Cavite

While I applaud the film makers for their effort and terrific use of the camera and very little funds, I can't say that I enjoyed this film a great deal. I feel bad saying anything negative about what is clearly such a labor of love, but the story didn't move me or involve me very much. Yes, it's a scrappy tale boldly told, but the tale itself was weak. All the other elements were fine, but if I'm not engaged by the story then I stop caring, and eventually lose interest, which is what happened when I saw this at the festival.

The acting is all fine, particularly the lead man and the voice on the phone (you'll know what I mean when you see it, it really is a lead role even though you never meet him) but there are so many wholes in the story that it never came together for me.

I look forward to these film makers next film, and hope they have a bigger budget, but mostly I urge them to find a better script.

Intense, and intensely low-budget, this action-suspense experimenter is one of the most effective student-like movies I've seen. Keeping true to their moniker (gorilla productions), rookie film-making team Neill Dela Llana and Ian Gamazon (also the star) show a surprising amount of skill in their hard-edged, guerrilla approach. The fast-paced thriller, also masking as edgy Philippino travelogue, traces the nervous steps Gamazon must undergo after being virtually hijacked by an unknown overseer. Playing out much in the same vein as many popular "momentum flicks" (Crank, Nick of Time etc), here these gifted newcomers instill a realism even they could not have hoped for at times.

Once thrust has been set into motion, Gamazon is shot in an alluring realism amidst the scenic decay of our title city. The technique will be a bit much for many viewers of more stable cinematography, coming across mostly as a Tony Scott with few dollars to spare. At times intrusive and overbearing, somehow the effect manages to end up complimenting this little project splendidly, working better then it should because the perfectly exploited locations and real crowds this amateur crew uses to perfection completely engage the viewer with the breakneck plot as it unfolds.

Not all is well however. We are all willing to suspend our disbelief in favor of embracing a well enough thought out piece of fiction, but the groundwork that makes for this immersed experience is not firm enough to sustain the realism it so graciously offers for the eye. Lead, and pretty much only, character Gamazon is also somewhat disappointing in the self-casting, really never breaking out of a self conscious projection and loosing himself inside the part. His puny presence could perhaps be another reason some would reject the movie, but of course those would be the action purists. Others interested in more experimental fare would do well to check out this little gem of a young team coming with a lot of adventurous film heart; the darkly appropriate political insight, as elementary as it is, becomes that much more affirmative once viewed in direct parallel to the reality of it all, making Cavite more then the frenzied action it showcases.

Despite being a low budget independent film, this movie is better than 80% of any commercial film made in the Philippines. Not saying much for the state of movie-making in the Philippines. I tried to watch this film knowing that it was an Indie. The whole picture is shot using hand-held video cameras. The product is a jumpy, nausea-inducing thrill ride. I honestly was sea sick halfway thru the movie. But at the same time I had to finish it because the story was actually pretty good. I thought the locations used in the film were very typical of Anytown, Philippines. Many of the comments left here seem to think that it was the film-maker's fault for having slum areas and open garbage dumps. It's funny how every Filipino hates to see these eyesores yet we do nothing about them. Particularly funny was the typical sign "Bawal Tumae Dito" (by order of mayor). We have all seen this sign one time or another, and somehow this is accepted. We need to be told what common sense should have already made known to us. The film has much more substance and direction than your typical Filipino movie, I would love to see more.

"Cavite" proves that if the story is good enough, technical excellence is unimportant. Filmed on video with a crew of two, and no budget whatsoever, Cavite is a gripping, roller coaster of a ride. Called to the Philippines, a completely Americanized, young Filipino-American discovers that his mother and sister have been kidnapped. A cellphone planted in his backpack rings and he learns they are held by terrorists and he must follow every direction he is given or they will be killed. Guided by the terrorist's voice on a cellphone, what follows is a tense voyage through the underbelly of Cavite, a city in the Philippines. Although this is at its soul a thriller, by focusing on stark images of third-world poverty, the film cleverly illustrates why terrorist acts have appeal for many. Like all classic thrillers the stakes get higher and higher and the tension grows as the story moves on to its inevitable climax. Although some critics have indicated that they thought the lead actor was lacking in ability I found exactly the opposite -- he is the perfect "everyman," trapped in a situation not of his making. This is great storytelling. I saw this movie twice and recommend it highly.

Whatever superlative film-making skills co-director Ian Gamazon has attained over the years are quickly diminished by his average acting ability portraying 'Adam', the lead role of "Cavite." It also makes one wonder just how shallow the Filipino-American acting pool is in this country.

That said, this story is basically an extension of the Hollywood movie "Phone Booth" where a voice on the telephone forces the person on the other end to capitulate to their demands. Of course, "Cavite" takes it one step further by allowing the caller to be a well-known terrorist who not only has Adam's cellphone number but his victim's mother and sister too (after having already executed the father).

The cellphone also allows the action to travel which is technically more visually interesting than watching Colin Farrell sweat it out in one spot (a la "Phone Booth"). Although the voice on the phone purports to be Muslim terrorist leader, the political thriller elements are muted for the most part with the primary action revolving around the making audience watching Adam saunter his way through the city of Cavite (near Manila) on foot until he reaches the point of no return.

The terrorist's final request is the ultimate decision of the Adam's life: be a suicide bomber for the Abu Sayyaf and complete the mission or listen to the sound of your family being killed over the cellphone.

Of course, it'll cost you the price of admission to find out which choice he opted for, but for those not used to cinema verite this may be a hard film to watch. Almost all of the action is shot from either the Adam's POV (self-held camera) or the POV of the cameraman (also hand-held) gamely following behind him. Not for all tastes, but this low-budgeter shows you don't have to have millions of dollars to create suspense, but a better lead actor would have been worth a fortune.