Entertainment

Lamentasyon

The film takes on a surrealist hue, a psycho-thriller aptly pushing the story to the thresholds and bringing focus on how OFWs hang teetering on the verge of that line separating sanity from beyond.
– By Jojo Dass

DUBAI: It’s been a long time coming, indeed.

A must-see film for every overseas Filipino worker (OFW) worth his daily grind, Lamentasyon, which had a red carpet premiere, Nov. 15 at VOX Cinemas in Grand Hyatt, sets the record straight about the oft-repeated tales of the hard knock life endured by Pinoys working abroad.

It peels away sugar coatings of the much ballyhooed yet half-hearted, if not totally desultory, remarks about OFWs being modern day heroes to reveal humans with psychological and emotional shackles trying to keep up with the existential ball and chain of life.

From not being duly appreciated for putting up with inherited family miseries to boot camp, spoon-to-mouth realities that kick them out of bed every morning, never before has there been a film that came so close to telling it as it is – no holds barred!

The film takes on a surrealist hue, a psycho-thriller aptly pushing the story to the thresholds and bringing focus on how OFWs hang teetering on the verge of that line separating sanity from beyond.

The plot revolves around Samuel, a newly-hired chef in Dubai who has to deal with financial obligations to his family back home. Samuel experiences strange occurrences that make him distrustful of everyone, including his own. He gets help from Mang Gerry, a bizarre roommate, who seems to be aware of what he has been going through.

Samuel is played by Dexter Dalisay, a Dubai-based industrial engineer; Mang Gerry, by Emil Barcenilla, a well-known personality within Filipino entertainment circles in Dubai.

Lamentasyon also features other personalities in the UAE  Filipino community, among them Dr. Yasmin Balajadia-Cortez, Rico Mondejar, Josie Romulo, Bengs Hyu, Carl Quion, Rogel Nunez and The Filipino Times 2017 Artist of the Year, Dannabelle Guiterrez.

Directed by Archie Enriquez, The Filipino Times Filmmaker of the Year, Lamentasyonis the first ever full length film with an all OFW casts and crew.

The initial release date was set for Dec. 26, 2017 but has been moved earlier to Dec. 6 following the success of the premier night. Public Screening is December 6-12, Deira City Center.

By the way, did we say the actors played their roles like pros?

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