Eat me: A review of ‘Namets!’
Do you prefer the breast or the leg? In regard to chicken, that is. It’s a question pondered and ruminated upon in Jay Abello’s Namets! (Apparently, those who are well off prefer the former while the less so the latter.) Set in
Incurring a huge debt to a local kingpin Boss Dolpo, Jacko gives up his Italian restaurant to pay it off. But given his gift as a chef, he’s kept on as both an employee and part owner. However, the new establishment will no longer serve Italian food but native cuisine. The suggestion is made courtesy of the consultant brought in by Boss Dolpo. The catch is that it’s no other than Cassie — Jacko’s former flame, whom he unceremoniously dumped in high school.
Over the course of the narrative, the film is interspersed with vignettes that further elucidate the theme of food and personal relationships. It’s also a chance for the filmmakers to show off a bit. In particular, the movie’s opening is impressively staged and filmed. It’s a folk tale of sorts concerned with the discovery of cooked chicken. (Think 2001’s Dawn of Man episode or Quest For Fire but set amid the roar of one of the province’s waterfalls, with primitive men who’re gastronomically astute to the succulence of fowl-flesh. Making food, not war.)
But of all these digressions, the singularly most entertaining — and certainly affecting — stars none other than independent film icon Ronnie Lazaro. In it, he portrays a farmer bent on slaughtering the livestock for food, but for the protestations of his son. Pleading for the life of his “pets” — all of whom he has lovingly given names to — the son swears he won’t eat his friends. “What will we eat then?” asks Lazaro’s character. To his dismay, his son answers him, “veggies.”
Ostensibly the film is a romantic comedy. Therein lies its weakness. Although the laughs are certainly there, they never serve to push the romance of the two characters forward. Abello and scriptwriter Vincent Groyon tackle the development of the two protagonists’ relationship with little relish. It’s almost as if it’s beneath them to attempt to induce swoons in their audience. With that said, they certainly strike one as being more intelligent and audacious than, let’s say, Richard Curtis. However, maybe a little more love would’ve spiced up the stew.
The ensemble of actors — all of them from the province except for Locsin — is remarkable. It’s not that the film is filled with dramatic set pieces fit for the Oscar nomination clip. Instead, each one is cast just right, even in the most minor of roles. Veteran director Peque Gallaga plays the gibbering but commanding Boss Dolpo with much gusto. His right-hand man (i.e. translator) is none other than character actor and Gallaga stalwart Dwight Gaston. Other notable members of the cast include Joel Torre, JM Rodriguez and Monsour del Rosario. (The latter is impeccably cast as Babyboy Labayen, Cassie’s roguish older brother.)
However, the film’s charm is due in no small measure to the talents of its two lead actors. Already a fine actor, Christian Vazquez’s performance is not muscle-bound, allowing a sensitivity to come through the male brooding. But it’s Angel Jacob’s turn as Cassie that truly delights. Playing the character as both pugnacious yet naïve, she is entirely convincing — more impressive, given that the script was predominantly in a dialect she’s never spoken before. Jacob is a natural actress — blessed with winsome charisma, galliard screen presence and an unaffected elegant manner. One suspects this is what she should’ve been doing all along.
Namets! is certainly lighter than most independent cinema these days. Don’t mistake it as being lightweight. In fact, it’s a much more filling treat than most of what’s on the menu these days.
