The Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) is an annual film festival organized by the Metro Manila Development Authority and held nationwide in the Philippines.
Maraming gustong gawin ang ‘Love You So Bad.’ Ang malaking kaso nga lang, masyadong mabilis ang pagbabahagi ang lahat ng relasyon, karakter at storyline. ‘Di man lamang hinimay-himay, basta bato lang ng bato; bahala na sa audience kung sasapul ba sa ulo nila o hindi. Nung umalis nga ako sa sinehan, wala akong dala-dala na galing sa pelikula, maliban lang sa naririndi kong mga tainga.
‘Call Me Mother’ demonstrates that motherhood transcends gender and is not defined by birth or blood. It comes in many forms, each leaving a meaningful impact on a child’s life.
‘Unmarry’ by Jeffrey Jeturian explores annulment as a grueling negotiation with law, memory, and selfhood. Anchored by strong performances, the film is restrained, compassionate, and at times, heartbreaking.
At the end of the day, I would have loved for ‘Shake, Rattle & Roll: Evil Origins’ to explore more of colonial horror and how it haunts generations, but it barely gives us anything to work with.
‘Bar Boys: After School’ follows former dreamers who have already crossed the finish line they once chased, only to find themselves facing a different kind of uncertainty. Ten years pass, and the film places licensed lawyers beside struggling students, showing how ambition does not vanish with success but takes a new shape. The film carries familiar lives forward and opens the story into a reflection on fatigue, compromise, and a form of hope that persists within a system that fails to meet people halfway.
‘Manila’s Finest’s’ posturing of a distinct personal experience during a pivotal moment in Philippine history belies a more minutely bleak, complex, and gut-churning deconstructive narrative.
Krystel Go and Earl Jonathan Amaba lead with charm in this romantic film, where two persons with Down Syndrome find love and grow up. ‘I’MPERFECT’ roots for them like we do, but tells their story while holding our hands more than it needs to.
Articles about previous iterations of the Metro Manila FIlm Festival can be found here
‘Hold Me Close’ squanders its potential to explore the intersection of fate and personal choice, leaving audiences with surface-level concepts and underdeveloped characters.
‘The Kingdom’ never provides a satisfying answer to what the Philippines would be like if it was uncolonized. What we end up here is a film that inspires the imagination, but would rather settle for a world that is a mere reflection of our own.
‘Espantaho’ showcases a realistic terror that is ever-present in Philippine cinema: the melodramatic dread of familial complications. Though, that ends up being the scariest part of the film even when pit against a supernatural entity.
Puso pa rin ng teatro ang tumitibok sa ‘Isang Himala.’ Sa kabila ng mga pagbabagong matapang nitong sinuong, nananatiling maingat, makatwiran, at makabuluhan ang muli nitong paglalathala ng kwento ng Cupang.
‘And the Breadwinner Is…’ is the typical family drama that Filipinos love. It has plenty of moments that will break your heart and build you back up.
‘Green Bones’ reminds us to never lose hope, even in the face of uncertainty, to strive to be good people, and to ultimately live a good life whenever we can.
‘Strange Frequencies: Taiwan Killer Hospital’ offers a new perspective to cater to the field of horror films with clever characterization tactics and technical modernization.
‘Uninvited’ delivers a high-stakes journey of vengeance, powered by stellar performances but falls short of fully exploring the complexities of its subject matter.
Arjo Atayde’s haunted, steely stoicism is an adequate anchor to hold ‘Topakk’ on. There are plenty of fist-pumping viscera to be found, but the film’s lack of grasp on its chaos hurts it more often than not.
‘My Future You’ plays with space and time but the love between its characters is no more than the cute moments in the film. The film is an entry to the 50th Metro Manila Film Festival.
