Elise - Unexpectedly Beautiful In Many Ways

It has been a while since we saw a good Pinoy film recently, this is probably we got used to the same formulaic money-making plots which though it brings in the audience, it is bad for film creativity. But I've stumble upon the latest film by Regal Entertainment which sparked my interest when my friends said it was really a good movie.

Elise is part of the first wave of movies the Regal group has launched this 2019. Knowing it has a love story plot made me think that it will be just like the other love stories with a shallow story, but it was surprisingly good and probably what we need for the film industry right now.

Though the plot was simple, Bert gets to be reunited with his first love Elise yet he also went through a lot of things in life with his family, friends and even strangers he just met, the execution was really good that I never had to re-imagine the scene to make it better.  It was a mix of first love feels, effective comedy (with Victor Anastacio), and drama that is like a knife that slowly pierces into the chest as the movie progresses. 

Though it still have some imperfections that can be neglected, the film in overall was effective in capturing audience emotions and nostalgia. It is also one of films is indeed worth watching from the usual Hollywood films. It's too bad that they are not getting more screens for more people to show it. Thus supporters has launched the hashtag #SaveElise and #BringBackEliseInCinemas.

Elise stars Janine Gutierrez, Enchong Dee, Victor Anastacio, Pilita Corrales, Jackie Lou Blanco, Erin Ocampo.  Directed by Joel Ferrer, now showing in cinemas.

Deliberation time kids! 

Film summary: The Interesting Life of Elise And Bert

Quotable quote: “Ako ang bahala sa iyo” - Elise

Technical Effects: 3 out of 5 stars (It was a film set decades ago, yet kept clues with subtle nostalgia)

Plot: 3 out of 5 stars (Though the concept is not new, it was pain and love became the factors of the plot)

Acting and Actors: 4 out of 5 stars (Echong and Victor were fun in comedic parts, Janine might have few screen times but made it work for her character) 

Pros:  Victor-Enchong comedy, subtle nostalgia, deviant storytelling
Cons: Some parts towards the end, unanswered questions

Music and Soundtracks:  4 out for 5 stars (The scoring was actually effective in the film and the OST was nicely integrated into one of scenes) 

Overall: Rating 4.3 out of 5 stars (It was indeed unexpected for me to like the film because of the sea of mediocre films which makes you lose hope in the industry, but thank God we have something different to make use believe that like love, art is persistent and evolving.)