What does it take to articulate a history that has already been forgotten? This is the challenge Amir Muhammad confronts in his iconic and controversial
Category: Opinion
Reclaiming History through Cinema and the Archive: The Ethics and Power of Liberatory Memory Work in Audiovisual Media
The third of Adrian Mendizabal’s essay for his ArtsEquators fellowship, here’s how history is presented through cinema, and the importance of presenting it with the
Remembering the Resistance: Liberatory Memory Work in Cinemata’s ‘Democracy Derailed: Curated Videos on Myanmar’
The media landscape of the 21st century is largely shaped by the rise of online platforms, which serve as the primary intersection between capitalism and
Filmic Duration and Liberatory Memory Work: Analyzing Lav Diaz’s ‘Evolution of a Filipino Family’ (2004)
Introduction To introduce Lav Diaz and his cinema, the simplest approach is to emphasize his distinctive use of long cinematic duration, which is not merely
The Seen and the Unseen review: An Indonesian Gem about Rediscovering Our Magical Childhood
Kamila Andini’s The Seen and the Unseen (2017) navigates the depths of a child’s subconscious, as seen through her cultural heritage. It recounts the story of fraternal
Safe Havens or Stifled Stories? Examining ‘Rewind’ and Filipino Film Conventions | Opinion
With Rewind being the highest-grossing Filipino film of all time now, what does that say about the Filipino audience? First, we are still hooked on
‘Mutt’ review: a raw portrait of transitions and relationships
Mutt is a drama directed by Vuk Lungulov-Klotz that features the journey of Feña as he transitions into a man. Ela Bicera reviews this film
‘City of Wind’ Unravels Mongolian Mysticism | QCinema review
Engelbert Rafferty reviews Lkhagvadulam Purev-Ochir’s debut film ‘City of Wind’. It premiered in this year’s QCinema as part of the ‘New Horizons’ section. Spoilers are
Faithful Frames: a review of ‘Divine Factory’ and the spiritual significance of The Sleeping St. Joseph
There is a holy item that was mostly talked about in the entire film, which is called “The Sleeping St. Joseph”. According to the Holy
‘Women from Rote Island’ (2023) review: female resiliency at its finest
Ela Bicera writes about Jeremias Nyangoen’s debut film which tackles the abuse that Women from Rote Island experience, and their resiliency to fight back. Spoilers
All of Us Strangers: Power of Queer Love
Roy Narra writes about ‘All of Us Strangers’, Andrew Haigh’s heart-shattering adaptation of Taichi Yamada’s novel, Strangers. Spoilers are present in this review. Is it
Tiger Stripes review: Malaysian body-horror succeeds in its depiction of growing up
This is Engelbert Rafferty’s return to Film Police Reviews! He writes about Amanda Nell Eu’s directorial debut, ‘Tiger Stripes’. The film is also the recipient
‘Perfect Days’ is Wim Wenders and Koji Yakusho’s most important work
Princess Kinoc reviews Wim Wenders’ ‘Perfect Days’, under the Screen International section of QCinema 2023. Some spoilers may be present in this review. I have
‘Killers of the Flower Moon’ (2023) review
‘Killers of the Flower Moon’ is Martin Scorsese’s adaptation of David Grann’s novel of the same name. Ela Bicera reviews the film and offers a
We’re sad you missed it, but here’s a review on “Security Academy” (2022)
We didn’t have a press release for the film, so we made up our own poster. To be a security guard is one of the
“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” (2022) Review
Is ‘Wakanda Forever‘ a strong enough sequel to the 2018 powerhouse film that made a strong statement for the African community? How can the most
A bunch of Filipino films in 2021 that weren’t so good you just might read this
Present Confusion’s John Tawasil and his Annual List of Filipino Films is presented in two parts: this first one somewhat reveals what you didn’t reallly
I’ve seen #TheSnyderCut and…
I liked it. For a non-comicbook reader like myself, I advise you to watch the following DC films in this exact order: Suicide Squad, Man
‘Echoserang Frog’ the video essay is my favorite Present Confusion entry
In our last tribute to Present Confusion’s 15th year, Princess Kinoc writes about John Tawasil’s video essay on Joven Tan’s hidden masterpiece on metacinema. In
Jim Paranal on Present Confusion
Jim Paranal of Jimelikula atbp., shares his thoughts on the 15-year old Present Confusion, as part of our first-ever “Review of a Review” series. Our
The Best of Present Confusion
Our first ever “Review of a Review” focuses the best parts of one of the longest Filipino film blogs, ever. Tuesday, April 5, 2005. At
SOFI (State of the Film Industry): “The New Normal”
Day x of quarantine. The outside world is not safe. Every space that can be stepped foot on is a death march waiting to happen,
The Best Filipino Films of 2019 (Part 3)
5. Edward Director: Thop Nazareno A good Bildungsroman knows the importance of change and discovery. As we reach certain milestones in our lives, we grow and
The Best Filipino Films of 2019 (Part 2)
11. Sila-Sila (The Same People) Director: Giancarlo Abrahan There’s something beyond the intimacy and truthfulness of Giancarlo Abrahan’s films that you just can’t quite put
The Best Filipino Films of 2019 (Part 1)
What has our national cinema achieved in the past decade? It’s 2020 now. This means that everything new is coming our way. This also means