Mina-Anud - A Drug Movie Unlike The Others

There has been a lot of drug-inspired movies since Duterte was elected as President, and most of them are gritty, dark, and bloody which wants to depict the complicated and deadly world of drugs, cartels, and the market.

Mina-Anud comes at the time that people seems to be fed up of the same theme yet they want to present the situation in a whole new light. The movie brought an unusual pairing of fisherfolks, surfers, and cocaine. Though there was recent real life news of this happening on coastal provinces, the film wants to expand it into a story that will make it a movie worth watching for.

Starring Dennis Trillo, Jerald Napoles, and Matteo Guidicelli, the film was initially shown as a closing film at the recent Cinemalaya Film Festival. It is now showing in theaters nationwide via Regal Entertainment. 

The plot of having surfers and fishermen getting involved in the drug trade has both a comedic and serious approach with their characters. It makes use of black comedy to portray satirical situations and the relationship of family and friends which invokes the Filipino feeling and complexity.

REEL DEAL: Mga Gabing Kasing Haba ng Hair Ko REVIEW

This film with an interestingly catchy title is not just the regular queer themed movie as it has also made it to the Busan International Film Festival this October. Mga Gabing Kasing Haba ng Hair Ko (Those Long Haired Nights) presents 3 stories of transgenders who live and work in the red light district and they each have a story to tell.

As long as their strands, the life of Tuesday (Daclan), Amanda (Falcon), and Barbie (Salumbides) are a mix of fun and tragic consequences. We might be familiar to them as they reveal themselves with the people they work and relate to. Sex and drugs is expected but there is also some scenes that surprise the viewers.

Though I was also expecting the actors playing transgenders to be "lady like" appeal, they did great in portraying their roles despite looking buff. Each has his/her own charm with their first impression, to the way they progress to their own stories. A mix of light and heavy moments makes its a journey to their lives though we wanted to see more, probably a short backstory.