On Vodka, Beers and Regrets (2020)
Directed by: Irene Emma Villamor
This movie works best in creating conversations in a flash. Maganda ang mga dialogues at ang batuhan ng mga salita. Bela Padilla is good being drunk. Mukha tlga syang lasing everytime she talks. The words come out from her naturally.
Nakatulong si JC Santos para mailabas yun. You can feel that they’re comfortable with each other. Their chemistry is undeniable. They can conveniently exchange cheesy lines—that perhaps only them can deliver with less effort.
For every drinking session, you can only anticipate which one would banter the cheesier lines. Pagandahan sila ng linya. It was cute and all that. Not until you realize that it’s not adding up to know each of the characters well.
Sasabihin ni JC na mahal nya si Bela with some quotable words. Pero walang dating, dahil hindi mo alam kung saan sya nanggagaling. Who is JC before Bela? Anong nakikita niya na “okay” kay Bela?... Kung ano man yun, hindi nila naipakita sa palabas nato.
Puno ng alak ang bawat usapan. Pero walang laman, dahil hindi mo maramdaman. Who is Bela aside from being an alcoholic? Ano ba talaga ang problema nya? They just enumerated via flashbacks all the reasons why she loves to drink. A missed opportunity to go beyond the character’s facade of being a typical alcoholic.
Towards the end when they finally stopped feeding us with their pick-up lines, the character then started to make sense.
When Bela showed her vulnerability, she became someone beyond alcoholic. When she talked more about herself, we were finally able to see through her and feel her. When the movie is about to end, they inserted a moral that’s worthy to be heard... somehow.
They may have shared a valuable message at the end. But the conversations they had since the beginning didn’t add up in forming their final message into its desired impact.
This movie used vodka and beers as mere conversation backdrops to deliver more of their quotable lines, instead of sharing more of their characters. Just like alcohol that numbs your feelings, the words don’t cut right through your heart.
Maganda ang mga linya.
Pero hindi malakas ang tama.
ON VODKA, BEERS, AND REGRETS
⭐️
Cast: Bela Padilla, JC Santos
Presented by: VIVA Films
Date Released: February 5, 2020 in Philippine cinemas nationwide
A Movie Review by: Goldwin Reviews
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