Today, we review the teenage RomCom He’s Into Her, which is now streaming on Netflix and comes from the Philippines, and the French horror film, Titane, which won this year’s Cannes Palme d’Or.
He’s Into Her (Netflix Philippines) - This is some cause for celebration, that our own I’m Into Her, which was the runaway hit for our home-grown streaming platform IWantTV, was picked up by the global streaming giant, Netflix. We’ve often wished that our content could enjoy the same kind of success that Korean shows revel in; and things like that don’t happen overnight. And while this may be a teenage campus drama/RomCom, it deserves our support so that more content of this kind can find its way to be sampled and enjoyed by a regional, if not global, audience. It’s based on the Wattpad hit of 2013, novels that were marked by a surprising blend of campus escapades, with stirring backstories and personal dramas, plus an engaging diverse and realistic set of characters.
Max (Belle Mariano) lives in Mindoro, and when the series opens, is about to travel to Manila, to live with her bio-dad, who has his own family. Deib (Donny Pangilinan) is the campus heartthrob and jock, whose sense of entitlement often crosses over into arrogance and meanness. Their paths cross early on, and the narrative revolves around how these two poorly matched individuals both carry crosses, and live far more complicated lives than we’d expect. I have a vested interest reviewing this show, as Issa Litton plays Macy, the step-mother of Max. It’s the texture and depth of the backstories that elevate this series to rise above the cliches of campus romance. You’ll appreciate the situation Max finds herself in, seeking a better tomorrow that her father is offering, but having to live in a house where she doesn’t belong.
Titane (Video on Demamd) - Here’s the film that took the Palme d’Or at this year’s Cannes Film Festival; and yes, it’s the one that head juror Spike Lee inadvertently blurted out and revealed at the top of the Awards Night, when it should have been reserved as an announcement at the closing of the show. Directed by Julia Ducournau, let me warn you from the outset that this is a disturbing piece of filmmaking, one that’s visceral, violent, and bloody - one that challenges you to keep your eyes on the screen, and not flinch, turn away, or shut your eyes. As such, it is definitely not one for everyone, even if it took the Palme d’Or. Titane refers to the titanium sheet that’s embedded in our heroine’s head, as a result of a freakish car accident when she was a young girl.
When we reconnect with our anti-heroine, she’s a young woman, who dances provocatively in car shows; and we learn that there’s more to this than appears. She has a deep fetish for cars, and as we soon discover, it’s with a car that she derives her most satisfying sexual encounter. This is all uncovered in the first half of the film. We shift gears in the second half, as to escape detection, our heroine impersonates a dead boy, and presents herself as the fireman/father, with whom a bizarre relationship develops. There’s something being said about paternity, family, and human relationships; but as the heroine is also a serial killer, we’re soon thrust into her world of extreme violence and callous disregard for human life. A lot of suspension of disbelief is required to accept this narrative; and so while it is distinct, strong filmmaking, it’s also bound to be repulsive for many.