Rico Maria Ilarde's Pridyider - Malevolent Souls

Uncertainty cloaks Christina Benitez’s (Andi Eigenmann) homecoming. It’s been 20 years since she last set foot on the home she once shared with her parents (Joel Torre and Janice de Belen) before the gruesome events that eventually overtook the household. She had since been taken by her aunt (Lui Manansala) to San Francisco where she was raised - beautiful (she is plagued by talent manager Dick – played by Baron Geisler), talented (she finished culinary and is cooking up dishes for a restaurant she plans to open in the Philippines) and conflicted about the fragmentary, albeit sketchy anecdotes she keeps getting about the demise of her mother – and the disappearance of her father. “Bakit nila ako iniwan?” she naggingly asks herself. But she gets no answers.

Home turns out to be a dilapidated house in a desolate fogbound subdivision on the throes of commercial development. Dust has settled long ago as it has been deserted in years. Lights flicker irregularly and a silhouette seemingly hovers around the dark corners. She arrives to an empty abode filled with fading photographs and clunking appliances that have seen better days. Among these is a giant refrigerator – ang “pridyider”.

Tina stays by herself, mostly immersed in experimental dishes. But at midnight, she discerns a presence, and tumbling sounds that bump in the night. And she is made acutely aware of the historical conundrum that inundates her past. She has to know more about her parents. She needs to know what happened to them. Was mother the crazy woman she keeps hearing about? Where was her father? If he were dead, why didn’t they find his body?

The unpalatable answers unravel gradually. Her father was an amorous man who sought the affection of other women while her mother was constantly enveloped by jealous rage. Her love for her husband so consumed her that he made a pact with the devil to summon his affection. She was to perform a ritual involving body parts of all the women he’s had affairs with, capped by the blood of her husband. Unfortunately, she wasn’t able to complete the ritual. To avoid getting caught by the police authorities, she hid inside the refrigerator – and died! Since then, the mother’s sinister spirit has possessed the refrigerator. She habitates the household.

To face her dilemma, Tina enlists the help of nosy neighbor Celine (Venus Raj) and her girl Friday Agatha (Bekimon); her childhood friend James (JM de Guzman); a petrified priest, an albularyo and a creepy anophthalmic former investigator, Detective Albay (Ronnie Lazaro) who has lived the life of a recluse after dropping the unsolved case.    

As Ilarde’s story is seamlessly told, the cast renders an engrossing performance all around. Andi Eigenmann limns her character with emotive panache. Her thespic control is remarkably fine tuned, and this is nothing short of admirable. There are no excesses there. Acting prowess must really be genetic. JM de Guzman, stripped of the need to sentimentalize his scenes, is adorable and enjoys great screen chemistry with Eigenmann, which is quite unexpected. Ronnie Lazaro recreates his Inspector Albay with indecipherable stroke reminiscent of his character in Richard Somes’ “Ishmael”. Even Venus Raj is interesting as she is quirky. Joel Torre, one of this year’s busiest actors, is likewise engaging. But it’s really Janice de Belen who runs away with her sinister presence. Malevolent and doomful, De Belen reminds me of Carmina Villaroel’s creepy turn in Yam Laranas’ “The Road”.  Seeing her stand frozen with chopping knife makes you wanna hide in some cave in the far reaches of Vanuatu!   

“Pridyider” pays homage to the original “Shake, Rattle and Roll” (1984). In the original film, Ishmael Bernal directed Janice de Belen for the trilogy’s 2^nd episode with similar title.  In the current version, De Belen’s iconic scene (she opens the ref’s door and thrusts her sweaty body deeper into the refrigerator) is reenacted by Eigenmann. Though the story is different, the narrative arc is similarly engaging.

The cinematic elements work well: the setting renders a spooky atmosphere; Teresa Barrozo’s music eerily lingers unobtrusively; Mackie Galvez’s cinematography sparkles with clarity even in dimly lit scenes; the CG effects are more than commendable as well. In fact, those tentacle-like monsters move with visceral feel. They don’t look artificial. Baron Geisler’s scene (he was being devoured by the ref) was particularly eye-catching. Ilarde and Onay Sales’ script avoids the unnecessary excesses customary in ardent horror flicks. All these result to a coherent story that moves with due pacing.

There are minor cracks in the story that could have been secured and adjusted: if Tina’s father really cared for his daughter, what kept him from making correspondence with Tina? Surely, a snail mail with an explanation could have prevented Tina from eternally wondering why she was “abandoned”. In this age of new technologies, there’s really no logical explanation for staying away from a loved one unless 1) you’re dead; 2) you were swallowed by a Black Hole; 3) you’re all lip service and the truth is, you just didn’t care enough. Twenty years is a long time to be away.

