Are you familiar with Mikhail Red's works? He is the director of the award-winning film Birdshot (2016) which he co-wrote with Rae Red.
The coming-of-age thriller is his sophomore feature and won awards such as the CJ Entertainment Award at the Asian Project Market Awards during the 20th Busan International Film Festival as well as the Best Asian Future Film Award at the 29th Tokyo International Film Festival. It's also worth mentioning that Birdshot is the first Filipino film released worldwide by Netflix.
Not only is Birdshot visually beautiful, but it is also very thought-provoking. Though "loss of innocence" is a common theme in a coming-of-age film, Birdshot was able to give the audience another view - a good view of the present state of humanity and moral decay.
After this, he directed another thriller called Neomanila (2017) which I missed. But the next I did get the chance to watch in theatres as well as on Netflix. Well, I wasn't aware it was already on Netflix but my social media feed was filled with comments that it was scary and so on.
I honestly didn't find it that scary but first here's the trailer and synopsis.
Director: Mikhail Red
Writers: Mariah Reodica, Mikhail Red and Rae Red
Stars: Bea Alonzo, Charo Santos-Concio
The unexpected and gruesome death of a student threatens the existence of an old Catholic school for girls. Pat Consolacion (Bea Alonzo), the school guidance counsellor, involves herself with the students in the hopes of helping them cope, and at the same time uncover the mysteries of the student's death. Most students suspect of the strict and borderline abusive Mother Alice (Charo Santos-Concio), who also threatened Pat's tenure in the school because of her continuous meddling with the case. But Pat's unusual talents lead her to know Eri, a former student who's been watching the whole school for years. Piece by piece, Pat uncovers the secret of the school and the monster that is nurtured for the past century.
I mentioned before that I am from a Catholic school and I studied film. All I am saying is that I have heard and seen this type of story developed in class. So I am not new to Eerie's concept and probably most people.
Now don't get me wrong. I enjoyed watching Eerie because every scene presents classic and stunning visuals. This reminds me of director Mikhail Red's work in Birdshot (2016). It's so well-crafted that it doesn't matter if it's a day or night shot. Every element you see on screen is a feast for the eyes. That as well as the actors.
Bea Alonzo, who is known for romance and drama genres showed off her versatility in Eerie. Charo Santos-Concio, on the other hand, has an incredible screen presence. Whenever she's there, I wanted to run and hide or just go to class. Or, pray that I'm not in her class. Anyway, they both shined in Eerie and I honestly want to see them together in this type of film again.
Now for the story. They touched many other topics - bullying, corporal punishment, education system, and domestic violence to name a few. I honestly think touching certain topics outside the supernatural can be beneficial. It can make the story more interesting and deep; however, they could have just picked a few that would support the original structure. Then they can delve into those deeply so the audience has something even more solid to hold onto.
I say this because I only remember how beautiful the film was and how great the actors were. I am a fan of such storyline but I have yet to see the perfect one. Judging by Birdshot and his latest projects, I think director Mikhail Red will soon present it. This is after all his first foray into the horror genre. IMDb 7/10