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In spite of the storied history of thought-provoking adult-oriented fare in the Metro Manila Film Festival, we rarely see these kinds of films appear in recent time due to the rise of the “box office hits” - films that earn a shit-ton of money, but have little to nothing of note to offer after their time has come and gone. Recently, Honor Thy Father tried to buck that trend but it got crucified for daring to be different. We’ve thankfully gotten more of them over the past few years, but not on a level that dares to push boundaries hard. With Dan Villegas’ Uninvited starring Vilma Santos and Aga Muhlach, do we finally have that one film that doesn’t just dare to push said boundaries, but obliterate them? Read for our review!
Vilma Santos stars as Eva Candelaria, a guest invited to the birthday party of Guilly Vega (Muhlach), a grade-A scumbag celebrating his 55th birthday. Was she actually invited to the party? What is she doing in the party? There are so many questions that will be raised during the course of this film whose answers will leave your jaws on the floor. We won’t spoil them here. Period.
It’s very hard to talk about this film without giving anything away, so we’ll just glean over the basics: Firstly, Santos is as great as she’s ever been; yes, even better than her award-winning turn in last year’s MMFF for When I Met You in Tokyo. At this point in her career, watching a Vilma Santos performance is like seeing a new Meryl Streep joint. There’s nothing that can be said that’s already been said about her, but here she takes things to a whole new level. Again, we won’t say why, but trust us. She brings it. And she brings it hard. We won’t be surprised if another Best Actress nomination is in the bag.
Back in 1996, the world was treated to an oft-forgotten gem of a film called Sa Aking Mga Kamay. The film featured excellent performances and a great script, but it is most remembered for the spectacular, out-of-type performance by one Aga Muhlach as Gene Rivera, the terrifying malevolent force known as the Cattleya Killer. In a country where being typecast is the rule and not the exception, Muhlach’s performance stands forever as a testament to the actor’s excellent range. Fast forward to 2024, and we are once again blessed with another Muhlach tour-de-force; Aga is breathtakingly spectacular as the despicable Guilly, as he imbues the character with a dangerously magnificent evil glint in his eye that is reminiscent of Heath Ledger’s Joker or Leonardo DiCaprio’s Calvin Candie. One can tell that he’s having the time of his life playing this bastard, and that joy is utterly infectious as you absolutely cannot take your eyes off the screen when he’s on it.
The rest of the cast brings their A-game as well, with notable turns from both Nadine Lustre and Gabby Padilla in roles that are best left to be experienced unsullied. Dodo Dayao’s impressive script brings a crackling energy to the entire 93-minute roller coaster ride, and Len Calvo’s pulse-pounding score accentuates the brutal intensity of the film. All of this would be for naught if the man at the helm wasn’t up to snuff, and thankfully Villegas masterfully weaves together all these cinematic parts to create an instant classic that will surely live beyond 2024.
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