Topic: Cinemalaya 2015

[Klaus Weasley]

They're including a few international Asian titles this year.

The schedule

What do you guys plan to watch?

[Klaus Weasley]

Taklub (Trap) (Brillante Mendoza) *** - This is the latest from Brillante Mendoza and it's, i believe, the first or at least one of the first narrative films to tackle the aftermath of Typhoon Yolanda (or Haiyan for you international people). The title comes from the way the film kicks off: A family living in a tent in a temporary shelter for those who lost their homes perish in a fire. It kicks off some multiple criss-crossing glimpses into the lives a group of survivors still struggling to cope with the tragedies and losses that befell their lives. Nora Aunor is billed as the lead but she's really just one in an ensemble of actors. It's hard to dislike this film since it wears its heart in it sleeve but it's still not one of Mendoza's best. There are powerful moments and documentary-like feel really sucks you in but it seems like all familiar territory for him. It's a very good film but far from a masterpiece.

[Klaus Weasley]

They're also including a few Asian entries this year.

The Monk (The Maw Naing) *** - I need to add Myanmar to the growing list of countries I've seen at least one feature film from. This hails from that country. It's about a young novice monk taking care and often clashing with the elderly head of a dying monastery in a small jungle village in Myanmar. It didn't surprise or blow me away but it is a very good, little film about continuing traditions, the generation gap and finding your place in the world. The plot may not be new but it is set in a world (and a country) I know very little about so it's a fascinating slice of life. It's a narrative film but it has an almost documentary-like feel.

[syoti]

They're also including a few Asian entries this year.

The Monk (The Maw Naing) *** - I need to add Myanmar to the growing list of countries I've seen at least one feature film from. This hails from that country. It's about a young novice monk taking care and often clashing with the elderly head of a dying monastery in a small jungle village in Myanmar. It didn't surprise or blow me away but it is a very good, little film about continuing traditions, the generation gap and finding your place in the world. The plot may not be new but it is set in a world (and a country) I know very little about so it's a fascinating slice of life. It's a narrative film but it has an almost documentary-like feel.

Pmd you sir..

[Klaus Weasley]

Bwaya (Crocodile) (Francis Xavier Pasion) ***1/2 - A mother who just celebrated the 13th birthday of daughter and is preparing for her grade school graduation finds out that her daughter had been attacked and killed by a crocodile. Set in a village located in the marsh lands of Agusan, this drama with an exotic milieu (even for a Filipino in the Philippines) is still a compelling, potent drama about dealing with loss as well as living in a harsh environment with barely enough to get by. This is actually based on a true story (there's even interview footage of the real people involved intercut into the film). Angeli Bayani gives, as usual, a great performance as the mother coping with the loss of a child. This is a unique take on the "killer animal" genre, going for a stripped-down drama on grief and the human loss of life instead of the thriller/horror aspect of it.

[Noel_Vera]

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