For the year 2019, I was able to watch 74 Filipino films (up from 70 in 2017). I was able to catch 5/5 entries of the Sinag Manila Filmfest in April; 6/10 in the Cinemalaya in August; 6/10 in the Pista ng Pelikulang Pilipino in September; 3/3 in the QCinema in October; 4/8 in the CinemaOne Originals in November; and 2/8 entries in the MMFF in December.
HONORABLE MENTIONS:
25 Sila-sila by Giancarlo Abrahan (My Full Review)
24 My Letters to Happy by Pertee Brinas (My Full Review)
23 Between Maybes by Jason Paul Laxamana (My Full Review)
22 Last Fool Show by Eduardo Roy, Jr. (My Full Review)
21 Akin ang Korona by Zig Madamba Dulay (My Full Review)
20 Elise by Joel Ferrer (My Full Review)
19 Dead Kids by Mikhail Red (My Full Review)
18 Kalel, 15 by Jun Lana (My Full Review)
17 Clarita by Roderick Cabrido (My Full Review)
16 Alone/Together by Antoinette Jadaone (My Full Review)
15 Ulan by Irene Villamor (My Full Review)
14 Write About Love by Crisanto B. Aquino (My Full Review)
13 Lola Igna by Eduardo Roy, Jr. (My Full Review)
12 Verdict by Raymund Ribay Gutierrez (My Full Review)
11 Untrue by Sigrid Andrea Bernardo (My Full Review)
Here are the 10 best Filipino films that I was able to see and write about this year:
Cristine Reyes went over and above my expectations of her. Despite how delicate she may look, she was very credible as a kick-ass action star. As wife and mother Maria, she was all-feminine in dress and manner. However, when pushed to a fight, she faced her enemies head on with her deadly skills in fighting and with weapons. She could wipe out an entire swarm of bad guys with her bare hands or whatever random items she can get her hands on, even in a dress with high heels.
This is a very brave Filipino to have one of its main protagonists Gali to be profoundly deaf. This meant that all his lines will have to be either in text via their mobile phones, or more frequently, in sign language. It taught us how to sign basic words, but there were entire scenes with no spoken dialogue at all. There were even some scenes in complete silence, without musical score. I appreciated those immersive scenes when all the sounds fade to mere beats or murmurs to simulate how the deaf Gali perceived the situation he was in.
The title alone already pretty much gave us a gist of the story, but we stay on to enjoy the chemistry of Kathryn and Alden as a new romantic pairing, as well as to find out what Joy's final decision was going to be regarding her dilemma. However, the script also brought to life the various real problems OFWs experience in Hong Kong, especially sacrificing family unity and risking illegal activities. This was a movie that tells us that tough choices need to be made, and these choices need to be respected in the name of love.
Director Jose Tiglao chose to use the metaphor of a butterfly coming out of its cocoon to illustrate these issues about intersex individuals.Young actor Gold Azeron had his work cut out for him when he played the physically and psychologically-disturbed intersex teenager Adam. He had the right look and build for the role with his face which may look male or female in different scenes. More impressive was his very realistic in his attack on his role with all the confusion and vulnerability of youth.
This was a story about four friends whose fathers were away fighting in the Marawi siege. Ms. Maricel Cabrera-Cariaga has crafted a rare gem -- a coming of age tale of military children told in a most straightforward, sincerely real, positively uplifting way, with no cheap sentimentality or sappy melodrama. With the refreshing river scenery of Quirino province as backdrop, "Children of the River" proved to us that an indie film need not have to be bloody, noisy, dark, dirty, perverse or profane to be current, interesting and outstanding.
This film was indeed a very powerful and timely statement against bullying, physically and verbally in person, or virtually online. It talked about the dangerous power of social media in shaping public perception and opinion with biased news or worse, fake news, and its unrelenting negative consequences for the victim involved. New director Arden Rod Condez approached the topic with utmost severity of focus. Several prior scenes may have been foreshadowing the ending, but it will still knock your breath away.
The continuous long tracking shots Nazareno used to show the sorry situation in the emergency room, and later in the wards, were so accurate in portraying the chaos which really existed in those places. As Edward, Louise Abuel was as if just being himself. Everything about this guy felt sincere, very natural and unpretentious, quite impressive for a new actor. Being a minor, Edward was helplessly trapped in a situation not of his making and beyond his control, and Abuel was able to reflect the unfairness of it all on his face.
3. CULION by Alvin Yapan (My Full Review)Ana, Ditas and Doris were all strong, independent women who can speak her minds, but had issues with the men in their lives. Behind the prosthetic leprosy lesions on their faces and hands, the three actress playing the central characters all gave beautifully nuanced performances. For the two-hour running time of this film, they held our attention and our sympathy for their plights. All three had their own devastatingly moving scenes, each with barely a word said, but they are guaranteed to melt even the hardest hearts to tears.
The first thing you'd notice about this film was its very unique look. Director Glenn Barit chose to present his stories via 30,000 photocopied black and white images painstakingly edited together at a rate of 8 frames per second to animate them. The clothes of the main characters were colored with highlighters to make them stand out. This gave the whole project a sense of nostalgia as we have never seen before. The awkward attempts of these kids (and teachers) at acting created a most authentic vibe of high school life -- all its silliness and its frustrations.
And my Number 1 Filipino movie for 2019 is ...
"Quezon's Game" was set during the days of Manuel L. Quezon as the president of our country when it was a Commonwealth under the jurisdiction of the United States. In 1938, Quezon worked out how he could save as many of these Jews as he could by granting them asylum in Manila. Raymond Bagatsing played President Manuel L. Quezon as a very charismatic man and leader.
Director Matthew Rosen, a British national of Jewish faith, told this interesting, not so well-known historical episode in a most compelling and engaging pace and manner which can readily appeal to all ages. "Quezon's Game" focused on how one noble Filipino man all the way from the other side of the world cared enough, and was brave enough, to do something to save these Jews, when all odds are against him. This is an incredible tale of humanity which should not be forgotten, and this movie now made sure we don't.
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