Valerie Anne S.

Gayoba 2007-02026

Art Stud 142 Prof A. Lauzon

Bisperas: Movie Review

No one could ever imagine being robbed especially on the night before Christmas. What happened to the Aguinaldo family was very unfortunate; after they arrived from panunuluyan, a custom which Catholics attend procession with re-

enactment of Joseph and Marys search for space to stay and a mass before Noche Buena, they discovered that their house have been robbed and ransacked. In their search for things which were lost, they reveal secrets and lowly indifferences and imperfection of their family. The movie is very realistic, its as if were watching as how they move, and the handheld camera wiggles as the person moves thus the intensity is truly felt. In a Common household of a Filipino middle -class family is where the film centered. The continuity of the screenplay was very fluent and smooth, that as if that everything happened seamlessly in spontaneity and all happened in one night. Simple yet very affecting, the movie holds on to the family which every audience could have a heart , a very ordinary neighbourhood, a common family structure. The storyline is effectively and seamlessly stitched building up emotions on every conflict set in each missing thing, every scene is transitioned in a smooth flow, incidents per incident is dealt and come crashing conflict in the inter rupted Noche Buena in the dinner table. The lighting is dark and artificial lights are barely used. Starred the film was Tirso Cruz III, a gambler father with guarded temper, Racquel Villavicencio played the mother which is a very forbearing mother tolerant and she takes everything with ease and enclosed drama, it is very moving since she doesnt express herself with bucketful of tears and load whining but with control and understanding. This mannered performance continued until she was forced to become frenzied in the conflict during the Noche Buena. Their children, Jennifer Sevilla, Edgar Allan Guzman and Julia Claret e mirrors the common youth and children in the household, revolt and gladiatorial in expressing their views and feelings. The movie is geared to realism, the film has very minimal sound effects and the way it was shot was so realistic that as if the viewer is with the characters as the

story progresses. The movies cinematography is flawless and the continuity is sustained. The hanging ending and unresolved feel after watching the movie could be caused by the mindset of viewers to Hollywood mainstream films with happy endings. Jeffrey Jeturian, the director showed the other side of what we visualized as perfect people of the Catholic Church. Tirso Cruz III being a lay minister is a very eye-opener which exudes the Catholic hypocrisy; exposing viewers into human tendencies and imperfection to the community.