The darkness that lies within: 'Deleter' review

MANILA, Philippines  — Nadine Lustre gives horror another go, this time under the direction of Mikhail Red, to unearth the dark secrets found on the web and beyond it.

Lustre stars as Lyra, a content moderator tasked with deleting graphic and violent material on the Internet before they make their way to social media.

Lyra comes off as unfazed by such disturbances, but when her past begins to intertwine with a traumatic event and late night occurrences at her office, keeping a straight face proves much harder than before.

Red is no stranger to the horror genre, having given it a stab in "Eerie" and "Block Z," though his best works remain his early projects like "Birdshot" and "Rekorder."

The framework of content moderation is an interesting premise given the thrills that the Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) 2022 Best Picture winners decide to tackle, but how it and the corporate system factor into the characters' psyches somehow leaves more to be desired.

Granted, the film isn't lacking for surprises, but in terms of depth, there appears to be a mountain of opportunity to explore how trauma and silence are even bigger factors than people often take them to be.

For a film that nearly takes place in the dark, be it by intentional dim lighting or happenstance, "Deleter" does well to emphasize two major elements — its leading lady in Lustre and the color red.

Perhaps it is just coincidence that the MMFF 2022 Best Director shares the same name with a color associated with intensity, but the film does well to make it stand out. That's not just with the typical lighting and blood; it extends to Lyra's belongings, her clothing — red almost acts as a signal, if not a warning.

As for Lustre, the nuanced expressions she gives is just right for her characterization. There is no need for a damsel in distress, Lyra has grown apathetic because of the things she has witnessed and for that subtlety is required, which the MMFF 2022 Best Actress pulls off.

If there is anything else that Red and his team should be credited for, it's for positive restraint. There are many moments in the movie where lesser filmmakers would have thrown in a jump scare or attempted to be creative, but the relatively young Red and company hold off for the right moments, and the film succeeds better for it.

The climax is pulsating, but the resolution leaves something to be desired, but not to the point of dismissing everything that came before it. The editing, score and sound design are clear-cut, the production design claustrophobic, the cinematography leaden but necessary — all worthy of technical praise.

"Deleter" contains images that could affect the faint of heart, but it shows there are more sinister and grim things happening around us, such moments that will take more amounts of courage from us to face.

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