Review: Isla Babuyan

Jose Abdel Langit’s Isla Babuyan, written by Jessie Villabrille and produced by Solid Gold Entertainment, has nothing to do with the enigmatic Babuyan Islands situated in the Luzon Strait, north of the main island of Luzon and south of Taiwan. 

It is not a Department of Tourism  promotional video to lure tourists to see the grandeur and wonder of the islands and marvel its volcanic origins and be in awe with the activity of Mount Babuyan Claro. 

What it is — a heartfelt reminder of the campy movies that Joey Gosiengfiao made and the melodramas that Elwood Perez mastered.  Yes, there is more to it than its clickbait title.

Anastasia comes home

Isla Babuyan is all about the coming home of Anastasia (Geraldine Jennings) to the island where her mother (Rose) owns a resort named Paraiso (Paradise) whom she wants to get to know.

In the island, she meets acquaintances, forge friendships, experience first love and kiss, and trials that will make her see and understand the complexities of life and love, family and relationships, forgiving letting go, and of course, moving forward. 

Isla Babuyan is one part family drama, one part coming of age, one part earthy  and sensual, and one part, a love story with sweet and sour notes.

Beauty in simplicity

One of Isla Babuyan’s strength is the script by Villabrille — the story of Anastasia and her mother Rose, a longing daughter and a mom, wanting acceptance, the first love arc which had Jordan (Jameson Blake) not only showing off his dimples but his feelings and desire for Jennings' character, the unravelling of Caloy’s (Dave Bornea) high school boy crush to the main female character, the complication brought about by Rose and her relationship with Jordan’s father David (James Blanco) and the tandem of Margaux (Nathalie Hart) and Javier (Paolo Gumabao) — all these seamlessly put together in a narrative at its most simple yet beautifully unfolding.

Another strength, the postcard-perfect cinematography of T.M. Malones, the vast sea, the bucolic charm of the fictional island, the romantically-lit beachfront and caves, even an opened window, with two of the major supporting characters' pain-laced conversation.

Of course, the biggest attraction of the movie is its talented cast.

Jennings screamed ingenue and the camera just loves her. Blake did not disappoint as the movie’s resident leading man. Bornea showed that innocence and warmth, and yes, he was indeed too sexy for his shirt, and damn, those skivvies cannot conceal the Bornea impressive family jewels.

Two sets of actors nailed their respective characters with feels and drama at its most sincere and vulnerable.

De Leon’s Rose and Blanco’s James were in full Elwood Perez mode — agony and ecstasy, passion and pain, loving and bleeding till it hurts.

Meanwhile, Hart’s Margaux and Gumabao’s were in full Joey Gosiengfiao’s campy flare and fire.

Hart’s Margaux was wickedly delicious—lines delivered with the right amount of nasty and spice, and kinky was a major ingredient of her character.  Sans effort, just presence and this is how you do the bitchy stepmother role with class, pizzaz and all that smoldering sexual energy.

On the other hand, Gumabao as Javier was brawny, cocky, a chauvinist with worldly cravings fueled by his horniness and testosterone. He made the bad man so good and delicious.

Of course, Jose Abdel’s masterful direction was the raison principale why all the elements of the movie came together, blending flawlessly the elements of camp, intrigue, melodrama and the exact doze of sexiness and skin. 

Isla Babuyan is showing exclusively on Robinson’s mall cinemas starting 1 October.