I devoted the weekend in watching 2 films included in the ongoing Pista ng Pelikulang Pilipino. I based my choice on the supposed quality of the films. Last Saturday, I watched the first, Mikhail Red's Birdshot, because I remembered reading not too long ago that it received a best Picture award somewhere (it turned out to be the Best Film of the Asian Future competition of the 29th Tokyo International Film Festival). On Sunday, the second, because of the supposed reputation of its director, Sherad Anthony Sanchez, whose films I still have to see. I love experimental films, I endured Raya Martin's Autohystoria (& that's a mean feat to anybody's book) but though I liked Birdshot, I lost patience with the second one midway & left the 6 people who shared the cold cinema with me.
Birdshot's quiet laconic pace bored me for a while but the surprising texture of a rural Philippine film noir gripped me eventually. Salvage had no hook whatsoever to make me glued to my seat. Frankly, it turned me off so much I decided it was not really worth waiting for the supposed "surprising" climax. I was simply not interested anymore.
After my experience with Salvage, I don't know if I will still risk watching any of the other entries. I might eventually but I'm still sweet-talking myself.
Birdshot- directed by Mikhail Red
Salvage- directed by Sherad Anthony Sanchez
Birdshot's quiet laconic pace bored me for a while but the surprising texture of a rural Philippine film noir gripped me eventually. Salvage had no hook whatsoever to make me glued to my seat. Frankly, it turned me off so much I decided it was not really worth waiting for the supposed "surprising" climax. I was simply not interested anymore.
After my experience with Salvage, I don't know if I will still risk watching any of the other entries. I might eventually but I'm still sweet-talking myself.
Birdshot- directed by Mikhail Red
Salvage- directed by Sherad Anthony Sanchez
