This time, I, the Internet Warrior, am going to do something different for today. I am going to review a movie now. This is a bit unexpected when you think about it. I know you're thinking: "Internet Warrior, how are you going to do a movie?" Let me answer that for you, dear reader. I am the Internet Warrior. I see what I wanted to see and I speak what I wanted to see. If you want to see me do something crazy for once, good for you. I don't care what the hell I bring up for today's post in my blog feed.
So, for my very first movie review in my blog, or as I like to call, the first "Random Movie Review", we shall start with a homegrown film, Sana Dati.
Before we start off with the movie, let me explain some brief history. Jerrold Tarog, the director of this film, made the entire so-called Camera trilogy, a series of three independent Filipino flicks directed by the man himself, starting with the first of the three, Confessional, which was released in 2007, followed by the next movie Mangatyanan, also known as "The Blood Trail" in English, in 2009, and concluded by the 2013 romantic flick Sana Dati, also known as "If Only" in English, which we're gonna talk about today. They were released as entries for the Cinemalaya Film Festivals in their respective years. However, Tarog's Camera trilogy got very little notice, grossed less and often tended to be overlooked by the more popular Filipino films that we seemed to be more interested at. Fortunately, by the release of the nationwide-popular and cult hit historical film, Heneral Luna by Jerrold Tarog, his Camera trilogy began to gain more attention that what Tarog hoped to have when his movies were first released.
In this movie, Andrea (Lovi Poe) is to be married to former politician Robert (TJ Trinidad). The couple, along with friends and family, assembles at a hotel to do just that. But the arrival of videographer Dennis (Paulo Avelino) complicates matters. While ostensibly just asking harmless questions for the wedding video, Dennis has a hidden agenda that’s linked to Andrea’s past. And as the questions get more probing, and the day gets more hectic, it becomes unclear if Andrea is actually willing to go through with any of this.
As the conclusion to his Camera Trilogy, director Jerrold Tarog intimately showcases how love can make a person strong yet vulnerable, how some instances push us to move forward despite wanting to be stagnant, and ultimately teaches us to let go. I’m captivated with how the story unfolds – one does not need a personal experience to feel Andrea’s jitters on her wedding day, but you can clearly identify what she’s going through. It’s difficult to move to another stage of your life when you still attach yourself to the previous one and it’s even more difficult to unlatch yourself from it because you do not know where and how to begin. When Dennis enters the picture and made his presence be known to her, it makes her confront the lingering feelings that she still has. Probably my favourite scene is when Andrea was on the rails and just closed her eyes and probably gives her the peace of mind she wanted even just for a few moments.
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Aside from the strong writing and directing, the film benefits from having a great ensemble of actors. Lovi Poe is definitely one of the best actresses of her generation and this is just another addition to her list of memorable performances. Paulo Avelino resembles the “mysterious” person effectively – his curiosity leads you to think what his intentions really are. Both Benjamin Alves and TJ Trinidad were effective too, as well as the whole ensemble of actors who played as family members and friends in the movie. Tarog mentioned that he tried to pitch the movie several times since he conceptualized it seven years ago, and that this was the only time when he felt it was ready. And he surely knows what he is doing.
Oh, and plus points for the Up Dharma Down song in the end.
By the way, the question of today is:
What do you think of this movie?
Leave your interesting and creative responses in the comment section below. And don't forget to add and follow me on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, DeviantART or Google+.
But thanks again for reading today's Random Movie Review! I'm the Internet Warrior blogging as usual and I approve this message.
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