Mostly so-so, Cinemanila’s short films have a long way to go

The first batch of Cinemanila's Young Cinema in Competition might go to the biting comedy, To Siomai Love. The 26-minute comedy, written in Cebuano and subtitled in English, is beautifully edited and well-acted. The rest of the films range from the so-so to the plain pretentious. Special mention must be made to Antoinette Jadaone's visual diary with the title too long to be mentioned twice. Limang Libo and Stations had a lot of promise in the beginning, but poor editing and a confusing plot worked against them. It is likely these pieces will need more polishing and direction before they can begin competing abroad.

Dalaw Directed by Janus Victoria 15 minutes Reeling from a failed relationship, a young woman seeks refuge in the house of her grandmother, who is often visited by the spirit of a friend who died recently. According to local superstition, those who have passed continue to visit their loved ones. In this story, the grandmother's friend takes the form of a big butterfly or mariposa fluttering inside her room. The verdict: This short film has a lot of promise, with the acting chops of indie darling Che Ramos in fine form. But at the end of the film, one is left asking, that was it? Save me!!! Directed by Ramon del Prado 6 minutes In this animated film, chivalrous modern knight Dante goes to great depths to rescue a so-called princess from the lair of a so-called dragon. So-called because Del Prado’s characters don’t quite look their parts. The princess seems like a caricature of Britney Spears with her uber low-waist pants showing her sculpted abs and lacey torn-top. Meanwhile, the dragon looks like a mutant mutt. The verdict: Despite the humorous twist in the end, the animation and ho-hum plot need a bit of rescuing themselves Ito ang gabing babalikan kita pagkatapos ng tatlong taon nang hindi maiiyak at masasaktan Directed by Antoinette Jadaone 10 minutes The protagonist goes back to the places she shared with her recent heartache. The verdict: Teen-love angst at its best. The minimalist style of this visual diary makes the audience draw up their own conclusions, imagery, and events. It’s a modern Bridget Jones’ Diary with raw, biting dialogue and 12,000 times the edge. Harang Directed by Mikhail Red 16 minutes A jeepney driver falls prey to one of the most unusual carnapping schemes ever hatched, involving a bed barricading a rural road. The driver gets his poetic justice when he retrieved his jeepney. The verdict: Like an old jeepney, this short film dragged and conked for several painful minutes but ultimately brought us to the edge of our seats, giggling in the end. Limang Libo Written and directed by Ice Idanan 11 minutes Two neighbors who are previously unaware of each other’s existence are brought together by an unexpected event: a scavenger bringing his pregnant wife to the local midwife in the middle of the night. Buried in debt, the midwife sees an opportunity to earn more than what she usually charges. The husband, unable to afford the P5000 the midwife is asking for, takes extreme measures to save his wife and unborn child. The premise of this movie - how seemingly two different characters are in fact linked to one another - is not entirely new, but it is done well given the very short duration it took for the whole story to play out. The verdict: The film can be confusing and needs to be digested before one can fully understand it. Otherwise, it would just seem like a bad movie. To Siomai Love Directed by Remton Siega Zuasola 26 minutes Joined by a similar love for siomai (steamed pork dumplings), two heartbroken souls find themselves sitting beside each other in a crowded market on Valentine’s Day. Marvin has been depressed since he broke up with his girlfriend three months earlier, but being this close to an attractive nursing student seemed like fate was finally on his side. The dejected teenager was given a love potion minutes before the serendipitous meeting, and while he did not think he was going to find use for it at first, the girl charms him so much that he frantically tries (and fails) to administer that amorous drop. To Marvin’s pleasant surprise, it seems like he did not need the potion at all. A commendable aspect of this film is that it appeared as if it was taken in one continuous shot, which means either it was shot in one flawless take or the editing was simply that good. The verdict: The performances were convincing, but the story could have been better if they stopped when the timer hit the 25-minute mark. Stations Written and directed by Emmanuel Quindo Palo 20 minutes Set in urban India, the film follows characters from every level of the social ladder, revealing how each one is connected to the other despite their standing in life. A prostitute, a businessman, a student, a scavenger and a doctor are among the characters whose paths intersect despite the different stages in their lives. The film attempts to feed its audience so much information in such a short amount of time. Character development was rushed, and to top it off, the plot has already been seen in countless local telenovelas. The verdict: It would have been better off as a full-length film, but not necessarily one worth watching. - GMANews.TV