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Warning: This review might contain spoilers.
THE Jun Robles Lana masterpiece About Us But Not About Us has surely lived up to the 10 awards it bagged during the first edition of the Summer Metro Manila Film Festival.
Along with its breathtaking screenplay, spectacular cinematography, and the faultless mise-en-scéne that fits like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle, the psychological thriller drama starring Romnick Sarmenta and Elijah Canlas immerses its viewership in an intense mind game that leaves them awe-struck in their seats.
READ: ‘About Us But Not About Us’ sweeps 10 Summer MMFF wins
Still from ‘About Us But Not About Us’
The movie at a glance
Written and directed by Lana himself, the film was initially released in November 2022 and won the best film critics picks award at the 2022 PÖFF Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival in Estonia.
It was also shortlisted for the 2023 Fantasporto Film Festival in Portugal and the 2023 Mardi Gras Film Festival in Sydney.
This drama recounts the story of a professor and his student as they shared over 90 minutes discussing wide-ranging topics from literature, their personal lives, romantic relationships, to their ruinous secrets, hideous lies, and their darkest desires and impulses.
Still from ‘About Us But Not About Us’
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Two powerful actors in an ‘unfurnished’ set
About Us But Not About Us may not be as generous as other films in terms of the ensemble and locations it features. But it was far from deficient when it comes to the necessary context and emotive elements to completely hook its audience into discovering what lies ahead for the two queer characters Ericson (played by Sarmenta) and Lancelot (portrayed by Canlas).
During the 91-minute film, Eric and Lance spend most of their time seated in front of each other at a two-person dining table in a steak diner.
The movie’s spare cast did not hinder Lana from delivering his signature straightforward narrative flavored with unexpected twists and turns, which is why its audience might very well think the film is better off with two complex but sensical characters than one with many but irrelevant ones.
Still from ‘About Us But Not About Us’
Lana cleverly used Eric and Lance’s characters to portray the role of another character, Markus, in both of their lives. The limited setting also helped the actors in impressively displaying their facial expressions that provided more depth to the already drowning storyline.
The variation of the lights, colors, and angles employed in the film also played a crucial role in displaying several themes that were discussed throughout About Us But Not About Us, including power imbalance, greed, career ambition, relationship failure, and sex work among others.
Feelings over truth
One of the most notable takeaways from the film is a quotation from Eric that shows that sometimes, feelings are more important than the truth.
Ultimately, this leads its viewers to a reminder that they should be as sensitive and considerate to other people’s emotions as much as they are honest with them.
Still from ‘About Us But Not About Us’
While it can be true that most of the time, the truth can be excruciatingly cruel, there could be other ways to spill the beans without stepping on their toes.
About Us But Not About Us also shares an important message to the audience regarding greed and ambition: Do not go where you do not belong.
