SEVEN outstanding Filipino films made it to the list of the 20 Best ASEAN Movies of 2020, according to an article published on Asian Movie Pulse website. The international film critics who reviewed the films were Martin Lukanov, Don Anelli, Adam Symchuk, Adriana Rosati, RouvenLinnarz, Rhythm Zaveri, and PanosKotzathanasis.
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is a regional organization comprising of 10 countries in Southeast Asia namely Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, and the Philippines.
“Evidently, the Philippines are at least a step ahead of the rest of the ASEAN countries… which is the reason so many films from the country are included in the list, but particularly in 2020, both Malaysia and Indonesia have taken step forward, with a number of exciting productions,” says the article.
“Edward,” the 2019 Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival special jury prize winner, topped the 2020 Asean films list. It is directed by ThopcNazareno. It stars young actor Louise Abuel, with Dido dela Paz, Ella Cruz, and Elijah Canlas, who were all praised for their wonderful performances in the movie.
In “Edward,” a public hospital serves as a witness to a young boy’s rite of passage when he is stuck to take care of his ailing father. Caught in a place where life itself is in limbo, the boy treats the hospital grounds as his playground, not knowing that it will be his source of liberation in the end.
On the website, film reviewer Panos Kotzathanasis wrote: “ThopNazareno directs a story that could easily become an intense melodrama, in a way that keeps it light, funny and entertaining, without, though, stripping it of any kind of realism, of depth or of the importance of the comments it makes, in probably the biggest trait of the film.
“This accomplishment is achieved by having a teenager as the protagonist, with Louise Abuel presenting Edward in a naturalistic as much as nuanced fashion, with his crooked smile becoming a trademark of his performance, and, most of all, by the romance, which soon begins to dominate the narrative aspect also benefits the most by Ella Cruz’s performance as Agnes and from the chemistry of the two actors, which can only be described as excellent.”
Cruz won best supporting actress in Cinemalaya 2019 awards night and the film earned many nominations in various categories from different local award giving bodies in 2020 like Gawad Urian, Luna Awards, and FAMAS.
Meanwhile, the six (6) other award-winning Filipino films recognized as the 20 Best ASEAN Movies of 2020 are: “John Denver Trending” (Cinemalaya 2019 best film by Arden Rod Condez) grabbing the number 4 slot, the documentary “A Thousand Cuts” by Ramona Diaz on the number 5 slot, “Orphea” by Alexander Kluge and Khavn Dela Cruz on number 7, “Genus, Pan” by Lav Diaz on number 8, “Mindanao” by Brillante Mendoza on number 9, and the documentary “Aswang” by Alyx Ayn Arumpac on the 14th slot.
Below are the reviews of the 6 other films directed by Filipino filmmakers:
“JOHN DENVER TRENDING” by John Rod Condez
“The chief highlight of Condez’s script is how very real-world every situation, scenario and incidence that plays out feels. In this digital age ruled by social media, even the tiniest of actions, words or mistakes has the ability to come back and haunt you in ways you can never image, and the film manages to portray that accurately. The film places the setting of the story in the director’s own rural province of Antique, Philippines, but this is clearly a universal story and one that should resonate with every student, parent and teacher worldwide.
“The toxicity of altered, one-sided or downright fake news is aptly shown. The film also stresses on the importance of an open dialogue, not just between a parent and a child, but also between a student and teacher as well as one between a parent and an educational institution. Educational institutions do have steps to curb bullying and such incidences, but more often than not, there are frustratingly inadequate or inept, as John Denver ultimately finds out.”
“A THOUSAND CUTS” by Ramona Diaz
“The documentary unfolds in five axes, all of which are presented through Ressa’s life, with the approach highlighting the view of the insider in the best fashion. The first axis revolves around the practices of Duterte since he was a mayor, including both the war on drugs and the spreading of fake news and his overall media campaign, which brings us to the second and essentially most central axis. The fact that Duterte has appointed pop star Mocha Uson as Assistant Secretary of the Presidential Communications Operations Office, highlights his approach in that regard as much as how a regime can use pop-culture to spread its message.
