Buenavista
| Rating: | ★ |
| Category: | Movies |
| Genre: | Independent |
This is the second indie film directed by Lino Tanada that I have seen, the first was his film adaptation of Orlando Nadres' Hanggang Dito Na Lamang at Maraming Salamat. I had no expectations that this would be as grand as Peque Gallaga's Oro, Plata, Mata since it's an indie. But the opening scene reminded me of Oro so much so that I know I am going to be somewhat disappointed with the film.
And I was right.
Granted that this is an indie film and is financially-challenged, it could've been tightened further in terms of pacing. Editing seemed to be a major problem here. It became so obvious that they were using just one videocam. Story could have been scripted in such a way that you won't get the feeling that you're watching a soap opera or listening to a radio drama (goodness!! how many times do you mention the name of the person you're talking to??).
Saving grace of the film? The veteran actors. I was wowed by Lara Quigaman's acting. What made me uncomfortable though is that these seasoned actors are acting alongside newbies, which made the veterans look like over acting! I know that there should be some unknown and/or undiscovered talents in indie films... but for crying out loud, don't field a clueless actress in any role (I am talking about the "actress" who played the granddaughter in the film)!! Terrible, terrible acting! To her credit though, she has made her mark in the film as everytime she's onscreen, people snicker and laugh. It's that awful!!
Another saving grace was the soundtrack. It is great, in my opinion. As if the scorer was really doing it for a big budget movie.
I have so many things running in my mind while watching the movie. Did the cast do a read-through? I think the new actors should've done this so that their dialogue were delivered naturally and not as if they're reading from a script!
Buenavista could've been a great indie film, if the people behind it went the extra mile to be creative enough and exerted more effort in polishing it.
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