The scene at the hidden basement (or was it a “cave”) was reminiscent of a scene in Katie Holmes’ “Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark”. With victims’ heads indiscriminately appended on walls, Ilarde fabricates a gruesome world of the restless undead. This disturbs more than many other horror scenes from the recent past.

“Pridyider” could have floundered in high camp. Venus Raj’s humorous turn is akin to this temperament, but her character was beautifully moderated that her presence didn’t feel importunate to the plot. Otherwise, it could have provided a “major major” debacle. More importantly, Raj provided some welcome quirkiness to an otherwise sedate predisposition. Every aspect of “Pridyider” is well tempered making it one of the year’s most engrossing horror ride.

James fixes Tina's electricity woes.

Inspector Albay aka Ronnie Lazaro aka "Ishmael."

Making pact with the devil - and more.

Tentacled monster and Alfred the cat.

Attack of the hungry refrigerator.

Now what do you call this?

Daughter and father scream for help.

Creepy mama is fueled by her jealousy.

Victims at the basement.

Albularyo fights with the evil spirit.

Andi Eigenmann (above and below)

JM de Guzman (above and below) as James. He manages an electrical shop.

Venus Raj as nosy neighbor Celine

Baron Geisler is Dick., a Hollywood agent. He's attracted to Tina. 

Ingmar Bergman's Wild Strawberries - Introspective Narrative Takes a Dynamic Pace

Professor Isak Borg (Victor Sjostrom), a surly 78 year old physician, is taking the long road from Stockholm to Lund to accept his honorary degree award from a university. But this recognition seems to provoke Bunuelesque nightmares, daydreams and bittersweet remembrances from his younger days. Unexpectedly, his pregnant daughter-in-law Marianne (Ingrid Thulin), who isn’t exactly fond of him, asks to take the ride with him to see Evald, Isak’s son (Gunnar Bjornstrand) – a physician in Lund. Marianne’s pregnancy has been causing dissent in the couple’s otherwise harmonious relations – he doesn’t want children. This caused Marianne to runaway, seeking refuge in her querulous father-in-law’s house in the Swedish capital.

Along the way, Isak and Marianne meet of flurry of characters: there’s young and ebullient Sara (Bibi Andersson) and her two admirers Anders and Viktor (Folke Sundquist and Bjorn Bjelfvenstam) who bring back memories of Isak’s younger days when his girlfriend (a cousin named Sara) got married instead to his younger brother Sigfrid (Per Sjostrand); then there’s the middle aged couple whose constant squabbling almost caused a fatal vehicular accident. The road is long – around 320 miles (515 kilometers) and takes about 5 hours to drive. 

The group takes a side trip to the Professor’s ancestral home by the sea; a quaint neighbourhood punctuated by trees and wild strawberries growing amidst hedges. These remembrances further stir the professor to take stock of his past; a nebulous past when people thought highly of his character. In fact, at a gas stop, the owners fill up his car and wouldn’t hear of accepting payment – to honour the professor’s kindness in his younger days. “I should have stayed here,” Professor Isak muses.

When Professor Borg finally receives the award, he realizes that the pomp and pageantry of his recognition were nothing but an empty ritual. There were bigger, more important things to celebrate, like Marianne and Evald’s reconciliation. That night, Borg’s sleep was dreamless and peaceful. There was a smile on his face. 

Professor Borg takes a road trip with his daughter-in-law Marianne.

Swedish film master Ingmar Bergman gives a surprisingly dynamic storytelling tack to subjects (twilight years of life, aging, regret) that would usually take an introspective, albeit indolent and deliberate pace. In the film, Professor Borg is mostly contemplative. It is thus a wonder how Bergman imbues his story with vibrancy, enough to sustain attention. As a film maker, he doesn’t like his stories “slow”. He scoffs at Michaelangelo Antonioni’s style, referring to “Il Grido”: “Damn, what a boring movie it is.” He further discusses the Italian director: “Antonioni never really learned the trade. He concentrated on single images, never realizing that film is a rhythmic flow of images, a movement. Sure, there are brilliant moments in his films.” He didn’t even like “L’Avventura” and thought Monica Vitti was a “terrible actress”. (I personally loved that film and think highly of Vitti, one of the golden age’s most charming actresses, but then that’s just me.) His tirade against the other film master really underlines his storytelling style: fluid.

