WHISTLEBLOWER (2016) Review
Directed by Adolf Alix, Jr.
When you hear Nora Aunor, Angelica Panganiban and Cherry Pie Picache in one movie, you’ll think “Wow! What a cast!” Right? Because these three women are respected actresses because of their works. But Whistleblower is a disappointing project for the three.
The material is quite interesting and with the actors at hand, you’ll know nothing can go wrong. But the plot isn’t as interesting as the whole story as presented in the film. Whistleblower is confused in telling its story and how it wants its actors to be presented. Yes, Nora Aunor is great as always but she is underused. Cherry Pie Picache shines in this film while Angelica Panganiban isn’t as fierce a journalist as her character displays.
There are interesting pieces here, we hardly see something like this in Philippine cinema, but it’s a missed opportunity. The production felt like something from a drama anthology, not that it’s bad, it’s just not the best way to interpret the material to the big screen.
The film has some thought-provoking sequences that it’s also timely. Some of it felt very inspired by the events in Philippine politics, the pork barrel scam. Even how Cherry Pie Picache looks at times are very similar. That point, it felt like a comedy film, unfortunately not on purpose. It wants to be something big and compelling but it forgot how to give the audience a decent story. A lot is going on but you probably won’t remember because they managed to make something interesting uninteresting.
2 OUT OF 5 STARS
“Whistleblower” opens in Philippine cinemas nationwide April 6, 2016 from Unitel Pictures. Rated R-13 by the MTRCB.