An impressive maiden try

It would seem like Halloween has come early this year. Only July, and already, the Lady Horror series is on! This week we have Regal Films’ White Lady and M. Night Shyamalan’s The Lady in the Water, while next week is Chito Roño’s Sukob. With White Lady, we have a film whose provenence would have us thinking Heathers (school environment and the cliques that exist) and Carrie (making "api" the outsider or newcomer), with reverential nods to Things I Did Last Summer (the use of flashbacks to depict mistreatment of the new student) and Final Destination (for the procession of death by "traumas and fears"). Jeff Tan is the novice film director whom Mother Lily entrusted the film to, and it looks like her trust was well placed.

The fundamental reaction I had as I was viewing the film was how gorgeous the cinematography was! Collaborating with Tim Jimenez, the cinematographer, Jeff has made UP Los Baños look like autumn in some Ivy League university. The colors and hues are really impressive, and one is struck by how visual a creator Jeff can be. The dream sequences of Pauleen Luna’s character, Pearl, are also very effective. Weaned on music videos he created for his late mother, Bella Tan and her Universal Records label, Jeff’s transition from the TV screen to cinema is effortless, and welcome when it comes to visual pageantry. The backlight he provides the main characters, the manner in which he plays with darkness and shadows, the foreshadowing and foreboding he imbues in the film, and the false scary scenes which provide humor – they all point to a director more than ready to handle the technical aspects of filmmaking, and we can be assured he’ll only improve as more projects are handed to him.

If I had a problem with the film it would have to do more with the casting and acting capabilities of the young cast assembled. Angelica Panganiban as title character Cristine was a child actress, and along with Pauleen, one sees the contrast of how much more capable they are in entering and executing their characterizations. The clique of malcontent co-eds is led by Iwa Moto and while visually I understand why her looks had her garnering this coveted role, I have to confess that her mangling of her English lines had me wondering if this was an intended comic intrusion. When angry and declaiming about "The survival of the Feet-est", I had to look down and check out my shoes to keep my reaction to a minimum. Given that the role was that of a bitchy co-ed who had either lived in the States for a while, or had come from an exclusive school, one could have hoped for more versimilitude in her line delivery.

The boys had the same problem. Ketchup Eusebio is easily the most comfortable in front of the cameras. The others looked great (and they can thank Jeff for that), but the moments when they had to express horror or surprise left much to be desired. Given that the audience at the premiere were shrieking in adulation whenever these young matinee idols would appear on the screen, I guess people won’t really care. But me, I always get bothered by things like "reaction shots", and want the actors to be more effective in conveying emotions or motive. Like when Robbie (JC de Vera) offers to help Pearl with her music stand but never actually gets it from her, and lets her continue carrying it! What a gentleman I thought – only in words pala.

Still, this is an impressive maiden full length feature film by Jeff, and given the canny use of young stars from both television networks in the casting, I am sure their young fans will enjoy the outing. Better ensemble acting would have provided more chills to accompany the great visuals that left the more lasting impression on this writer.