VICES OF WOMEN

There are traces of misogyny, like when Bergman refers to the "vices of women": weeping, giving birth, and speaking ill of neighbors. Had he not referred to himself as "an old pedant", it would have been unforgivable. But then this was an era where women didn't exactly enjoy social equality with men - and it wasn't fashionable then to be "politically correct". If I were to ask you what men have as vices, would the list be as unflattering? 

The story takes aging and regrets to the road. What other film is brave enough to tackle such subjects? Would Cinemalaya be daring enough to cover these subjects? It’s possible, but highly unlikely. Who would be its captive audience? Did Brillante Mendoza have enough audience for his “Lola”? Did Adolf Alix’s “Adela”? My point here is, it’s not the easiest subject to sell. But Bergman captures the audience’s attention from Borg’s very first nightmare: he finds himself in an empty town with broken houses and clocks with no hands (a recurring image in Bergman’s ouvre). Then an empty horse-drawn carriage traipses the streets with a hearse. And the body inside was Borg’s.

Though Gunnar Fischer’s black and white cinematography is beautiful, you somehow wonder how the setting would look on color cinema (the film was produced in 1957). I can easily imagine the stark beauty of the hedges and the wild strawberries surrounding Borg’s ancestral home. Furthermore, “Wild Strawberries” remind me of Mes de Guzman’s “Diablo”. The sense of closure from both films is quite familiar. Couldn’t he have gotten his inspiration from Bergman? 

Sara and Isak in one of our protagonist's daydreams.

Isak's nightmare involving bacteriological examinations he couldn't seem to pass.

Ingrid Thulin and Gunnar Bjornstrand play married couple Marianne and Evald..

Ingmar Bergman as a young man. He would produce theatrical puppet shows.

RD Alba's Biktima - Befuddling Suppositions & Cinematic Deja vu

Alice de la Cruz (Angel Aquino) is a news correspondent in a struggling network thirsting for the big break; the breaking news that would make her a household name in her industry. When Boss Jane (Sunshine Cruz) offers her a crucial assignment in remote Camandao village, she grabs the chance and heads to the Sumal Coast leaving her unemployed husband Mark (Cesar Montano) and five-year old son Buboy (JM Ibanez). However, her ambition would take her off-track as she convinces her contact (Lloyd Samartino) to head to a treacherous area. She gets caught in a crossfire, killing most of her colleagues, but she survives and becomes captive, taken as a “ransomless” hostage.

Six months later, Alice is found unconscious at a secluded roadside. Though she’s amnesic, she gradually regains her memory. In stages, she regains these harrowing vignettes in flashbacks, each one punctuated by acting out and re-experiencing her ordeals (she joins a group of intercontinental hostages; people get killed; she gets raped; she tries to escape but gets caught; as punishment she is tasked to kill another hostage; she tries to escape again).

When she eventually reunites with her family, she finds out that she was indeed taken for dead. Her family and friends have buried her. And Mark and her son are on the throes of moving on. She also discovers that Mark has engaged in an “extramarital” affair with her best friend Sandra (Mercedes Cabral). What’s more confounding are her intermittent anxiety attacks as she re-experiences her harrowing ordeal with the bandits. She suffers blackouts, inflicts pain on herself and conflagrates into bursts of anger. Suddenly, her once amorous family life has turned acetous. Young Buboy had to move in with her aunt while Alice tries to recuperate from her trauma.

But Alice is more concerned with the growing bond between her husband and her bestfriend. And she has decided to unravel the truth behind this coupling. Moreover, she wants her son back. She will get him – at all cost!  

There’s a sweeping sense of déjà vu watching RD Alba’s “Biktima”. On one side, the dubious hostage situation reminds me of Brillante Mendoza’s recent “Captive”. On the other side, there’s Topel Lee’s also-recent “Amorosa”, and if that isn’t enough, it browsed on sketchy post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) that also had Angel Aquino herself skirting through cuckoolandia as the titular Rosa. Finally, anyone remembers Lino Brocka’s “Biktima” (1990) which starred Sharon Cuneta and Christopher de Leon? The latter actually won several awards for Gina Alajar who, in her prime, was the most brilliant actress of her generation (she won Urian and Famas for the film).

POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER

But let’s get to the nitty gritty. First off, I have to run a discourse on this oft-misinterpreted psychiatric entity because it’s getting too erroneously overused. Mostly, PTSD is an anxiety disorder caused by an extraordinary major life stress; an accident, death of someone, ravages of war and survival, serious threat to one’s life or physical integrity, sudden destruction to home or property, witnessing physical violence, etc. These events are relived in dreams and waking thoughts. These anxiety attacks don’t necessarily become PTSD unless they satisfy specific criteria called DSM-IIIR in psychiatric parlance. Needless to say, PTSD doesn’t exactly equate to “insanity” because reaction to trauma doesn’t make you crazy! It just makes you scared! Klaro, Topel Lee and RD Alba? When you get scared and jittery, you don't turn nuts. So for the sake of the clueless, albeit lazy film makers and their researchers who keep espousing on PTSD, here is your coffee table criterion:

DSM-IIIR for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

A. The person has experienced an event outside the range of usual human experience and that would be markedly distressing to anyone.

B. This traumatic event is persistently re-experienced in at least one of the following ways:

1. Recurrent and intrusive distressing recollection of the events (in children, repetitive play in which aspects of the trauma are expressed)

2. Recurrent distressing dreams of the event (the most common)

3. Sudden acting or feeling as if the traumatic events were recurring, i.e. illusions, hallucinations, dissociative episodes like flashbacks, even those that occur upon awakening or when intoxicated

4. Intense psychological distress at exposure to events that symbolize or resemble an aspect of the traumatic event, i.e. anniversaries, etc.

C. Persistent avoidance of the stimuli associated with the trauma – or numbing of general responsiveness (not present prior to the event), as indicated by at least THREE of the following:

1. Effort to avoid thoughts or feelings associated with the trauma

2. Effort to avoid activities or situation that arouse recollection of the trauma

3. Inability to recall an important aspect of trauma (psychogenic amnesia)

4.  Markedly diminished interest in significant activities

5. Feeling of detachment or estrangement from others

6. Restricted range of affect, e.g. unable to have loving feelings

7. Sense of a foreshortened future, e.g. does not expect to have a career, marriage, children, long life

D. Persistent symptoms of increased arousal (not present before the trauma), indicated by at least TWO of the following:

1. Difficulty of falling or staying asleep

2. Irritability or outbursts of anger

3. Difficulty of concentrating

4. Hypervigilance (paranoid)

5. Exaggerated startle response

6. Physiologic reactivity upon exposure to events that symbolize or resemble an aspect of the traumatic event (e.g. a woman raped in an elevator breaks into sweat or hyperventilates whenever she takes the elevator)

E. Duration of the disturbance (duration of the symptoms in B, C, D) of at least 1 month or longer

Though this list tends to be overly didactic and/or laborious, fact is, this criterion is quite specific and almost exact. Let’s take Angel’s condition. Item B begrudgingly satisfies only two items where there should be three. Most other features are sketchy and lead more to psychotic criterion than anxiety disorder.

Most PTSD patients would rather shy away from anything that would remind her of the traumatic event, yet Alice is intent on getting her job back. Moreover, we never see her get nightmares or have difficulty falling or staying asleep, usually a hallmark – though not pathognomonic – of PTSD. While most PTSD patients get disinterested or dismissive with significant events, Alice dives into things as though it was another day at work. These are salient points that seem uncharacteristic of PTSD cases.

The point here is, if you’re focusing on a specific diagnostic entity, why not study the case well? Don’t assume you can create situations out of suppositions or hearsay. Consult a specialist because you’re going to feed these indolent thoughts to a paying crowd. They even had to clutter the situation by saying that Angel’s father had a “history of insanity”. It’s muddling an already muddled narrative strain. How convenient, right? Let’s make sahog everything para masaya. LOL

The film is likewise guilty of fast resolutions. This was a woman afflicted with PTSD who actually had violent streaks. In fact, she murdered her aunt. Yet they released her easily like she just recovered from typhoid fever or malaria. What should prevent her from killing her own son since PTSD may have long term repercussions; the symptoms can recur intermittently for years. Isn’t “suicidal or violent ideation” a cause for concern? After all, “killing someone” isn’t part of the criterion for PTSD. How about schizophrenia? Why not Major Depression? How did her closest ties (her best friend Sandra and her Auntie Jean) remind her of the trauma? Were they abrasive or intrusive? Jealousy couldn’t be a stressor for PTSD. I’ve never heard of such thing until now so this one is for the books! We all should make a medical journal out of it.

