ABOUT US BUT NOT ABOUT US (2022) Review
Directed by Jun Robles Lana
From reminiscing sweet moments to realizing you don’t really know the people close to you, Jun Robles Lana’s ‘About Us But Not About Us’ is a smart and perfectly paced drama thriller you’ll go nuts how the film will go from cute to insane.
The experience is like Bong Joon-ho’s Oscar Best Film ‘Parasite,’ it jumps genres smoothly. Without you knowing it but a hundred percent committed in putting all your attention to the film. And that’s really an impressive feat because the film is shot in only one setting. Imagine having a short attention span and watching only two characters talk in just one setting? It’s a nightmare. But ‘About Us But Not About Us’ manages to pique my interest with its flawless screenplay and spectacular direction. The dialogues are just smooth, it’s like reading your favorite book. You’re curious and excited what’s coming next.
It’s great how Lana makes the conversations in the film like they are transporting the audiences to the situations they are mentioning. It’s masterful filmmaking commanding your senses to be attentive to the details, to the characters’ emotions and to the possibilities of where the story will go.
Calling the material an acting piece is an understatement. It’s the kind that gives you an automatic nomination IF you’ve portrayed one of the two characters well. And for Elijah Canlas and Romnick Sarmenta, they played their parts very well. Quite outstanding actually. And their performance made the film about two people talking inside a restaurant into an unforgettable experience.
5 OUT OF 5 STARS
‘About Us But Not About Us’ opens in Philippine cinemas on April 8, 2023 as an official entry to the Summer Metro Manila Film Festival. Rated R-13 by the MTRCB.
Watch our coverage of the media conference of About Us But Not About Us below: