Yesterday night I watched the movie Serbis at Picturehouse at The Cathay Cineplex, my first time in this place.
I went straight after work to catch the 7:25pm schedule. I arrived quarter before 7:00pm and bought ticket at the ground floor of the building, the cinemas are on the 5th floor. There is on-going photo exhibit of the old cinema buildings and other movie memorabilia at the ground floor lobby.
I took a quick japanese meal at Quickbites in the basement level. This is the same japanese food I partaken at Tang's Market only of different resto name. Indeed it takes me only 10 minutes to consume the food.
I went straight to the fourth floor where the cinema lobby is. Aside from the Picturehouse, there are 7 more regular cinemas in this building.
The Picturehouse has an exclusive lounge where you can have your refreshments as food and drinks are not permitted inside the theater. I didn't come in, the door sign says close.
I was the first to come in then others followed after I was settled in. The theater was half full or maybe a little over. I seated unaware on the wrong seat so I was rudely been told to vacate at once by the manly guy who smells fish, you know what I mean. He is with his two friends and I suspected they came to not to watch but to see the movie. And they were not disappointed as Coco Martin semen covered genital was exposed right after copulation, imagine that.
Serbis is a story about what's going on inside a dilapidated movie theater and the dysfunctional family who runs and owns it. I will not tell you here the plot of the story, but my opinion on how do I find the movie. The movie is visually gruesome and filthy. The director way of story telling is liken to a juggler, and he doesn't care to resolve all of the subplots he is juggling. As he is not contented with the patrons lip smacks, moans, offers of serbis and mumbled haggling, he trains his nakakahilong roving camera on the family walking and running, the disgusting flooded toilets, and lahat ng dugyot in explicit detail pati nga pigsa pinatulan. There is one scene where the projectionist is urinating on the bottle because maybe he is too lazy to go to toilet or Mendoza just want to expose another genital, again the three guys were roused to see the huge manhood.This is Mendoza telenovela. Imagine a goat running inside while the film is showing and the moviegoers end up chasing until the goat is gone ( Comedy) and a thief entered the building being chased by a policeman (Action).
And Drama - Penida matriarch brings to court her husband for bigamy. In an ironic twist, his son Jerome opts to testify on behalf of his father. His reasoning is simple - a guilty verdict would mean his father has legal obligation to his current family which means may makakahati pa silang magkakapatid sa mamanahin when his father leave earth. He and his siblings neglect about their mother's feeling, lahat ng paghihirap para maitaguyod sila mula ng iwan sila nung tatay nila. I don't know how much is left for them that made the siblings connive against their mother, Mendoza didn't tell he is busy showing the filthy moviehouse. A mother's revenge or cash for desperate family? Mga anak na walang utang na loob.
I like Gina Pareno character in the movie, strong-willed matriarch. She was at her best when she comes down on stairs and went straight to the ticket booth, you can feel her character.
Serbis is an art film according to Mendoza, a negative depiction of the country and it's people. So slumdog. A couple didn't bother to finish the movie, they left abruptly in the middle of the showing. I have one suggestion to Mendoza, please watch and study "Himala". There are other ways of being extremely creative under worst circumstances.
