Bitter Melon

A beautiful story about family, and the importance of second chances. Go in with an open mind. This film may not have the budget of something like "Knives Out" or "The Royal Tenenbaums", but it packs just as much character drama and twists as either, all in the span of 95 minutes. H.P. Mendoza is a master of maximizing a small budget, and this film is truly something special if you allow yourself to overlook what may be perceived as technical shortcomings and just let it wash over you.

Bitter Melon is a fresh take on indie filmmaking that is consistently engaging and original throughout. The cast is diverse, the music score is haunting (especially the end credits song by the director himself) and the plot takes some nice twists and turns. It's a strong film from an original voice.

Perhaps for viewers with "normal" families this film may miss the mark. For me it relived the utter depression I used to feel going home for Christmas and resume picking at the scabs of my family life that never ever healed. Let's all eat and see if it medicated the pain....we have everything you ever liked and lots more.Facing the crap we have left behind and pretended was buried. Thanks Mr. Mendoza, I feel less alone now.

Bitter Melon was an interesting watch. It branches off slightly with different through-lines for different characters, and then it all comes back together through a singular family. In the runtime it has, I feel like it's not overly ambitious but hits that sweet spot of speaking to the dysfunctional dynamics that can exist within a Filipino-American family and then tilts your perception of it and the expectations you might have for the film ever so slightly so to surprise you with how stories are resolved. Some things left me wanting more, but I feel like overall it was a pretty solid film. Overall, I feel like this hit a sweet spot between the balance of making me feel a claustrophobic sense of fear at times and levity through the absurdity of certain situations encountered in the film.

HP Mendoza is an amazing filmmaker who never let's you off easy. This film is a great look at a dysfunctional Filipino family coming together to confront old demons. Mendoza never lets you relax by saying simply: this is the bad guy, this is the good guy. Writing and performances are great. Well worth looking for.