Opiniones de usuarios

At first glance it's easy to dismiss that Kalel, 15 will be just another movie that takes on poverty in the Philippines and how it affects the lives of many. That this kind of story has been done many times over but winning Best Screenplay at the Gawad Urian should be enough to make you take a second deserving look. The storytelling is relevant and not dated, it avoids the clichés and just lets the characters do what they need to do. The movie shows how it is to be a teenager infected with HIV in the Philippines. It talks about the struggles, the stigma, the fear of not knowing, and then the fear of knowing, that life hard enough as it is, will only get harder moving forward. The question is how will Kalel fare, will he fight or flee?

Winning also in Gawad Urian is Elijah Canlas for Best Actor, having won the same in the Asian Film Festival in Italy. Along with his hit web series Gameboys, Canlas is one of the breakout stars of 2020, often lauded by critics and his co-actors for his acting skills and ability to convey different characters with depth and precision. Joining him is Gabby Padilla (Dead Kids), Jaclyn Jose (our very own Helena Bonham Carter, you get Jaclyn Jose because you need a Jaclyn Jose in your movie) and featuring the late Eddie Garcia.

If you're a parent, imagine how your teenager would fare given Kalel's circumstance. If you're a teenager, imagine how same or different your outcome would be to his. It is heartbreaking to imagine that one person is living Kalel's life, and this might be fiction to us but to someone else it's real life. With the pandemic hurting the economy, the youth are one of the vulnerable sectors to be hit and if they only have themselves to rely on, how confident are we that they will make the right decisions? At 15, I'm thankful I led a boring life.

It didn't feel like a movie; more like it was about someone that I know. Or that I was present in their life. Because this a story that plays out in a lot of South East Asian, and South Asian places. And also because the camera would look in through windows, and other personal spaces. And as the lead's world strated closing in on him, the screen size closed in for us too. As if we were seeing everything through an insistently personal view. Because he was - his survival depended on it.

It's an excellent movie, not only technically, but also in it's performances. Especially the lead. You just felt so much for him.

And I was happy for him, when the screen finally enlarged again, after he took back control of his life. As best as a beleaguered 15 year old could.

I really enjoyed this one a lot, the story-telling is wise, the acting is commendable. plus the factor that is shown in black and white adds a lot more to this film. This one deserves more audience and recognition.

Brilliant storytelling, acting and cinematography. Got me engaged in the first 5 minutes. It's not cliched and doesn't feel like just another movie out there, it's truly unique and wonderful. It got the griddy and dark perfectly especially with the black and white color. What a perfect and unique film, highly recommended.