March 17, 2024
It was a very strong storm, and all the roads outside the grocery store were flooded such that no vehicles could pass. Store manager Jack (Nonie Buencamino) still had two employees in the store with him -- Sarah (Shamaine Buencamino) and Emily (Therese Malvar). There were still three customers trapped in with them -- aspiring filmmaker Ria (Elora Espano), bratty rich kid Ryan (Harvey Bautista) and elderly grouch Benjamin (Carlos Siguion-Reyna).
Their food and water supply was scarce from prior panic buying, and there was no electricity nor phone signal. Glass panes have been shattered and portions of the ceiling have caved in, which caused them to panic that this may be the last them of their lives. They decided to play a game, passing items to one another in a circle. When each of them got a certain item in hand, this would trigger memories of major events in their respective lives.
When the first Puregold CinePanalo Awards were held last night, this film won several major awards -- Best Director for Sigrid Andrea Bernardo, Best Actress for Shamaine Buencamino, Best Actor for Carlos Siguion-Reyna, Best Ensemble, Best Sound Design, and Special Jury Prize. the acting was really the strongest suit of this film (all six main actors were nominated as leads), and Bernardo did well shepherding them through the story she was telling.
This certainly looked like a very complicated film to do on what was presumably a limited time and a shoestring budget. The technical requirements of its production design and sound design (most deserving of its win) were formidable to make us feel the storm howling outside and show the violent effects of the strong wind and rain on store's infrastructure. That opening scene of zombies rising up of the debris also looked very difficult to execute.
On bookend scenes of undead beings and calamitous disaster, Bernardo stitched on six episodes of melodrama dealing with a variety of family issues about infidelity, separation, LGBT, sacrifice and disease. After this, she then surprised us some more with her last minute twists that tied all the loose threads up neatly. I thought her complex script was a winner. Even with zombies in there, it still managed to live up to the positivity Puregold was going for. 8/10
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