In the small town of Baler, a master surfer is teaching a young, beautiful and spirited girl how to surf and they fall in love. A surfing competition with a big cash prize looms in the horizon, a rival surfer rises as a threat. The master surfer must find it in himself to face his demons and win the competition-
-This would be the premise of "Apocalypse Child" if it were "just a surfing movie shot in Baler" but it's not.
Mario Cornejo and Monster Jimenez take what would be a predictable premise and transforms it into an entity of its own.
The "master surfer" is the sun-burnt Ford (Sid Lucero) who is haunted by ghosts from the past upon the return of his estranged childhood friend, now politician, Rich (RK Bagatsing). The two were simply not just friends, "(they were) like lovers" says comic relief Jordan (Archie Aleman) to Ford's young and spirited student, the feisty Fiona (Annicka Dolonius).
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| Ford and Gwen. |
The rift between Ford and Rich is dark and runs very deep, yet the film does not go into the specifics but leaves the audience to ponder about it on their own.
Upon Rich's return to their small town, he brings with him his beautiful fiancée, Serena (Gwen Zamora). Rich, in a twisted sado-masochistic way seems hell bent on pushing Serena to sleep with Ford. Yes, you read that right.
No one in their right mind, would want their girlfriend, let alone fiancée sleep with their best friend-no matter how close they were. Yet, this is just some of the mind-blowing, dare-to-push-the-envelope themes which "Apocalypse Child" treads on.
Speaking of "Apocalypse Child" -Ford has this cross to bear, being supposedly sired by none other than Director Francis Ford Coppola himself, when he and a crew of Americans came to Baler years ago,to film the classic "Apocalypse Now". At least that's what his spirited young mother Chona (Ana Abad Santos) says. This makes Ford somewhat of a "legend" in their town, much to his dismay.
Among this colorful cast of characters we go back to the wise beyond her years Fiona who as portrayed by Dolonius stands out among her peers. She calls out Chona's suffocating parenting and sees right through Rich's intentions.
An outsider to their little town, she may never truly comprehend its secrets and perhaps, the same goes for the audience as they too ponder on the film's wounded characters, who seem to be caught in a curl cycle of hurting the one's that they love.
Winner of the 2015 QCinema International Film Festival Best Picture, Best Director (Mario Cornejo), Best Supporting Actress (Annicka Dolonius) and Best Artistic Achievement in Editing, "Apocalypse Child" is not a romantic travel movie, although you will fall in love with Baler, nor is it a "surfing movie" -yet you still get your heart's content with beautiful surfing sequences, rather, it is a film that has become more than a cliche movie. It captures you within its layers and yet refuses to give its most intimate secrets.
8.5 out of 10. Make sure to catch Revenge.PH's screenings in the next following weeks at Pineapple Lab. Your P 300.00 gets you more than just an award winning film as the cast and crew may be there for a little Q& A after the show and you can also enjoy the current collection of art on exhibit at Pineapple Lab! You can also enjoy drinks at the bar. :)
Check out the details below!
Photo above was from when we saw Apocalypse Child last June 2, 2016. It's the cast and director answering questions from the audience.
You can click here for more photos!
Oh - and another reason why you should catch "Apocalypse Child" is that it features music from none other than Up Dharma Down!
Make sure to contact Revenge.Ph for tickets!
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