What does it take to taste freedom? For most of his life, Balram Halwai (Adarsh Gourav) has known nothing but to live in the shackles of the slums of India, with seemingly all facets of his life shackling him down to the pits of poverty and the unceasing cycle of slavery. When young Balram experiences… Continue reading The Life and Death of ‘The White Tiger’
Tag: Netflix
‘Apocalypse Child’ and Living Under the Specter of Someone Else’s Identity
Apocalypse Child is a 2015 film directed and co-written by Mario Cornejo, and it tells the story of Ford (Sid Lucero), a surfing champion from Baler who might be the bastard child of Francis Ford Coppola. This happy-go-lucky surfer goes through a reckoning of his past actions—and inactions—when his childhood friend Rich (RK Bagatsing) comes… Continue reading ‘Apocalypse Child’ and Living Under the Specter of Someone Else’s Identity
‘Mank’: The Man and the Myth Served Stale
This holiday season, critically acclaimed director David Fincher of Gone Girl and The Social Network fame comes out with Mank both on Netflix and in cinemas, further cementing the new dual-release system which is increasingly becoming the norm during this unprecedented era for the film industry. Mank is a biopic centered on Hank Mankiewicz, the… Continue reading ‘Mank’: The Man and the Myth Served Stale
‘The Devil All the Time’: The Southern Vigilante
Revenge is always a complex, rich theme fit for exploration. It has been repeated endlessly through time, but it seems everyone cannot have enough of it. While Antonio Campos’ The Devil All The Time demonstrates a good grasp of it, it doesn’t offer a fresh take. The central storyline follows Arvin Russel (Tom Holland), the… Continue reading ‘The Devil All the Time’: The Southern Vigilante
False Promises in ‘Love, Guaranteed’
From the painstaking manner of handwriting love letters, the age-old practice of harana here in the Philippines, the sweetness of courtship, to our modern, digital age where finding and choosing a romantic interest can be as easy as swiping left or right; throughout history, nothing else in the world is sought after more than love.… Continue reading False Promises in ‘Love, Guaranteed’
‘The Social Dilemma’: Zooming into the Bigger Picture
After Edward Snowden’s controversial confession back in 2013, it is no longer a secret that global surveillance programs through cameras installed in every device allow some powerful groups to covertly spy on people, raising concerns on national security and individual privacy. However, unbeknownst to the majority, there is an even greater threat that looms in… Continue reading ‘The Social Dilemma’: Zooming into the Bigger Picture
‘I’m Thinking of Ending Things’ is a Horror Film
**Contains spoilers A girl with no name is on a road trip with Jake (Jesse Plemons), her boyfriend of 6 weeks, to meet his parents (Toni Collette and David Thewlis) in the countryside. There is a snowstorm, and she wants to leave but their trip back to the city is always put off. Suddenly, things… Continue reading ‘I’m Thinking of Ending Things’ is a Horror Film
‘Kung Paano Siya Nawala’: The Many Faces of Love
“Yung iba nadaanan ko lang, yung iba, dumaan sandali,” Shana (Rhian Ramos) remarks, as Lio (JM De Guzman) admires the sea of photographs on her wall. Meeting new people is easy but committing them to memory may prove to be more challenging, especially if they have caused you pain in the past. Such is the… Continue reading ‘Kung Paano Siya Nawala’: The Many Faces of Love
‘An Easy Girl’: Gazing at Girlhood
It’s no exaggeration when I say western coming-of-age movies directed by men broke my brain. It didn’t matter if it had a female protagonist that made it appear more relatable—it always centered on sex, the plot is rooted on sex, the characters are motivated by sex, the story is furthered by sex, the resolution is… Continue reading ‘An Easy Girl’: Gazing at Girlhood
‘Lady Bird’ and Finding Truth Within Yourself
Growing up is an experience that everyone goes through at different points of their life, and coming-of-age stories have always been there to document this process. This kind of film comes and goes, but when one creeps up out of nowhere and leaves an impact on me, I hold it in my heart forever. Greta… Continue reading ‘Lady Bird’ and Finding Truth Within Yourself