I have seen a total of 55 films this year (yes, a very low number, since I have been reviewing theater as well), and I could only come up with two films that I loved: Janus Victoria’s Diamonds in the Sand, screened at QCinema; and the Netflix comedy One of Them Days. Irene Villamor’s Charo Santos–Dingdong Dantes-starrer platonic love story Only We Know is one of this year’s local mainstream surprises.
But most of what I have seen this year, now about to close, are either crap or mediocre. Instead of listing down the worst films of the year, Razzie-style, I’m going for the most disappointing films of the year. These are films I expected would at least turn out okay, if not great, because of the important filmmakers at the helm. Instead, I ended up angry, shocked, or depressed.
A lot of you might hate me for this list, especially since most of these films are critically acclaimed, but it’s not my job to protect your ego or pretend I enjoyed something I didn’t. So here’s my list, in no particular order.
‘Sinners’
I mean, this is Ryan Coogler. Oscar nominee. Who directed Black Panther and Creed. Taking inspiration from From Dusk Till Dawn to Quentin Tarantino films, this vampire-blues mash-up is deeply pretentious. A prime example of cultural commodification, it turns Black history, blues culture, and pain into a one-dimensional monster fantasy, with Black religion portrayed as superstition. Hollow, inert and messy.
‘Food Delivery: Fresh from the West Philippine Sea’
After all the hype and controversy surrounding this documentary with an important subject, I felt ripped off. Baby Ruth Villarama’s Sunday Beauty Queen was unforgettable, so it was reasonable to expect Food Delivery to be effective at the very least. Instead, it comes off as crudely executed, empty and essentially one big commercial for a supermarket. I was somewhat traumatized.
‘Sunshine’
Antoinette Jadaone’s “bold” and “daring” pro-abortion film is obviously inspired by Eliza Hittman’s Never Rarely Sometimes Always. It cringely borrows Western sensibilities, but never nails its subject in a Philippine context, resorting to cartoonish arguments. Tactile cinematography, a stirring score and a committed performance from Maris Racal cannot save it.
‘No Other Choice’
I really had no other choice when I carved out time from my busy schedule for this ultra-hyped work from South Korean auteur Park Chan-wook. This super-long black comedy, adapted from an American novel and recently shortlisted for Oscar Best International Feature Film, left me cold. I may be in the minority, but its satirical commentary on moral collapse under capitalism is about as subtle as a sledgehammer, packed with slapstick comedy. Of course, I suffered and almost wept.
‘Magellan’
Not a fan of Lav Diaz, but his 2024 Phantosmia got me excited for Magellan, starring one of my Hollywood crushes, Gael García Bernal. As our submission to the Oscars, the premise was thrilling. But its stagey vibe, self-conscious actors and melodramatic tone make it a contrived, listless experience. The distance created by full-frame compositions also denies any intimate connection with the characters’ inner lives. Alas, this is only two hours long (Avatar 3 is 37 minutes longer), but what I suffered inside the cinema felt like being lost at sea for two years — dehydrated and without hope.
‘Jay Kelly’
Oh, Noah Baumbach. I miss your writing collaborations with Greta Gerwig. As a fan of your earlier work, and given my penchant for character-driven, dialogue-heavy films, I kept you on my list of important filmmakers — even after getting angry at 2019’s Marriage Story. Here, I was going in and out of consciousness. It is dull and irritating because George Clooney’s Kelly is too sanitized, all the characters are unrealistically nice (not kind), and the story itself is too afraid to offend the very industry it seeks to critique.
‘Some Nights I Feel Like Walking’
Not a fan of Petersen Vargas, but I was intrigued by its international co-production status. With dreamy visuals that render even the seediest parts of Manila beautiful, the film creates dissonance with its themes. Unsure whether it wants to bear witness or seduce, the film is ultimately paper-thin.
‘The Materialists’
I rolled my eyes about 20 times while watching The Materialists from director Celine Song of the famed (and overrated) Past Lives (2023), which I paid a very expensive price for at Director’s Club. This A24 film, from a hit-or-miss indie studio designed for the performative cinephile, is a predictable rom-com set in an aesthetically pleasing New York City. Dakota Johnson plays a “flawed” social climber with a breathy voice, with two men fighting for her attention (Pedro Pascal and Captain America). Song’s cultural sensibilities are not authentically rooted in New Yorker nuances, and the story veers into parody, made worse by corny dialogue that tests the mind.
‘A House of Dynamite’
Oh, come on, Kathryn Bigelow. How I felt pride when you nabbed the Oscar Best Director for The Hurt Locker in 2010 as the first female director to do so. But what is this Netflix thriller? I felt scammed — and the feeling was worse than when a Shopee seller sent me a different item and then disappeared from the app. I did not plan to sit through a thriller just to watch a series of terrified, alarmed reactions from multiple people.
‘Mission: Impossible — Final Reckoning’
Another one of those lengthy three-hour movies. While the final hour delivers classic, high-stakes Mission: Impossible thrills, the first two hours move unbearably slow, clogged with flashbacks. With heavy exposition dominating most of the runtime, this franchise has lost its specialness. Sigh.