KinoFest 2025 Archives

“The House with a Clock in its Walls” lacks gore but it’s a good thing

September 20, 2018

The year was 1955 and a young orphan, Lewis (Owen Vaccaro), is on the way to New Zebedee, Michigan to live with his uncle Jonathan, who has a little secret hidden inside the walls of his creepy house. An outcast at school, Lewis tries to fit in by befriending Tarby (Sunny Suljic), who happens to…
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“Sol Searching” is funny but will sear your consciousness

September 17, 2018

One should always scratch the surface to get to the bottom of things. This is one of my key takeaways from Roman Perez Jr.’s entry to To Farm Film Festival, “Sol Searching.” This dark comedy about the plight of teacher Lorelei and student Bugoy as they try to find a place to put Teacher Sol’s…
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“Kauyagan” is great to listen to but hard to watch

September 17, 2018

Next in line to becoming the chieftain, a reluctant Piyo makes a sudden decision to reject his birth right and duty, much to his tribe’s dismay. He disappears from the lives of the Talaandig tribe. Unknown to them, Piyo was incarcerated for a crime he didn’t commit. Armed only with his love for music and…
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“Mga Anak ng Kamote” is (initially) a technical masterpiece

September 17, 2018

Secluded in the mountains, Iyong (Katrina Halili) religiously tends to her sweet potatoes along with her husband Banong (Alex Medina). As the sole means of their livelihood, the couple works diligently to protect the crop from an unseen wild boar, which is introduced to us in the opening scene. Set in 2048, “Mga Anak Ng…
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“Searching” brings to light our most important relationships

September 5, 2018

What would you do if the person you felt closest to turns out to be someone you absolutely don’t know at all? This is the dilemma for David Kim (John Cho) when his 16-year old daughter, Margot (Michelle La), goes missing. Having always been close, the Kims have been through everything together, even during the…
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“Crazy Rich Asians” review: satisfying nod to Asian sensibilities

August 22, 2018

Jon Chu’s opening scene perfectly sets the tone for the movie adaptation of Kevin Kwan’s novel, “Crazy Rich Asians” and hooks the audience right away. A Chinese guest, a young Eleanor Young (Michelle Yeoh) walks inside a hotel, drenched in the rain, with her two children and a nanny in tow, hoping to get a…
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Cinemalaya 2018: Ranking this year’s movies

August 11, 2018

It was a fun year for me at the Cinemalaya festival. And despite this being only my second year, I was lucky enough to attend as part of the media. There were many impressionable films and they (except for one) did not disappoint. I enjoyed most of what the festival had to offer because they…
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“School Service” gives us a dismal look at what goes on in the streets of Manila

August 10, 2018

What’s great about Cinemalaya is that it allows filmmakers to talk about society’s maladies without filters. By being uncensored, these films give us a clearer picture of what’s going on around us. And they can do that unapologetically. Louie Ignacio’s “School Service” is one good example. Just like “Liway” and “The Lookout” the Ai Ai…
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“Kung Paano Hinihintay ang Dapithapon” is heartbreakingly beautiful

August 10, 2018

Carlo Enciso Catu’s unique love story that involves three seniors is a painful reminder of the thing most of us fear most: dying alone. Bene (Dante Rivero) lives out the rest of his days inside his gloomy, ramshackle home, with nothing to do but take care of his game cocks. Terminally ill, Bene has no…
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“Musmos na Sumibol sa Gubat ng Digma” presents a searing image of war’s true casualties

August 10, 2018

There are no winners in wars, only casualties. That’s the sad reality. But what’s even more despairing is that the ones who suffer most are the one who have the least to do with these battles: the children. Iar Lionel Arondaing’s “Musmos Na Sumibol Sa Gubat ng Digma” tells the story of a young Muslim…
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