of their respective owners.
Official Site GMA has bought the distribution rights for the Philipines.
** of ****
Rated: Not rated, but call it a PG-13.
Length: 89 minutes
Language: English & some Tagalog w/English subtitles
Writers:
Gene Cajayon
John Manal Castro
Director: Gene Cajayon
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Cast:
Dante Basco: Ben Mercado
Eddie Garcia: Lolo Carlos
Tirso Cruz III: Roland Mercado
Gina Alajar: Gina
Darion Basco: Augusto
Dion Basco: Rommel
Derek Basco: Edwin Mercado
Bernadette Balagtas: Rose Mercado
Joy Bisco: Annabelle
Fe de los Reyes: Alice
Synopsis:
A young Filipino American man is the families touted trophy child as they believe him to be going to college for pre-med. His sister & some of his friends know that he wants to be a student of art. The sister is making her formal debut/birthday party where all the family and friends gather to celebrate. The conflicts with in the younger generation, with in the older generation raised in Filipino culture, and the conflicts of expectations of both generations erupt at the Debut.
Review:
Wry humor through out keeps a light mood even though there are some darker and more intense moments. Although this is the director's first work and there are some problems, the over all effect is good. The framework of Ben's life is developed enough for the audience to understand his motivations. The parents are well acted, and their development is mostly left to the pretense of the audiences own experiences in a successful manner. The appreciation of their parents culture is subtly developed by some characters while others are too self involved to see the world around them.
Many famous Filipino actors are featured in this work, and it marks the first time that all four Basco brothers have appeared together. The very diverse music put to use in this film was primarily from Filipino musicians, and it is well suited to the story. This film is currently playing in Chicago at the South Barrington 30. It is also scheduled to open in a few theaters this year. Seattle in August, New York in the Fall, Hawaii in June & Houston sometime. It may or may not make it to video.