5. Apocalypse Child (Mario Cornejo, Philippines)
The script is inspired by the shooting of “Apocalypse Now” in the area, as the crew of the film had quite a lot of “contact” with local girls, with many of those affairs resulting in illegitimate children. One of those children is Ford, a champion surfer, whose mother, Chona supposedly had him with Francis Ford Coppola himself (thus the name), when she was just 14 years old. At the time the story begins, Ford has a new girlfriend, Fiona, who seems to have touched something very deep inside him. However, when his childhood friend Rich, currently a senator, returns in the area with Serena, his fiancée, a lot of secrets from the past resurface, that seems to be connected with Rich's father and Ford's mother. Furthermore, Rich seems to be testing his fiancée by making her take surfing lessons from Ford.
Mario Carnejo directs a very entertaining film, that is based much on his and Monster Jimenez's (who co-wrote the script) sense of humor (the scene where Chona, makes her first appearance is a distinct sample), the dark secrets that shape the relationships of the characters, and the beauty of both the scenery and the actors. The concept of the children born by the affairs the crew of “Apocalypse Now” had with locals functions as a base, but is not addressed so much, as the film focuses on the antagonism of Ford and Rich, and the obvious erotic triangle that was bound to happen at some point. The entertaining aspect is also stressed by a number of artistically shot but definitely steamy sex scenes, and the fact that most of the protagonists usually roam around half naked. In that fashion, the film functions much as Hollywood productions in the setting of the beach.
In terms of acting, two performances stand apart. Ana Abad-Santos as Chona exemplifies the fact that due to her age, she is a more a friend than a mother to her son. The scenes where she is drunk or stoned are actually hilarious and adorable at the same time. Annicka Dolonius is also great as Fiona, particularly after the moments she begins to fear that she will lose Ford. The rest of the actors (Sid Lucero as Ford, Rk Bagatsing as Rich and Gwen Zamora as Serena) function nicely within the general aesthetics of the film, but do not excel in terms of acting.
6. Bitcoin Heist (Ham Tran, Vietnam)
Special agent Dada is set on catching Interpol's most wanted hacker, an individual who calls himself “The Ghost”, and has made a fortune in Bitcoins, through ransomware. She orchestrates a large operation targeting two of Ghost's associates, his accountant named Phuc and one of his henchwomen, Ky. The mission goes horribly wrong, ending up with Ky and a number of police officers dead, and Phuc in custody. Furthermore, during the operation, a hacker ends up in a coma after he succeeded in stealing 30.000 bitcoins from Ky's phone. His sister, Vi, also a hacker, barely survives and has to tend to her brother.
Dada decides to go after The Ghost without the help of the police and in that purpose, she assembles a group of skilled thieves and criminals of every kind to help her. The team includes Jack Magique, a professional magician and pickpocket, but also her former boyfriend; a forger named Luhan and his little daughter Linh, who has acrobatic skills and is also a thief; Phuc and Vi, who is set on revenge for her brother. Their target is Thomas, a Korean-German bon viveur, whom they have identified as The Ghost. All of them together conceive an intricate plan in order to surpass his safety measures and receive proof of his wrongdoings.
Ham Tran directs, pens, and edits a film very similar to Ocean's Eleven, both in script and aesthetics, with the obvious purpose of commercial success. In that fashion, the script entails sexy women with guns, handsome protagonists, some comic relief scenes, a cute girl, gunfights, a boat chase, explosions, a plot twist, some romance, and a little drama, in a true paradise for the action flick fan. However, it also includes a number of illogical occurrences, to the point of being naive, at times.
The casting also aimed at commercial success, as it includes real-life magician and TV persona Petey MajicNguyen as Jack Magique, top Vietnamese female rapper Suboi as Vi, gorgeous Kate Nhung as Dada and Thanh Pham as Phuc. As usual in similar films, the acting's purpose is to service the action, and Bitcoin Heist is not an exception. However, there is obvious chemistry among the protagonists.
7. The Road to Mandalay (Midi Z, Burma)
The story revolves around Lianqing, a Burmese woman who takes the trip from her country to Thailand, through rivers, forests, checkpoints and much bribing. In her trip, she meets a young man named Guo, who seems to like her, helping her from the moment they meet. Lianqing has some Burmese friends in Thailand, who give her a place to live and help her find a job. Initially they take her to large company, but they cannot hire her because she does not have legal papers. Eventually, she ends up washing dishes in a small restaurant for a very meager pay. She manages however, and even sends some money back home. Guo is still around, trying to persuade her to work at the factory he works, but she declines.
After some time, one of her roommates who seems to have a nervous breakdown, after losing her job, kicks her out. Furthermore, she is arrested and, although her employer manages to get her out of prison, he fires her. Having nothing else to do, she agrees to go work with Guo, and the two of them become a couple. Things start going better for her; however, as she is set on acquiring legal papers to work for the initial company she has visited, betrayal seems to come from every direction.
Midi Z directs and pens a film much like a documentary, since realism is evident in every aspect. The way Lianqing crosses to Thailand, her workplaces, the places she lives, the lives of other immigrants, and her efforts to acquire legal working permit all have a tincture of disillusionment, usually associated with documentaries. The lack of music and intricate cinematic techniques (except a metaphoric one involving a giant lizard) also move towards this direction.
Wu Ke-xi (Midi Z's regular) as Lianqing and Ko Kai as Guo both give great performances, in perfect harmony with the film's realism and general aesthetics. The former is extraordinary in her desperate efforts to achieve her goals, while he presents the unambitious, simple man who is blindly in love, with accuracy. Their chemistry is also evident and exemplified in a scene where he helps her wear a necklace he bought her. Overall, the acting by every single actor appearing on screen is so realistic, that occasionally seems as if it was real footage.
