A Perfect Family

A good avant-garde film this experimental effort by director Ruben Maria Soriquez. A silent film that emphasizes a raw, visual storytelling offering a glimpse into the evolving dynamics of the life of a family, till a crude and twisted finale. Its minimalist approach makes this film a rather intellectual experience, and for those appreciative of avant-garde cinema it present a poignant and authentic narrative. Its silent and intimate style, its sliding doors flashbacks, its "this is how it went" and its"this is another way it could have been" invite viewers to reflect on what is real and what it isn't, and the parallel realities that we all, willingly or unwillingly, are part of.

I had hard time to find this title. But I was finally able to watch it. The only place streaming this is the micro streaming platform iwatchmore that I found to be owned by the company run by the director of this film. Of course, being a silent film, a modern silent film no wonder no major platform wants it. How to start? WELL. IT'S INDEED EXPERIMENTAL. I guess the director shot this just for fun as he used his wife and as lead. It's oniric, dreamy, surprising. It's a crazy film that only film lovers with no prejudice can totally appreciate. It must be highly autobiographic. Something coming from the unconscious of the director. Somebody dies, then undies because you find out that the killer at the end is the real victim. Or not. Maybe it's just the kid's imagination while playing with his LEGO. Hard to tell this film. You've got to watch it....better...watch it and read it.

My opinion? This is a shocking experimental film. Not because of too much blood, graphic content or the likes, but because of what this director was able to achieve using some family footage stretching 10 years, some newly shot scenes using members of his own family and a lot, a lot of imagination. This is the proof that, to do something original and worth watching, you don't really need a big budget. We are talking about art house films here, not action flix that require, of course, huge amount of money to be enjoyable. And I believe this little film is a real piece of art. I watched it during the 11th Silent Film Festival Manila in a crowded theatre while the musicians were scoring it live. What an amazing experience. The plot is engineered in such a way that surprises you with several twists that make you rethink what you have just watched, a sort of modern Rashomon. The ending, while suggesting who the killer might be, mocks all the formula action films were, eventually, the culprit either dies (most of the times) or goes to jail. But the real ending, in my opinion, doesn't take place in the real world (of the film), but in somebody's mind.