Last Viewing

Last night I was invited to watch an indie film at SM Megamall... and I was "the date." It stared Janice De Belen, Leondro Baldemor (who was soooo freakin' hot!) and Sherwin Ordonez. It's very rare that I get to go to premier nights nowadays. Back when I was a tad bit younger this was 'my thang.' I loved playing dress-up and walking the not-so-long and not-so-red carpet.

He invited me a few days back to watch it with him. I actually found it sweet considering we've only gone out a few times. Nevertheless, I was still eager to go. I met some of his friends, equally stylish and dressed to the nines. I wasn't just about to be left out. HA!

True to Filipino form and customs, the movie ticket indicated 7:30pm and we arrived 6:45pm... and the movie started oh, about an hour later. Is it just me or do Filipinos never really value time?

The movie was interesting enough. It was about a single mother with an autistic child who worked for a crematorium. For some of you who may not know, a "last viewing" means you're invited to go inside and take a look at your dead loved one for the very last time before he/she gets cremated. I initially thought having this kind of title for a movie was a bit morbid and thus had my suspicions of the film. I am not an avid fan of Janice but I've seen some of her more serious films and thought she was a great actress.

Laura (Janice deBelen) was portrayed to be cold, distant and even heartless. She had a troubled past having been sent away from home and disowned by her own father after having a baby out of wed-lock. In our culture, this is still very much a taboo and looked down upon. The plot actually revolved on Laura's search for her daughter after she went missing one afternoon. Being detached helped her move on with her daily life still keeping that glimmer of hope to one day find her daughter.

To be quite honest, I found the first 40 minutes or so of the film boring. I found the story went too slow and took too long to establish itself. I remember even looking at my watch wondering what time I'd be home. But it does get better. There were a few comedy kicks every now and then enough to keep you glued to your seat.

The best part of the story actually comes in the end, so I suggest you see it through. A real tear-jerker so I strongly advise to prepare the necessary items --- hanky, tissue, or even a sleeve of the one beside you.

Kudos to the team who worked their a**es off for 6-days of non-stop shooting. One being the guy I'm currently going out with. I especially liked the character of the aunt of Laura. She brought the best comic relief for the film.... hands-down!

This is what I like about indie films, they bring out the freshness of the actors. You get to see them on a different light outside the glitter of some mainstream film they did before. It seemed more real, more emotional, more dramatic, and more inspired.

I think this is Janice's best work --- yet.
|picture grabbed from:http://www.noypitayo.com/2009/07/janice-de-belen-in-last-viewing-movie-trailer/|

Directed by Ronaldo Bertu­bin written by Romual­do Avellanosa. The film will be showing regularly starting Aug 5, 2009 in Metro Manila.




Love letters and idealisms by Noel Abelardo