HOSTAGE WITHOUT RANSOM

Angel was supposedly taken hostage by some terrorist group akin to the Abu Sayyaf bandits, yet despite her stature (a famous TV personality and a news anchor), the authorities or her family were never informed about her being taken hostage. Akala ko ba, hostage situation? She was in fact considered dead after the bomb explosion. Her husband and son have moved on quite easily. What’s a hostage situation without demand for ransom? Don’t tell me they forgot. J She could have fetched a considerable amount, not to mention media mileage because of her stature, couldn’t she? The bandits could have taken the media blitz for their notoriety yet her capture was never known and you simply wonder why.

BAFFLING SURPRISE

When Angel first saw Mercedes, her “bru” (their term of endearment) best friend at a supermarket, their reaction was one of surprise - and discomfort. Not elation. This was again spurious, if not suspicious. Yet Angel was stunned and, once again, this baffles. Did she have an inkling of Mercedes’ indiscretion with her shaggable hubby? Not at that point. Prior to her capture, she received a ring from Mercedes that she was coming home soon from her work overseas. Her presence in the country couldn't be surprising.

And why is Angel’ Alice, the psych patient, confined to her sick bed and hooked to an oxygen nasal cannula? Are PTSD cases in respiratory distress? It couldn't be bronchial asthma or COPD, could it? Anyone can check out our Mental Hospital and other hospital psychiatric wards to know that these patients aren’t exactly bed-ridden unless they undergo special procedures like the electro-convulsive therapy (which shouldn’t take an hour). Most cases are ambulatory. Heck, even the catatonic ones aren't confined to bed. Co-writer Disi Alba (who also plays Tita Jean), supposedly a Family Med physician, should at least be aware of this.

PERFORMANCES

“Biktima” is buoyed by earnest performances lead by Angel Aquino who’s always dependable. In fact, she kept this middling effort afloat. However, you are acutely aware that her depiction is a redundant exercise. Wasn’t she a hostage victim a few weeks ago in “Captive”? Didn’t she get raped in the Brillante Mendoza flick? Moreover, didn't she play the post-traumatic case in "Amorosa"? Cesar Montano is unusually relaxed and casual as the unemployed husband who lost his wife to bandits. He used to be one of the country’s most dependable and insightful actors yet in his older years, he has failed to impress. And I am mostly bothered by his middle-class Taglish dispatches. When he gets news of his wife’s “demise”, he delves into a spine-tingling, “What?” By jeeves! Ano ‘to, English-language flick with subtitles? J  He must have thought he’s still hosting “Singing Bee” or that creepy-crawly talent search “Artista Academy”.

Mercedes Cabral is likewise conjectural. In fact, it feels like she couldn’t make sense of her narrative stock. Why was she suddenly the psychological stressor that stimulates Angel’s aggression? She is, for Pete’s sake, the best friend of our protagonist! Her presence is supposed to provide quiescence and sobriety to her friend’s psychogenic dilemma. When psych patients “panic”, doctors call on their family and closest friends. Does Mercedes look like a bandit for Angel to actually consider her foe? She is, after all, one of Europe’s loveliest, debah? She couldn't be scary.

LOOKING FOR THE SANDRA SHE ALREADY FOUND

After Angel’s threesome dinner with Cesar and Mercedes, Angel went berserk and acts up at the restaurant. She throws plates and bolts out the door – then she drives to her tita, looking for her son Buboy! Then the flustered aunt calls on Cesar and Mercedes warning them of Angel’s state. Why would Angel look for Mercedes when she just left her at the restaurant? She could easily do that by going back to the restaurant. In the following scene, a hospital bed was shown vacated, and the nurse scampers to report the escape of a patient. Was Angel actually confined? How can she join her husband in a restaurant traipsing like a model while being confined in a hospital? Did Cesar help her escape from confinement for a sumptuous dinner out? There’s a stark disconnect here, obviously. Someone got confused. The editor? The story teller? The director? All of the above? 

THANKLESS

The film has thankless cameos by Lloyd Samartino as Fred, the Liberation Organization’s contact; Ricky Davao as Officer Bondalo; Mark Lapid as leader of the kidnap group, Disi Alba (a doctor by profession) as Auntie Jean and Sunshine Cruz as Jane, lovely but otherwise miscast as a television station’s news chief. The production values are a hit and miss. One scene (Cesar takes his child to bed, then the scene cuts to a birthday celebration) runs without sound. And the visuals, dark at times, could be better. The cages where “kidnap victims” were kept look like school play set, I could probably kick a branch and it would fall off like Lego pieces.

