Casa de muñecas

When I sat down to watch the 2022 Filipino drama "Doll House" from director Marla Ancheta, then I have to admit that I wasn't really expecting much. Why? Well, because the track history of Filipino movies haven't exactly been lined up with fantastic movies for me.

But I opted to give "Doll House" a fair chance, as I hadn't already seen it, though I was told that it was just a so-so movie.

I have to say that director Marla Ancheta delivered more than just a so-so movie here. "Doll House" is without a doubt one of the most sincere and heartfelt movies in the Filipino cinema that I have seen. The storyline in "Doll House", as written by Rona Lean Sales and Erwin Blanco, really was spot on and hit home. The writers really knew how to construct a good, genuine and wonderful storyline, and knew exactly what buttons to push in order for it to be all the more impactful.

While the storyline certainly was great, then the movie would have been nothing without some great performances. I wasn't familiar with the cast ensemble in the movie, but lead actor Baron Geisler was nothing short of spectacular in his performance here. He really carried the movie phenomenally with a very convincing and realistic performance. And I was also impressed with the talent of Althea Ruedas, playing young Yumi. And the chemistry between these two performers was just genuine and convincing. The movie also had a great performance by Phi Palmos, just a shame that he didn't have a larger role to play.

Take heed, you might want to bring a tissue or two within hands reach when you sit down to watch "Doll House", because it is a narrative that really is emotional and beautiful.

I was more than genuinely entertained by "Doll House", and I am very happy that I took the time to sit down and watch it, because this movie is nothing short of beautiful. If you enjoy Asian cinema, then "Doll House" is definitely a movie that I can and will recommend you to take the time to sit down and watch.

My rating of "Doll House" lands on an eight out of ten stars.

Found this film out thru a paid ad promotion that I came across online, which I'm glad I did. It is nothing too special but was still quite lovely.

Starting off with the premise and the trailer, I think both are sufficient, except for one scene which I think should've been left for the viewers to find out in the film itself. The plot was pretty simple, and it would've done itself a favor if they kept just that one thing within the film. Doll House is a standard tearjerker Filipino drama film (if not somewhat cliched at times) revolving around broken families and deeply troubled individuals. It isn't unique, but I think some people might have missed the point. It was well received by the audience that it was meant to touch and that's what mostly matters. Besides, it isn't even bad in the landscape of Filipino dramaseryes and films filled with cliches and tropes that have been overused time and time again. The biggest thing that I think ruins the viewing experience is the abruptness of a couple of scenes which may make it predictable or be perceived as lazy (with the writing) at times. There are some other minor flaws that could have been improved upon to make it more realistic in its own setting, but it can be pretty much overlooked.

The best thing that Doll House has going for it is the characters upon which the story is centered, Yumi (Althea Ruedas) and Rustin (Baron Geisler). More specifically, their performances really brought their characters to life and created a cute, fun, and lovable chemistry on screen. Anyone who knows Baron Geisler knows that he was made for this role. His personal life and prior struggles mirrors that of Rustin's. As an actor, he is very well known as a kontrabida (villain) and is darn good at it, likely one of the best ever in the Philippines. These sorts of more sensitive roles are much more seldom, but he has played them as well. I am glad that this was given to him due to his undeniable talents as an actor despite his troubled past (he's made a turnaround in more recent years) and unsurprisingly kills it. Althea on the other hand (who plays as Yumi) I was not too familiar with, but nevertheless was also amazing in her own right. She was very convincing with the personality and character she was meant to portray, which again just might be a reflection of her true self as well.

Groundbreaking? No. But that's not what it set out to achieve in the first place. They did what they set out to achieve and succeeded at it. It's difficult to set an expectation because it's not trying to achieve or to do something that's "out there". It uses a formula that works for people who let their feelings dictate how they feel about the movie more rather than break it down and analyze the elements that make it enjoyable or not. The casting crew did a very good job of filling in the characters with fitting actors and actresses, more so with its lead roles. The value of this movie is not lost in the score I or anyone gave to the audience it was meant to touch. You're not really missing anything by skipping this one, but if you love straightforward tearjerkers, I think Doll House is worth checking out.

Slow paced story transition. Amateur cinematography. Predictable like most Filipino movies are. Great story concept ruined by Sub par Directing and script writing. The production budget might have been low, but they could have picked a cast with a better acting skills. So many unnecessary lines and scenes added just to make the movie longer. The only highlight of the film was on the near-end part.

People need to stop patronizing overrated movies like this to encourage film makers to do a better job. This movie was supposed to be Baron's redemption, but became just another run-of-the-mill Filipino film.

How many times did I watch a Filipino movie that from the start you will know the ending.

Kudos for the acting skills but the story is lack of plot twist and is a typical Filipino movie.

An overrated movie thanks Netflix for the good marketing!

How many times did I watch a Filipino movie that from the start you will know the ending.

Kudos for the acting skills but the story is lack of plot twist and is a typical Filipino movie.

An overrated movie thanks Netflix for the good marketing!

How many times did I watch a Filipino movie that from the start you will know the ending.

Kudos for the acting skills but the story is lack of plot twist and is a typical Filipino movie.

An overrated movie thanks Netflix for the good marketing!

First and foremost, I always liked Baron Geisler as an actor. He's always spectacular as well as in this particular film. I rarely watch Pinoy films because it's too formulaic but Doll House is different. It's a story of a prodigal son, useless husband and father who trade everything for the sake of his rock and roll band. After the sudden death of his friend due to drug overdose, he has his epiphany. We later find out who was Rustin before and how his life becomes topsy-turvy. He wants now to change his way of life but it's all too late. The damaged has been done and it was irreparable.

Overall, the Doll House is a good quality film. It's dramedy and inspiring. There are scenes that could tug at heartstrings especially when it's near ending. I must say this film deserves Best Picture and Best Actor accolades.