(REVIEW) UNINVITED: Desire To See An Unconventional VILMA SANTOS

Going inside the Gateway Mall theater this afternoon, I had super high expectations for this particular movie... not just because of the caliber of actresses in it, but how production and distribution has been done internationally with Mentorque Productions, Project 8 Projects and released via Warner Brothers (which you probably don't get on an ordinary day). There must be certain standards met, and from the looks of it, they've done it quite well. The film has excellent cinematography, camera angles, and story line that's very efficient. They didnt' get too comfortable adding unnecessary scenes (which is a plus on my books). Add to that the excellent music score and sound effects too.

UNINVITED has Ms. Vilma Santos, Aga Mulach and our generation's President Nadine Lustre. Obviously I'm a huge fan of their previous work and since they are presenting this in MMFF 2024, I want a different flavor from them because when they discussed this during the Mediacon a few weeks ago, they promised a worthy story (with them in it) that would keep us glued on the screen for a few hours (which they did). For starters, Ms. Vilma actually pitched this whole concept. Aside from directly being involved behind the cam, she's pronounced how this was actually a dream role for her. It was hard not to spoil a few things, but she shared that you could start by imagining all of these happening in one day.

When Nadine Lustre walked into the picture, she presented herself as a feisty, gutsy daughter of a very evil man. Partly fed up, she's a no holds barred, unapologetic lady, forced to please folks. She also takes comfort and refuge with other people. Aga Mulach which we often see as a goody two shoes guy on screen will join the dark side and make you squirm. Think of all the evil things a person could do and he's probably done it, making you hate him the moment he walks up on stage on his birthday. Ms. Vilma on the other hand plays Eva Candelaria, let's keep it a bit mysterious on what she's doing at the mansion. Slowly, her presence exudes power, purpose, commanding at times, but what danger lurks behind this persona? What caused her to be this way?

I could say right after I watched the film, Vilma Santos might just have tipped the scale for the Best Actress trophy with this entry. You could feel how vulnerable and deeply caring she is at times, ultimately, being a mother to her only daughter Lily. But remember, Ms. Vilma mentioned how she's never done something like this before... so if you expect a twist of some sort in the story, please, believe her. This is exactly this movie's biggest selling point, worthy of the amount you'll spend in the movies this Christmas season. This excellently made film certainly had people in the cinema rooting for her, literally screaming for her to go forward at times which I find cute since most of the folks in the front seat were seniors, and they were not holding back, getting involved in UNINVITED's story.

 

Mentorque Production's very own Bryan Dy went on to greet those who watched the film right after the screening. He didn't want the opportunity to pass to personally thank folks who supported them from day 1.

What do I think about the film? UNINVITED definitely needs to be seen by you, me and everybody else. This is just one of the few projects that Ms. Vilma Santos would make (she seldom does because of her public service work). She's iconic, no question, and did a great job despite the challenges of making this film. This is also a treat to the Vilmanians out there, you'll surely love every bit of it. This has a few flaws, but pretty cosmetic (just some which would have been done differently, creative decisions). If you're a fan of President Nadine Lustre, you would also be glad to see her here. It's not normal to see her do the dialogues she's done in UNINVITED, plus the interaction with the Star for All Seasons was also quite satisfying. Though you'll actually be loving Aga Mulach and his face, you'll hate him because of how you're going to be severely affected by his deeds. I'd give this a great 4/5 cows 🐮🐮🐮🐮.

Make sure you watch UNINVITED on theaters today, and also the other entries that are part of the Metro Manila Film Festival 2024 as they celebrate their 50th year! 

PS. Stay for the credits! This is also R13 which I think is a very lax decision (so go watch it if you can teens!).

A Journey of Grief, Acceptance and Relationships with Cinemalaya's KONO BASHO

 

 

When I first looked at the entries for Cinemalaya this year, I took interest in this one. It was just fate when we had to take the trip down south to watch KONO BASHO, produced by Project8 and Mentorque Productions, written and Directed by Jaime Pacena II. One that talks about grief, acceptance, building or re-building relationships.

Kono Basho literally means "This Place". The story is about two sisters who met during their biological father's funeral in Rikuzentakata, a city in Northern Japan. For those who don't know, this city has been ravaged by the huge earthquake and tsunami that hit the Iwate prefecture in 2011. In a sense, they really haven't fully built things like how they were, but are now experiencing something even more tragic... plus the feeling of awkwardness because the sisters really didn't know much about each other.

Ella is Filipino via her Mom with her Japanese Father, whilst Reina is born to a Japanese mother (one that was kind and understanding). Friction between them was quite a lot, young women that were both damaged by their past, circumstances and distance. Rikuzentakata might have symbolized what they went through in the story, they both lost their Dad, with unequal memories of him because Ella never experienced life with him.

This starts their journey together, in a partly civil, kind, but definitely torn in a lot of ways. It's great how the director never forced the conversation in Filipino or Japanese. It felt natural, and fitting. You could feel their pain, their longing for love, and how much they wanted to find it from other people, and hopefully, with each other.

This has depression and all the things related to it. They also gave a glimpse of kintsugi, an art form of pottery where they use gold to put broken pieces together. It symbolized how fragile they were. They will take you in on that story, where you continue to hope if they'd be able to fix it. It shows their spirit, their community, and how you could move on from heartbreaking parts of your life. 

Gabby Padilla isn't new to the business, and she showed how one could carry intellectual and emotional conversations like a light switch. You could say much of the conversation revolved and evolved around her, but it was done with intricacy, understandable diction, as she played an educator in the film. We asked her about her experience shooting the film especially since there's a language difference the actors had to endure. Her previous films actually helped!

As for the level of distraught you'll get from the film, Director Jaime Pacena said that they actually had a different treatment. You'll learn more about it as you watch the film. Even if the topic was so serious, it still felt quite refreshing to the eyes because the views there, were all just amazing! This is also the comeback film of Dan Villegas, one of the finest cinematographers in the country. 

While the Japanese cast (especially the Mother and Reina) performed quite remarkably in this film (I've seen their previous projects and even shows on NHK), Gabby was up there with them. If you've got the opportunity to catch this film while Cinemalaya is still there, you should. I think they're planning to have this released internationally, and by the looks of it... they're certainly qualified. Those wide indoor and outdoor shots, photography alone, is crazy good.

Congratulations to the men and women who made this film, you should definitely have this be exhibited in festivals elsewhere!