“The fact that Uson is frequently spreading fake news also adds to that comment, while the whole concept, and particularly how libel is communicated through the internet and how “real” journalists are having a really hard time communicating the actual truth through all the lies, is as shocking as the cruel pragmatism of Duterte… ‘A Thousand Cuts’ is a great documentary that analyzes all its themes in the most thorough fashion, and definitely one of the best of the year.”
“ORPHEA”by Alexander Kluge and Khavn Dela Cruz
“In the end, ‘Orphea’ is a wild, beguiling new interpretation of the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice. Visually inventive and well-acted, Khavn’s and Kluge’s second collaboration again is an open invitation to the viewer to go on a journey, through modernity and art, in order to find something new together, a starting point while experiencing moments of surprise, wonder and playfulness.”
“GENUS, PAN” by Lav Diaz
“While his last works have been quite dark in tone, painting a grim image of Filipino society and politics as well as the road the country has taken, ‘Genus, Pan’ may just be one of Diaz’ bleakest features. Even though it is still present, the social and political context stays mostly in the background in this story; there is a stronger focus on the three main characters, especially their group dynamics forcing them to distrust and fight each other various times, making the escalation inevitable.
“The usual aesthetics, common in the director’s work, such as the use of black-and-white film combined with long takes, stress the bleak tone of the feature, along with its focus on the dark impulses which drive human beings.”
“MINDANAO” by Brillante Mendoza
“Brillante Mendoza did not shy in the face of violence in his previous movies, therefore it comes as a surprise how restrained the presentation of war is in “Mindanao”, with the animation occasionally substituting the most violent aspects of war. As mentioned before, the presentation is rather unusual, and it is quite difficult to discern Mendoza’s purpose in the movie, apart from the obvious one, to highlight a number of aspects of life in the area. One could say that his effort was to present a war film that even children can watch, and in that regard, it can be easily said that he succeeds to the fullest.”
“ASWANG” by Alyx Ayn Arumpac
“’Aswang’ is a documentary about the drug war in the Philippines, the cycle of violence, misery and sorrow it has created. Alyx Ayn Arumpac shows a city defined by an endless night and a vague fear which has numbed people and the wider public, making it impossible to see the wider context of the events.”
Below is the full list of the 20 Best ASEAN Movies of 2020:
- “EDWARD” (ThopNazareno, Philippines)
- “IMPETIGORE” (Joko Anwar, Indonesia)
- “MALU” (Edmund Yeo, Malaysia)
- “JOHN DENVER TRENDING” (Arden Rod Condez, Philippines)
- “A THOUSAND CUTS” (Ramona S. Diaz, Philippines)
- “WET SEASON” (Anthony Chen, Singapore)
- “ORPHEA” (Alexander Kluge and Khavn Dela Cruz, Philippines)
- “GENUS, PAN” (Lav Diaz, Philippines)
- ‘’MINDANAO’’ (Brillante Mendoza, Philippines)
- ‘’ROH’’ (Emir Ezwan, Malaysia)
- ‘’GERAN’’ (Areel Abu Bakar, Malaysia)
- “QUEEN OF BLACK MAGIC” (KimoStamboel, Indonesia)
- “STRANGER BY FICTION” (RoufyNasution, Indonesia)
- ‘’ASWANG’’ (Alyx Ayn Arumpac, Philippines)
- “ANGRY FOLKS” (Aung HtetMyet, Burma)
- “SOMETIME, SOMETIME” (Jacky YeapSwee Leong, Malaysia)
- “VICTIM(S)” (Layla Zhuquing Ji, Malaysia)
- “SEXY SUSHI” (Calleen Koh, Amanda Teo, Singapore)
- “MAY THE DEVIL TAKE YOU: CHAPTER 2” (Timo Tjahjanto, Indonesia)
- “A FALLEN FRUIT” (Amit Dubey, Cambodia)