Glydel Mercado (above,left), Ralph Darrel Mateo with Glydel (right)
The "other" cute Matteo - Guidicelli: "gotta find my corner..." Matteo's musical past!Marlina, a comely spinster, keeps pining for a boyfriend who left town (well, not really), hoping he would one day return to marry her. So every single day, the townsfolk of sleepy Sta. Lucia finds our protagonist all decked up and ready for her close-up. When a timid but good looking lad Daniel (cute newcomer Ralph Darrel Mateo) comes to town to live with his Uncle Peding, the young "orphan" quickly catches Marlina's affections. Unfortunately for Daniel, his uncle also bites the dust, leaving his Funeral Business to the unabled hands of the youngster. But things don't look promising at all. No one seems to die in Sta. Lucia. What's a cute boy to do?
The answer seems too obvious. And in unrelated snippets, he pulls his pants down and goes skinny dipping at the murky river. In another indoor scene, he flashes his lovely ass once again, and lies down buck naked in the comfy corners of the kabaong! Talk about an unusual way of grieving! LOL
The premise of "Lukaret" has a very promising narrative. If careful attention to detail and a more rigorous brainstorming on the script were in place, this would have come out truly immersive and a compelling cinematic experience, though a tad predictable. For one, unlike 60-70% of the local digital films churned out in the last 3 quarters or so, "Lukaret" boasts of crystal clear photography. This darn indie does not look like a pinoy indie - and that in itself is a major accomplishment! Some scenes need more lighting than others, but on the whole, this is how a pinoy indie should look! Every digital filmmakers might as well get tips on how the filmmakers were able to serve up a really good copy! No washed up colors! No contorted images!
Unfortunately, there is glaring carelessness in the script! And the characters' arcs aren't well fleshed out! Moreover, Director Felino Tanada wasn't able to assist his actors into insightful performances. Provoq hunk Johnron Tanada is hammy. And good looking Ralph Darrel Mateo was just too raw and well... left to his own device! Case in point: His uncle dies, cut to next scene. Camera pans on Daniel's face; he grieves and lunges into a gut wrenching cry. His face contorts and we feel his err, difficulty. He couldn't shed a tear! It was like squeezing water from an igneous rock! This was where a director's supposed to intervene to motivate a newbie!
Make no mistake. Ralph Darrel Mateo (aka "Matteo Guidicelli lookalike") is a star find. In fact, this was highlighted by several of his butt exposures which were so unnecessary for his scenes. Glydel, an able actress, turns up with an uneven performance. Some scenes, she's brilliant. Other scenes, she's on the verge of needing valium! Being a "lukaret" sometimes needs tempering as there's a risk of going overboard - and in the process, come up with a caricaturish performance!
When another disemboweled body is found, a throng of onlookers gather around, cover their noses (as if dead bodies just a few hours old could rot and stench that fast. Then from out of the deep blue, a police officer springs out from this crowd and shouts - "Tumawag kayo ng ambulansya!" LOL. Shouldn't he ask for a punerarya instead? That is, unless the disemboweled number is still seen breathing - naghihingalo man lang! Baka nga naman buhay pa kasi. ;->
When Marlina asks Daniel how the first victim died, he replied, "Inatake daw sa puso." Didn't they show an earlier scene where people were hurling as they find the corpse with eviscerated bowels? Inatake sa puso? Eh nakabulatlat ang bituka! In the succeeding scene, a couple of characters (police?) discuss the neck ligature , and then the absence of the corpse's internal organs! Where did Daniel get his "inatake sa puso?"
Please refer to the scriptwriter!
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