Summer Metro Manila Film Festival 2023: Tense, thrilling, full of talent

By Brontë H. Lacsamana, Reporter 

Movie Review
About Us But Not About Us
Directed by Jun Robles Lana
MTRCB Rating: R13

It’s exciting to witness a Filipino film pulling off the challenge of having a few characters in a single location immersed in deep conversation. Given this minimalistic approach, the fact that About Us But Not About Us is able to keep you on the edge of your seat is a feat.

But the plot is a different story. It follows a literature professor and his student who meet at a restaurant for lunch. At first, it seems like the two men engaging in what looks like a controversial teacher-student relationship is already a juicy situation on its own. We eventually learn that that barely scratches the surface.

Things take darker and darker turns when the two characters continue speaking, about a person close to them who committed suicide, and later about secrets that they’re only now admitting to each other. This entire tense exchange takes place over the course of their meal.

Romnick Sarmenta (who won best actor at the MMFF Awards Night for playing Eric, the professor) and Elijah Canlas (who won a special jury prize for his role as Lance, the student) are understandably the stars of the show. They bring to life not just their own characters, but even the third character involved in their story who is not present. They throw sharp verbal blows at each other, and we, the captive audience, fully feel the impact.

Director Jun Robles Lana, already well-respected and acclaimed in the local movie industry for films like Barbers’ Tales and Big Night! definitely took a chance and tried something new, to very strong effect.

The film is technically masterful and riveting. It dominated the 1st Summer MMFF, bringing home 10 awards including best cinematography, screenplay, production design, editing, sound, musical score, and best director for Lana.

And deservedly so — cinematographer Neil Daza adjusts the camera to reflect the shifting psyches of each character as every twist is revealed. Editor Lawrence Ang and sound designers Fatima Salim and Immanuel Verona help build the tension as ordinary moments melt into thrilling exchanges.

The dialogue is believable for a conversation involving talented writers in academia, even veering towards slightly annoying in its endless glorification of literary achievement. Like, who just throws the phrase “The Next Great Filipino Novel” around? This makes it look like being in a Creative Writing department automatically makes one full of yourself and it successfully alienates people who aren’t literary minded.

Besides that, it’s technically a commendable feat. All the detail put into the film is proof that Lana’s take on 12 Angry Men and My Dinner With Andre, which are highly praised “single-location conversation films,” is a worthwhile addition to the genre.

This film, however, runs into a propblem that the other two don’t — the concept of mindful representation. It’s an issue that matters to the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans Plus (LGBT+) movement. With many people in the world already wary, judgmental, or worse, downright hostile towards the LGBT+ community, should there be representations of problematic gay people who are unable to solve their issues?

What’s interesting is that this is even brought up by the third character, Marcus, who isn’t physically present in the film, but who is breathed into life by the excellent career-best combo of Sarmenta and Canlas. The three main characters have many issues and badly need therapy, much like many people in the world regardless of sexuality, but their role in this world is a weighty one.

Though the film suggests that problematic gays on film can be portrayed in complex, nuanced, and intriguing ways, perhaps it would have been even more of a win if this concluded on a less defeatist note.