Rigodon

A surprise feature at the San Francisco Int'l Asian American Film festival. We walked into the theater not expecting to see "Rigodon" as a fascinating and unusual film on immigrants. I found this film to be beautiful, visceral but very challenging to watch. Even with its minimal approach to movement and storytelling, some scenes made me wince in emotional tension. Painterly and poetic, the style is unconventional and gears away from the usual Filipino melodramas I've seen. The three protagonists beautifully played by actors Torre, Gutierrez and Acuna portrayed the disparate and misery-ridden dreamers in post 9/11. The filmmakers, Dalena and Sicat were able to convey the tortured soul of one who is displaced. "Rigodon" is quite intellectual and artsy, can be very intimidating to the mainstream audience. A must-see for cineastes.