The Arrival (Erik Matti, 2009)
Just saw below posting at Twitch Film. Has
The Arrival already received a wider local release or has it just been shown at a film festival?
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Trailer For Erik Matti's THE ARRIVALby Todd Brown
January 15, 2010
Erik Matti's is a name that should need no introduction in these parts. The Filipino film maker has been a staple here for years, coming to our attention with his wacky lo-fi Spider-Man riff Gagamboy before impressing with sparsely atmospheric horror tale Pa-Siyam and diving into fantasy pulp with Exodus. The man's even done some very serious indie-drama.
Matti's career is an unusual one, particularly by Filipino standards, where most commercial directors must simply grind out quick, formulaic money earners to keep the entrenched studio system there happy. And Matti has certainly done his share of that, being a good soldier and playing generally within the rules of the system while still managing to work in his own unique flourishes to let audiences know that there may just be something a little more lurking beneath the surface.
Well, what's beneath the surface is now quickly coming to the top. You see, a couple years back Matti simply tired of being the good soldier and checked out of the established order of things. He got his own gear, set up his own space and set out to do things his own way. And the first result of that move is, appropriately enough, The Arrival.
Matti describes it as his most personal film to date and it's hard not to see how it reflects his own changing world. It is the story of Leo, a withdrawn accountant who has spent his life simply being a good soldier for his employer, the consequence being that he has seen nothing, done nothing, and faded so much into the back ground that his company's security men mistake him for a new employee. The film released just before Christmas and Matti has been good enough to provide us with an English subtitled version of the trailer. Check it below.
http://twitchfilm.net/news/2010/01/trailer-for-erik-mattis-the-arrival.php