Saturday 14 September 2013

Movie Review: Otso

With hopes to reconnect with his roots, Lex returns to Manila and writes a screenplay for an indie film based on his neighbors. In the process, he discovers that his illusions of filmmaking, romance, and the city itself are at odds with the truth. 

A movie about an aspiring indie film writer living in an apartment that full of secrets and as being observant, he’s been able to absorb all of his imagination into his own indie film project. The movie has many implications about it title Otso the Spanish word for number eight. Like the plate number for congressman, the unit number of the mistress of the congressman, I think the age of Vince when he was a child on his own traumatic experience and the age of the child where Vince has good company to in the apartment.

I am very happy for the treatment that was done in the film that as an audience the director let us imagine and think what is reality and not. Sa pelikulang ito hindi ka lang basta manonood, mapapaisip ka pa sa bawat eksenang pinapanood mo. I think sa lahat ng entry ito lang ata ang umINDIE ang treatment sa paggawa ng pelikula. As a veteran director Elwood Perez  para magawa ang pelikulang ito ay napakahusay niya dahil nakasabay siya sa makabagong paraan or style sa paggawa ng Indie Film.

Madaming natacle ang pelikulang ito, sentro ang isang congressman at ang mga kabalastugang gawain niya, ang kabit ni congressman na lover ang bodyguard ni Congressman na may asawa at ang aspiring writer na si Vince na may lihim na pagtingin sa kabit ni Congressman. Ipinakita din ang struggle ni Vince  sa buhay niya bilang isang ulila na laging mag isa sa buhay na nakahanap ng makakasama upang abutin ang pangarap sa katauhan ng isang bata na anak ng bodyguard ni Cong. Parang naging trbute film din for Ms. Anita Linda dahil tinalakay din ang kanyang naging buhay at kasalakuyang buhay bilang binansagang Queen of Indie Films. Madaming tinalakay sa pelikulang ito Love, Poilitics, Adultery, Betrayal, Sex,Frustration up to making of an Indie Films. Lahat iyon ay napagtagpi tagpi at nabuo bilang isang magandang pelikula sa loob isa’t kalahating oras lamang. So that make it the story and the screenplay of the film a superb one.

For the acting of the artist, lahat naman ng artista ay nakapagbigay ng mahusay na pagganap. Especially to Vince Taňada and Ms. Anita Linda na wala pa ring kupas hanggang ngayun na siyang nakapagbigay ng malalim at makahulugang tauhan sa pelikulang ito. Bawat linyang binanggit ni Ms, Anita Linda ay may bigat at may ibig sabihin. Vangie Labalan is also good. All of the new actors as a support in the film ay mahusay. Technicalities of the film, DOP was good ang daming mga shot na kakaiba na alam mong pinag isipan and some of the scenes framed well that it looks like a painting and the black and white touch of the film add more to make this an art film. Prod Design, Editing, Musical Scoring and Sound are good.

My interpretation on the film, for me totoo lahat ang mga negatibong bagay na nasa isip ni Vince doon sa Congressman, kabit ni Congressman at sa body guard ni Congressman. Kasi feeling ko yung character niya as an observant alam niya lahat ang nangyayari sa paligid niya tapos ang kanyang mapglarong isipan ay ginamit niya upang makabuo ng isang pelikula. Then yung representation ng black ang white sa movie una may kulay iyong pelikula yung kinikwento niya na marami siyan gustong puntahan sa Maynila tulad ng Intramuros , that represents his positive outlook in life then  pagtungtong niya sa apartment doon na nagblack and white dahil pinasok na niya ang mundong puno ng negatibong bagay o maari ring ito ay pananaw lamang niya dahil marami din siyang excess baggage sa sarili. Then towards the end of the film may color na uli yung film that shows for me hope for each and every one of us watching and to Vince for making his finished script into a film.

So for all of the entries so far ito yung pinakamaganda para sa akin. A different kind of storytelling and treatment of making of a film that I fully absorbed as an audience.



My Verdict:  4.5/5



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