One wonders why Kaleidoscope World was admitted to this year's MMFF. The annual film festival champions commercial viability in Philippine cinema, so seeing a movie such as this--sans any commercial appeal--is a mystery.
Sure, there are exceptions in recent history. What comes to mind is Thy Womb, the universally acclaimed indie film that bombed in the box office. It was pitted against titans such as Sisterakas and Panday that it really had no chance.
But Kaleidosope World is no Thy Womb. Unlike the latter film, Kaleidoscope World is artistically bankrupt, forgettable and technically flawed.
Kaleidoscope World tells the story of Lando de Guzman (Sef Cadayona) and Elsa de Joya (Yassi Pressman), two young dancers who meet in an audition for a national street dance team. They fall in love, but their different societal standings and tragic pasts threaten their relationship.
The film feels like the work of an amateur. Framing is faulty, as there are shots when the character speaking are cut off from the frame. Most scenes are blurred, and the audio is either too loud, too soft, muted, or has this annoying echo.
Story-telling is not that strong, either. The first half is not very original, but it was familiar and serviceable. Then it illogically spirals into a tragic MMK-type story in the second half, with twists that come out of nowhere.
Let me spoil it for you: it turns out that Lando's father died because of Elsa's uncle. It gets worse. Realizing what happened in the past, Elsa runs off to Lando's place among the slums. While on the way, she gets stabbed by holduppers, and she dies in Lando's arms.
Or does she? The end shows the two together after a dance contest, like nothing happened. So why was the tragedy added? So the lead stars can get nods for their acting, and so they may get nominations?
Does it even matter? What Kaleidoscope World should have been is a story of two young dancers who find themselves while committing to their passion for dancing. But the movie is a complete mess that it is a disservice to the young dancing community it wants to echo.
0 comments: