Take on Cinemalaya entry: Transit

If you haven't seen Transit yet, go Tran-see-it :p! Yes, it's heavy and kind of depressing but it is beautifully made and is definitely not Transhit (sorry for the cheesiness -_-, I love word plays)

It is another film about OFWs and the hardships they battle to live for money and for their family. But what I like about Transit is that it explored more outside its main subject. It presented more adversities of being an OFW while focusing on a single setting. In this film, it's Israel. I got a glimpse of life in Israel because of Transit.

I also love its narration. It focused on one Filipino family and was able to show the stories of each member dramatically. The screenplay is really good and the editing was commendable. It's very realistic and the Hebrew parts were impressive. All of their efforts created a great film.

Speaking of Hebrew, the actors were able to convince the viewers that they really speak the language. They sound so legit and it helped on making the film more authentic. Irma Adlawan was fantastic as a mother with a daughter (played by Jasmine Curtis-Smith) whose father is an Israeli. Jasmine Curtis-Smith is a revelation and a legit talent. Her character cannot understand nor speak Filipino and she's very convincing in her acting and the way she spoke Hebrew. I cannot judge them if they spoke the Hebrew language well or if it is right, but they sure sound like they know the language. These 2 actresses have several heavy scenes that for sure touched many of its viewers. Other actors such as Ping Medina, Mercedes Cabral and the kid, Marc Justine Alvares also showed brilliant performances. The cast definitely delivered and it added to the reasons why Transit did not disappoint. That's 150 pesos and 2 hours of my life well spent. Jasmine Curtis-Smith is my favorite though. Not only her acting, but her character is also a standout in the film. Oh and by the way, Toni Gonzaga randomly appeared in the film. :)

I cannot end this review without recognizing its cinematography. Israel is sublime! and it was photographed amazingly in several still shots throughout the film. Well, there are a few (very few) motion shots that are headache inducing but still, they're beautifully filmed. I love when they showed the Bar Mitsvah, I've always wanted to see something like that. They managed to show the beautiful sides of Israel without concentrating on the place, but because it is needed to the story. I also have to add that I really like the title logo :3

As a film, it's not the most exciting of the Cinemalaya entries that I've seen but it's definitely on top of the list in terms of its technical specs.