“Biktima” is mostly a rendered version of an incipient idea not fully threshed out into a coherent fictive . It is undecided, befuddling and psyched out (no pun intended). I was mostly left disaffected, stolid and phlegmatic for the remainder of the cinematic sprawl. For a flick that’s supposed to conjure high drama, thrill and edge-of-your-seat suspense, “Biktima” drove me to ennui. That can’t be good.

Philip Anthony as one of the hostages. He also co-wrote the story with director RD Alba.

Ricky Davao (right) as Officer Bondalo interrogates Alice.

Alice

Alice and son Buboy

No Other Woman, anyone?

Angel Aquino as Alice, Cesar Montano as Mark and Mercedes Cabral as Sandra

RD Alba

Nacho Vigalondo's Extraterrestrial - Romance and Alien Invasion

Slam bang science fiction adventure? Try romantic comedy.

Julio (Julian Villagran) wakes up naked on a bed in an unfamiliar room. He finds a beautiful girl, moving around anxious of his presence, and he thinks she could be the girl of his dreams. Her name - Julia (Michelle Jenner)! When he finally comes around his disorientation, he realizes that they've had a crazy night in a bar and ended up in her flat. Of course, he claims his memory of the past night was all out of his pocket. He couldn't find his pants. "Try the living room," she says. This pretty girl is framed by her petite frame, brown hair and soulful eyes... and she's anxious.

When he's about to leave, he meets Angel (Carlos Areces), the creepy next door neighbor who "stalks" Julia. Something unsettling unravels. He knew something. In  fact, Angel's ears were probably glued on his walls, listening to Julio and Julio's cries of desire all night. Julia invites Angel over for breakfast to feign normalcy of the situation. "This is...what's your name again?" she talks to Julio. "He fainted and I had to take him here to rest," she tells Angel, but the latter is aware of the ruse. What is more urgent is the fact that most of the city (Madrid) has been evacuated. A spaceship that spans 4 miles hover over the metropolis. The streets that used to be congested is now eerily deserted. All phone lines have been cut; communication signals don't work - except for a UHF channel run by a sniveling megalomaniac moron. The government has cordoned the area under the air-borne ship. It is the holocaust, or so it seems! But where are the alien invaders?

Then they get a knock on the door. Carlos (Raul Cimas), Julia's husband, arrives - after walking 8 1/2 hours from Escorial. Suddenly, Julio understands Julia's anxiety. He realizes his need to leave. What becomes of his romantic feelings towards the girl?

Julio and Julia

Director Nacho Vigalondo comes up with a follow up to his brilliant, but twisty sci-fi chiller, "Timecrimes" which I saw at the Spanish Film Festival a few years ago. The film departs from the usual adrenaline action associated with such apocalyptic premise. In fact, we never see a single alien character. Vigalondo mostly confines his characters in a room, paranoid of the goings on around a city supposedly invaded by extraterrestrial beings. It also becomes a compelling character study of human nature: the devoted and trusting husband, the unfaithful and seduced wife; the infatuated other-man; and the desperate stalker who's angry at Julio for getting the girl of his dreams in the sack - while he could only listen and watch.

This is also a morality tale. It spotlights what a little white lie can do to push a bad situation spiraling down into events far worse than an alien invasion. Julian Villagran sizzles as the lovestruck industrial engineer (minus the degree). His emotions are too palpable, he endears without excessive emotionality. Michelle Jenner works hard for a part that requires indecision, anxiety, doubt, affection and paranoia - that to me is a tall order. But what's really different is how we find ourselves laughing intermittently as Julia, Julio, and Carlos deal with the disgruntled neighbor Angel. This is clearly an effective comedy, yet you never see them work as hard as Eugene Domingo, thus the laughs come out spontaneously. There are moments of unease as you are made aware that infidelity isn't such a romantic notion. But then you cannot deny those giggly moments of slight brushes of fingers, stolen glances - and, yes, a quick humping on the couch! Bad, bad Julio and Julia!

Spanish cinema once again shows us how good films are made.

Rumor has it that this film is already being re-done for its Hollywood version... with Tom Cruise, no less playing Julio! I am good with that! After all, "Vanilla Sky" wasn't a bad remake of "Abre de los Ojos". Right, Penelope Cruz?

With a videocam, Julio and Julia spies on the activities of the hovering spaceship.

Julia

Julio

Carlos tries to scare Angel (off the frame) with an unloaded gun, as Julio looks on.

Julian Villagran is brilliant.

Naughty Michelle Jenner

Michelle Jenner

Michelle Jenner

Michelle Jenner

Madrid gets invaded by aliens.