by Guelan Varela Luarca, you know you are in for a profound emotional roller-coaster. "Mag-iina" is his screen adaptation of his own play "Corridors." This play had won First Prize at the 72nd Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards in 2024, Luarca's fifth, which elevated him to the Palanca Hall of Fame. It just had a staged reading by CAST this January 2026, so I was surprised that it took a big leap into a film version before a fully-staged production was done. 

Janine Gutierrez's Anj was not going to let her family's eccentricities push her down as she finally got to experience them first hand, bringing us all along on her wild outlandish 3-day ride. Agot Isidro had a field day with Mita's neurotic psyche and emotional instability. Cherry Pie Picache's Ysobel seemed so calm outside, but turned out to be a hot slurping mess inside. Ness Roque's santol-squeezing Katte may be of lowest rank, but she proved no easy pushover in the way she marinated chicken or held black candle seances. 

The elegant Jackie Lou Blanco was deglamorized, with her skin looking like melted wax, ultimately even enduring to wear a whole-body prosthetic suit to execute the film's most unsettling body-horror scene. Her high-handed, Spanish- and expletive-riddled monologue at the dinner table was unforgettable.  Child actor Lucas Andalio fell right in step and held his own among the senior actors, having to do some pretty sick, grotesque stuff that require post-shoot debriefings. Those bloody lactation scenes really pushed the envelope. 

This convoluted story was actually quite a big risk to bring to the big screen, as it blurred lines between what was a nightmare and what was real. Furthermore, even if the story's premise starts off as merely odd, weird or creepy, it would later escalate into majorly bizarre and  scandalous mayhem, the likes of which can throw off casual viewers. The visual creativity of director Giancarlo Abrahan was in overdrive to create the veritable Gothic twilight zone in this maze-like house, which in itself was a major character in this film. 8/10