Film Review on Joel Lamangan’s Rainbow’s Sunset.
Rainbow’s Sunset is a film directed by Joel Lamangan which won 10 awards, such as best picture, best director and best screenplay, during the 2018 Metro Manila Film Festival Awards Night.
The film talks on the story of married couple, Ramon (Eddie Garcia) and Sylvia (Gloria Romero), and their children when they find out about their father’s true relationship with their cancer-stricken godfather (Tony Mabesa).
I had very high expectations for the film, since going in I knew it won a lot of awards but I was somewhat disappointed after seeing it.
My first thought after watching this film was “great actors, boring characters”. Tirso Cruz, Aiko Melendez, and Sunshine Cruz’s characters had no depth to them, they were shallow and petty, and made decisions that were spontaneous and not very well-thought. I noticed how the film tried to show the life of each character but there were too many of them and there was just to many problems being brought up but not actually solved.
Watching in the theater, some of the sound made me question if it was from the movie or my seatmate’s phone. The background noise, sound effects, volume of voices were sometimes questionable and made me think if it they just downloaded it off YouTube.
The plot itself had many loopholes as well, there were some scenes that seemed unnecessary. Ramon and Sylvia’s only son Emman (Tirso Cruz) was caught in a sex scandal and he was short on money to pay for the agreed settlement price. He then turns to his sister Georgina’s (Aiko Melendez) husband to borrow money, during their conversation the brother-in-law hints in illegal activity that Emman agrees to doing but the film never answers or goes back to this.
Another scene is about Marife (Sunshine Cruz) who is dating a man she didn’t want her family to meet due to him being half her age. They both break up due to a fight but resolution or proper closure was never showed throughout the film.
I did not like how the film ended. Ramon’s death was kind of convenient and it again, did not allow him to have closure with his children (I understand that maybe it’s to prove the point that death is sudden and unexpected but I think his death could’ve come at a much better time).
The cinematography was so-so. Some scenes were grainy and the filters weren’t great for all shots but I appreciated the use of black and white and pops of color in the flashbacks.
I do commend the people behind this film for doing something different for the Metro Manila Film Festival. For a few years now, it has come to light how most films that enter this festival are commercialized and are slapsticks with the repetitive moral lesson of “family comes first”. It is so refreshing to see films that want to inspire and educate the Filipino people and their families with real issues today and not humor them through insults.
Overall, it was an okay film that was touching and full of heart. It talks about touchy social issues such as the LGBTQ+, death, and different kinds of love in a family friendly way. Out of all the MMFF films, I definitely recommend people to see and support Rainbow’s Sunset but if you want to watch a film to educate yourself or someone about matters of the LGBTQ+ community, I think there are far better films, with a better plot and better characters.
Ericka Frye
collision of ideas 