Director: Dodo Dayao
Year: 2021
Country: Philippines
Alternate Titles: N/A
Genre: Supernatural
Plot:
In a near-future Manilla, several friends who doubt the stories about mysterious beings hiding in the darkness during city-wide blackouts are soon caught up in a terrifying struggle when a blackout occurs and they’re forced to seek shelter in a designated safe house that may not provide the help they need.
Review:
Generally, there’s quite a lot to like about this one. Among the best features is an engrossing setup that offers a fantastic premise for the supernatural horror to emerge. The world of rampant drug use and sketchy attitudes towards the imposed lockdowns relating to the strange blackouts that cause citizens to vanish unexpectedly is immersive enough to be quite chilling and terrifying throughout here. As this universe presents an idea of the city as a run-down sinkhole despite the technological progress mentioned around the country, the introduction of this strange event that causes anyone who gets caught up in ty to be affected regardless of their social stature is a rather novel idea. The aftermath of this all, involving the complete erasure from society and social media like they never existed, speaks rather pointedly about the real-life terror of being wiped from existence by totalitarian governments or other such nefarious figures, enhancing the film even further.
On top of that, the horror scenes seen throughout here are quite fun. Given the way this enhances the darkness of the blackouts to the point of absolute black save for the light on camera phones, the sense of isolation and genuine discomfort is easily achieved. That most of them are accompanied by a strange, eerie electronic buzzing noise coming from an undetermined source within the blackness is a fantastic ploy to ramp up the tension and unease throughout the sequence when married together alongside the backstory about the fates of victims who are caught outside. The panic and confusion felt when the group has to race through the streets to reach a safe house and find out that one of them is still outside is carried over into the scenes of everyone trying to come to terms with where they are and what to do next. The extended scenes later on when they venture out into the dark to rescue their fallen friend provide some tense sequences which provide a great build to the finale where the true nature of the disappearances is revealed. There’s a rather creative idea here where some unconventional camera work that offers a different take on how to do a creature confrontation that comes into play here which combines with the lone gore scene in the film to make for the positives on display.
That said, the film does have some slight issues. The main factor dragging it down is a slow-burn pace in the first half to build up the premise which is done at the expense of introducing the horror elements at all during this section. The whole idea of dropping people into this world of rampant drugs, strange stories about people disappearing during blackouts, and growing resent with their status is all inferred from the characters and situation. Granted, that makes for a genuinely authentic, lived-in universe, but not spending time on how it all came to be creates a somewhat off-putting feel once the initial lockdown occurs and they’re forced to race to a safe house. To focus on drama involving relationships with a drug dealer, work issues or daily life struggles rather than offering up explanations for what’s going on would’ve been a much more suitable use of time. The only other issue here is the lack of context surrounding the finale, as the attempt to go in a more unconventional route could be highly disappointing for some. Viewers who want a definitive answer regarding the fates of the characters might not like the way this makes far more ambiguous resolutions which is a potential preference factor for the viewer yet can hold this one down somewhat.
Overview: ***/5
A lot of fun with a great premise and some exciting moments playing up that premise, the film has more than enough to like that hold it up over some minor flaws that do crop up in here. Viewers who appreciate this kind of high-concept indie-style film or his previous work will have a lot to enjoy here while others who are turned off by the issues here should give this one some caution before going in.
This review was originally published on Asian Movie Pulse and is gratefully reprinted with their cooperation.
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