Manyak

More of the same from the recent batch of Philippines popular movies that have plenty of softcore vibes, some humor and some thrills. My line of defense over "Manyak" might sound dumb and unexcusable, as I somewhat enjoyed the mystery of it all, the predictability of some of its parts, but gotta recognise that it was well made and audiences are easily intrigued by the story and its countless revealing flashbacks.

It revolves on a series of past secrets, family secrets and many skeletons under the closet. Desire (Christine Bermas) and her cute boyfriend Adam (Nico Locco) are picked by the girl's sister (Sheree) to take care of her house in the country as she's about to make a trip with her wealthy husband (Joko Diaz). In between the idylic moments of love and passion, the new caretakers realize that someone might be lurking, and when the young woman is attacked in the middle of the night, things take a serious turn, and traumas from the past are on the surface and recent problems as well.

The story gets slightly predictable due to its limited number of characters; but on the other hand the revelations told in flashbacks showing different points of view and different perceptions of each character, almost as if stealing from genial movies, worked in a very interesting way. It's all very thrilling, though it takes some time to get where it needs (blame it on a 5-minute sex scene near the opening).

Ultimately, the story doesn't reveal anything that we haven't seen before, either in the art of movies and in the shocking reality of life. It simply reveals the dark twisted nature of men and how women sometimes simply aren't lucky with the partners they have or find. 6/10.