ANG MANANANGGAL SA UNIT 23B
JR's Rating: 
(9.5 out of 10, Excellent)
(9.5 out of 10, Excellent)
"An Allegory to the Issue of Drug-Related Deaths in Our Country"
POSITIVES
➕ Sexy & Daring "Manananggal"
➕ Use of Dark Imagery ➕ Du Bist Wunderschön ➕ Lola (Vangie Labalan) ➕ Beautiful Soundtrack ➕ Use of Posed Drug-Related Deaths |
NEGATIVES
|
One of the best uses of the manananggal in Philippine cinema which alternatively serves as an allegory to the unsolved drug deaths in our country. Banking on the traditional Filipino monster, Ang Manananggal Sa Unit 23B presents a unique take on the Filipino romance and horror genre never have I seen before. We see Jewel, The Manananggal, (Ryza Cenon) and Rico (Martin Del Rosario) playing your non-conventional couple in this flick. Jewel dreams of a normal life with her own "Prince Charming", while Rico struggles to move on from a failed relationship. Both eventually deal with various circumstances of life where eventually one discovers the most hidden secret of the other. With effective mix of graphic and sensual scenes, the movie masterfully presents the manananggal's killing sprees in a manner that pushes the boundaries of what your typical Filipino horror movie looks like. The manananggal's transformation is a memorable one which uses realistic special effects. The scenes were masterfully taken, most of which utilizing the beauty of night and darkness at its best. The soundtrack was, for me, the best asset of the film as they mix perfectly with the story and scenes. I personally loved Vangie Labalan's performance as Rico's lola who usually initiates the spark between the two (especially that scene where she reminisce her German husband's "you're beautiful" line). Her death was a sad one though. The movie also makes good use of the drug killing problem in our country, explicitly showing deaths which are posed as drug-related. The ending speaks a thousand possibilities, leaving us guessing what could have possibly happened to the dynamic duo. Ang Manananggal Sa Unit 23B is a great entry in the very first Pista ng Pelikulang Pilipino.
#AngManananggalSaUnit23B #Manananggal
#2017Movies #MovieReviews #JRMovieReviews
#PistaNgPelikulangPilipino
Image Reference: Fandango
Time Published: 18 August 2017 (9:00 PM)
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