March 1, 2024
SALISIHAN
Director: Iar Arondaing
Anna (Zsara Laxamana) and her husband Dan (Chester Grecia) had long been trying to conceive a child, but in vain. One day, a young woman named Sophie (Amabella de Leon) went to their house asking him her partner Gab (Ralph Christian Engle) was with them. It turned out that Gab was the son Dan never knew he had, and he had gone into hiding since he found out that Sophie was pregnant.
Director Iar Arondaing, head writer John Carlo Pacala and writer Rijel Reyes spun a neat little tale here of infidelity and karma, and a wickedly twisted, darkly comic ending. Of the two new sirens, Laxamana did show more promise in terms of her looks and drama skills, while wan and homely de Leon paled in comparison. With his mature mien, Grecia got to play a role much older than his actual age of 26. Engle, who was supposed to be Grecia's son, actually looked just about the same age as him. 6/10.
EKSPRESIBO
Directed by Roman Perez, Jr.
Ardo (Felix Roco) was an artist who made a living by selling his paintings on the roadsides. Sometimes he gets lucky with an art collector like Mrs. Nebres (Ayah Alfonso) passes by and brings him home for a private posing session. She would pay him not only for the paintings, but for his body as well. However, Ardo kept having visions of Lisa (Yen Durano), his love and his muse, who one day just upped and disappeared from their home.
Being directed by Roman Perez Jr. (with DOP Neil Derrick Bion), this film carried his signature visuals bathed in warm yellow sunlight, the sun beamed through windows. They had nice shots of the Bonifacio Monument as well. The business of selling art was interesting, but could have been explored more seriously. Felix Roco is a good actor, but again that awful wig he wore was very distracting. Durano (who was launched in Perez's "Litsoneras") was also good, but her part was very short. 5/10
EKSPERTO
Directed by Omar Deroca
Lara (Yen Durano) was a very popular sexy vlogger who had millions of followers. Her constant escort was gym rat Dex (Albie Casino), but she kept on turning down his proposals to be her boyfriend. Lara was quite the playgirl with a fetish for recording herself in action, as she had casual sex with mature business partners like Marcus (Chester Grecia) and Benj (RR Lopez), or 20 year-old resort employees like Ches (Gabriel Fernandez).
The story of this one felt a bit off-tangent in this artsy trilogy, unless you consider sexy vlogs as an art form. Director Omar Deroca tells it pretty straightforward, just scenes Lara having sex with Dex and other men, held together by a simple story of how she used sex to further her "businesses." Casino's portrayal of weak and whiny Dex was so annoying, especially being the veteran in the cast. You totally see why Lara did not want to commit to him. 3/10
EKSPERIMENTAL
Directed by Sigrid Polon
Lilak (Yen Durano) was a very popular visual artist, whose specialty was to make paper mache figurines of a woman's open legs showcasing her wide-open pudendum. Her current workshop aide was Gabo (Itan Rosales), who assisted her in more ways than one. One day, a Japanese-Filipino news reporter Aiko (Audrey Avila) visited her shop in Laguna, and requested for an in-depth interview about her artwork.
Director Sigrid Polon captured the carefree bohemian spirit of artists in her latest work, and that was the most interesting aspect of this short film. I am not sure why her vulgar-looking paper-mache art was a big hit with the public, but I guess there is no arguing with popular taste when it comes to "art". Durano and Avila make a good match, but when it comes to Vivamax, their Sapphic pairing was hardly experimental anymore. 4/10
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