Rotonda

Rating:	★★★★
Category:	Movies
Genre:	Independent

PUZZLING


A film of cyclic events in an interrelated plot, Rotonda envisions the kind of indie films today that tackles real social issues in a very puzzling sort of manner. Directed by Ron Bryant, the film constitutes enthralling examples of how life really phases in such a very crowded, busy place.

With a mixture of perplexity and genuine occurrences, the story revolved – literally – in a place where people’s everyday lives meet. Just like the films Jologs and The Grudge, Rotonda featured a connected life story of one different person to the other – in a very artistic way because each character’s doing is relevantly connected to the doings of the other characters involved. And the surprising thing was, the thread of the diverse people concerned in the film relied on a very unlikely thing – a marked one thousand peso bill.

The people involved in this rollercoaster ride of tale were a certified drug addict, a retired mad policeman, a feeble loser, a pathetic prostitute, and an infamous fading journalist. These five characters were portrayed by highly-acclaimed actors, Miguel Lorenzo Javier, Celso Ad Castillo, Epy Quizon, Meryll Soriano, and Mark Gil respectively.

Bryant’s brilliant mind and idea of having interwoven characters was such a refresher for the audiences, for it did not fail to catch their attention and interest towards the film. Something that was not-so-new, the approach of the film was still an evident effective technique.

On the other hand, parallelisms were also observed on the film. A literal example of this was Gil’s marked one thousand peso bill, it was first seen on him, and at the end of the film, it was returned to him again. The story itself is very much similar to the lives of the people living in Rotonda, that’s why it had an impact to the audience and it managed to sustain their interests as well. The way it reflected a simple yet tolerable life worked.

Again, contrary to other films which are entitled with a place’s name, Rotonda also differs in a sense that the story was so simple yet it reverberated on the viewers for its very realistic appeals.

All the actors in the film were commendable, especially Gil and Soriano, who both starred on other indie films on this year’s Cinemalaya. Their versatility was shown here for they portrayed their characters with justice. Gil, as expected, created a whole new person in his character that reflected a break-hungry journalist which a lot of mass communication students can really relate to. And, Soriano depicted the life of a woman in disgrace very effectively, for her aura indulges the audience to not only sympathize with her condition, but also to believe her that she is true, a real prostitute.

The film’s editing was notable, for it helped carrying out the true story behind the movie’s puzzling events. The transitions created an impression of developing conflicts, and a developing plot as well. And since the editing was superbly done, the executions of shots were also fit for every scene in the movie. It visualized the real environment of the crowded Rotonda, where people go here, there, and everywhere, in a very busy mode. And yes, this only shows that the film really was realistically done.
Musical score was very realistic too. It helped the film show the true color of Rotonda. One can distinguish the busy and crowded, to the bound and not-so-quiet areas of the place with the aid of the film’s sounds. It added an impression of reality all through out the film’s entirety.

Rotonda is a not so typical sort of indie flick of today, for it is comprised of a well woven story and characters which is also related somehow to the other. Puzzling as it may seem, still, the movie reflected a side of everyone’s life – poverty. And it worked.