Matangtubig (2015) User Reviews

Confusing, but has its pleasures

[alain-kapel5 · 6/10 · 26 August 2021]

An enigmatic Filipino crime drama revolving around a small town whose residents find themselves shaken up by a rape-murder case. It's not a typical genre film as it is mostly a series of observations detailing the disturbed peace in a place with a supposed zero percent crime rate. There are also surreal and supernatural elements at play here, and I personally couldn't make much sense of them. But while the film is quite confusing for me, it does have its merits, notably the atmospheric photography and a slightly creepy atmosphere in some scenes.

Naw! It's probably about the man in the moon

[PKazee · 9/10 · 6 July 2017]

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that I think this film is about our refusal to accept the potential for reprehensible violence in those close to us. Or even in nature. The bad element is always fashioned an outsider. When something truly awful happens, it's THEM not US. Something like THAT can simply NOT HAPPEN HERE. And our media comically contribute to this ridiculously false narrative with distancing, trivialization and spin... all as our beloved civic leaders busily position and protect themselves. Or maybe it's about the man in the moon. Your choice.

75/100 Gorgeous, great concept and atmosphere but

[tsimshotsui · 20 March 2017]

I hesitate to give this an 8. The score would probably be 7.5 to me. The film definitely should be credited for its gorgeous cinematography&composition and high production value (especially for a film that I doubt had a high budget). The atmosphere created by the beautiful mix of silence and suspenseful score is also of note. However, a really brief moment kind of stood out to me that I still couldn't really forget or let go even after finishing the film: I heavily question the necessity of showing the character's — a minor who had just been raped and murdered and whose corpse was being inspected by men — private parts, especially in that angle and perspective, with it being the focal point of the shot. It helped nothing, and if its aim was to provoke, well, that's really ***** up. My attention was also almost lost by the middle of the film. The pacing could have been tighter. The characters were not 'dense' enough or written well enough that you really care for them. They always feel distant; some too passive, others just existed to keep the mystery going. There were many perspectives, and while we get who the lead is, the lead should've been more emphasized by the narrative and the cinematography. Thankfully it has a cool ending. Once the audience figure it out, we see footage of this huge storm/typhoon. I like how it grounded the magic to that slice of reality. Thinking about that ending I still wish it was arrived at in a way that really earned it, because that is a really cool concept.