BY GUEST REVIEWER:
KL CARPIO
KL CARPIO
Randolph Longja's Buy Now, Die Later greets with a gentle surprise in this year's Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) by putting the horror-comedy anthology genre into a well-baked cake that has never tasted this good.
Buy Now, Die Later is composed of five stories weaved together by a Devil-owned merchandise shop that preys on desperate people. The victims buy items from Santi, played by Sana Dati actor TJ Trinidad.
Santi does not accept money as payment from people who buy in his shop. He, instead, provides his victim's needs in exchange of their life. And each item bought has its own terms and conditions.
Here, the evil Santi deals with struggling photojournalist, Odie (Vhong Navarro) in "Masid" a frustrated celebrity, Chloe (Alex Gonzaga) in "Dinig"; Pippa (John Lapus), a lonely and severely insecure transgender in "Halimuyak"; Ato (Rayver Cruz), an ambitious chef and business owner of a newly established restaurant, in "Sarap"; and Maita (played by Ms. Lotlot de Leon and Janine Guttierez), a stage mother driven by faith of self-redemption through her daughter's success in the entertainment industry in "Kanti".
An anthology is not an easy take. And most of the time, local anthologies greatly fail to amuse and even experience shattering criticisms from intellectual moviegoers. But Longjas, unlike other filmmakers, knows how to deal with an anthology in the most glorious way possible; like a farmer who knows what to do with a dying farm-- he brings it back to life.
BNDL is also a showcase of impressive character portrayals. From the major character down to the minor. Each segment focuses on a material that deals with our five senses, which is noticeable if you try to look at how it was written by Ronald Allan Habon.
Albeit absurd plot holes and logical awareness that can often be realized in this sort of genre, Longjas was able to pull off a well-curated execution through supervising the production design and his good treatment of the script.
The performance of the lead and supporting actors does not disappoint, with a stand-out from John Lapus, even if we've seen him more than a few times already. TJ Trinidad's evilness glows in the dark until he transforms into a less convincing, literal monster; Ms. Lotlot de Leon is a real homage herself; Alex Gonzaga's hysteria was truly felt; Rayver Cruz and Vhong Navarro's desperation is as pleasing as can be; and Janine Gutierrez's film debut does not disappoint. Gutierrez's main contribution to "Kanti" is her genuine dedication to the script, pulling off the natural elegance of her physique. I hope to see more of her.
What is also good in this film is that it keeps you seated and glued to the screen. It snatches the bad realization away and you are later surprised by what you thought was impossible-- examples are "Dinig" and "Sarap."
"Masid," however, is the weakest of the five episodes, while "Halimuyak" is definitive due to the portrayal of Lapus together with Markki Stroem and Cai Cortez. "Kanti" is best served at the end due to its wonderment, but it lacks the thrill that we need.
The camera work and production design click here, aided by the sound design of filmmaker and music composer Jerrold Tarog.
In matters of enjoyment and guilty pleasure, Buy Now, Die Later is the better refreshment than the horror anthology series served to us in MMFF's previous years, i.e., Shake, Rattle & Roll. And it does not compromise. But please, don't let Cruz and Navarro fight in front of the camera for the sake of thrill. People are not buying it.
KL's RATING: 3.5 out of 5 stars
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