I am not “yet” a big fan of Filipino movies.  I normally skip out on the mushy Filipino rom-coms produced by high-budget production companies like Star Cinema.  But, I do know that there is much more potential and talent in the indie scene. That’s where they win awards internationally – but oddly, these are almost never shown in the cinema because at the end of the day, it’s all about the money.

When an artist I respect (Armi of Up Dharma Down) tweeted about a movie she sang on, talked about how it’s shown in limited cinemas only, and how it’s at risk of being discontinued because a bunch of Hollywood movies are on the way – it made me want to support the movie. So, I took my brother with me to see the last full show at the nearest mall.

Apocalypse Child is a story set in Baler, one of 2 major surfing sites in Luzon. But, it isn’t a surfing movie, despite surfing taking up almost half of the scenes.  The story revolves around a surf instructor, his mother, his girlfriend/student, his childhood bestfriend, his childhood best friend’s fiancee, and their complicated relationships.  Cinematography is good, I wish we had the same kind of quality for our more popular films.  It made me want to visit Baler to take photos, or even try surfing.  The movie, like most indie movies, come off very raw, a little bit dragging, and sometimes confusing.  I think you need to be patient with movies like this and appreciate the artistry – versus just waiting to know what happens next.

If the movie is still in cinemas by tomorrow, please do catch it.  I now believe that if we want the state of our film industry to improve, we need to support the talents behind independent films in order for them to get the chance to move on to bigger projects in the future. And really, I think we have enough cheesy rom coms with song titles as movie titles, if you get what I mean. So yes, please catch this if you can!

I will leave you with the video of the soundtrack that made me want to watch the movie.

Did I like the movie? I did. My brother didn’t enjoy it as much, though. If you’ve seen it, let me know your feedback via the comments below (but please avoid any spoilers).

Photo credit: Apocalypse Child Facebook Page