I am a fan of Jun Lana's Die Beautiful, a 2016 drama and comedy film that premiered at the 29th Tokyo International Film Festival. The film won the Audience Award while the lead actor, Paolo Ballesteros won Best Actor. Die Beautiful (2016) garnered the attention it received. In fact, the film deserves more because of its beautiful narrative and lovable characters.
So when I heard Jun Lana has another film starring Paolo Ballesteros and Christian Bables together with Martin del Rosario, I was excited. The film is called The Panti Sisters which was an entry to the 2019 Pista ng Pelikulang Pilipino. Unfortunately, I missed the festival last year but this week, the film finally arrived on Netflix.
The Panti Sisters (2019)
Comedy | 13 September 2019 (Pista ng Pelikulang Pilipino, Philippines)
Director: Jun Lana
Three gay siblings are told by their terminally ill father that they must each produce a grandchild in order to inherit their share of his fortune. THE REVIEW
I have high hopes for The Panti Sisters (2019) mainly because of Die Beautiful (2016). But that does not mean I believe it can replace the latter. Based on the trailer and synopsis, I already knew that this will be lighter.I honestly enjoyed the film from start to finish due to several funny and cute scenes. Paolo Ballesteros, Christian Bables and Martin del Rosario are great together. However, these were not enough to overlook the problems.
The film left some gaps making me feel a little unsatisfied. For instance, the transition from one situation to another was too abrupt. I wasn't ready for the change of tone and could not quite process the next scene. So when that scene arrived, I wasn't able to react accordingly.
Though there is no doubt that the actors especially the great John Arcilla (Heneral Luna) can draw the right reaction from the audience, there was something lacking. And that would be the depth of the characters as well as their relationship with each other. So that when the time one of them leaves the plot the audience will feel sad.
Don't get me wrong. I don't need a "Dramarama sa Hapon" type of drama. I just wanted to feel the right emotions when something tragic happens to one of the characters. And most importantly, not think if this certain character is essential to the story.
Anyway, it does say in the film listing The Panti Sisters (2019) is under comedy. But since something tragic happened doesn't mean it does not deserve a proper execution. The Panti Sisters (2019) 6/10.
MAIN PHOTO: Screenshot from IMDb
