The first of maybe two or three reviews.
Culion (Alvin Yapan) *** - This film is about three different women living in Culion, which was a leper colony during the American colonization of the Philippines before World War II. I feel like there are a couple of films fighting each other in this one film. One is an excellent drama about the plight of lepers during this period in history but it has moments of unnecessary melodrama that's way too on the nose in its big emotional moments. It does feel a bit compromised because this was made as an entry to the Metro Manila Film Festival, a film festival designed to appeal to the masses. There is a great film in there somewhere. That said, the performances are great and it's beautifully shot.
