CROSSPOINT (2024) Review
Directed by Donie Ordiales
If you haven’t seen the trailer of Donie Ordiales’ directorial debut ‘Crosspoint’ before seeing it, you wouldn’t predict where the film is going on its second half, because that’s what happened to me. There’s always pros and cons in a film being unpredictable – surprises will come your way and you’ll end up overthinking if it was the right path for the character’s journey.
What the film ultimately tells is how far a father can go because of his love for his family. And in this case, a has-been Filipino movie star going to Japan to pursue his desired “plan B” job as a bar singer and a Japanese businessman trying to save his company for the future of his passion-driven daughter.
I would have loved for the story to get deeper, to get more emotional. But what was presented in the film gives us an interesting look at how Filipinos or Filipino entertainers in general, struggle in Japan even with connections, even under the employment of their fellow Filipinos. It’s also interesting that while we see Japan as a nation that has few issues in life, also has battles in terms of choosing the arts over a career that will take you to the corporate world.
But all of those issues get to be more complicated as the story progresses. As the story introduces a new conflict AND an opportunity to save themselves from their financial problems, the film becomes different. It kind of feels like Crosspoint is a two-part film in a way but both parts eventually make more sense in one film.
The film boasts an impressive cinematography complemented by the performances of its two lead actors. Crosspoint will take you on a roller coaster of emotions with the downtown Japan as its backdrop. It will take you to a heartwarming moments on familial love, the struggles of each of the characters on their careers, and how fate brought them together for a purpose, a gritty encounter that spawned a suspenseful climax.
Crosspoint doesn’t overdo its themes, and that’s one of its strengths. It wants to tell its story as realistic as possible.
3.5 OUT OF 5 STARS
‘Crosspoint’ opens in Philippine cinemas on October 16. Rated PG by the MTRCB.