Honor Thy Father is the eighth festival entry to complete the Metro Manila Film Festival. After Hermano Puli producers pulled its script from the roster of the originally submitted films to the committee, Erik Matti’s Honor Thy Father made its way as part of the official entry to the 41st Metro Manila Film Festival.
Honor Thy Father is a story of faith, family, trust and deception, rolled into less than 120 minutes of roller rides following the life story of Egay (John Lloyd Cruz). Also starring Meryll Soriano, Tirso Cruz III, Yayo Aguila, Lander Vera Perez, Khalil Ramos, Boom Labrusca, Dan Fernandez, Perla Bautista and William Martinez. To give you more information about his struggle, watch this Cinema Trailer:
John Lloyd Cruz agreed to submit himself as somewhat helpless, egoistic and hopeless Egay whose decisions are based on what’s in front of him. His disbelief to religion and faith emanating from his current situation is indeed based on his valid acceptance of his miserable destiny to fail. His performance in this film will be marked as one of the memorable, isolated portrayals he did since start he became the John Lloyd Cruz of Philippine Cinema.
Matti earned, at least maintained my trust again in expecting the unexpected. From what you think a typical pyramiding deception premise to a more complicated twist of plot, he was able to execute the story by discussing family ties whlie emphasizing money as the root of all evil.
The plot doesn’t have to tell you a back story. The continuity is enough to make you feel like you are also sharing the apprehensions of the main characters. It gives you a feeling of helplessness based on small options available to them, thus resorting to wrong decisions regardless of what is right or wrong.
What is interesting in this whole story conflict is that the confrontation to resolve the scenario is taking its own ways. It gives you no option but to find your own resolution –makes the momentum of the story more believable in sight.
The ending will leave you breathless. The film will let you decide if the choices we make are just and reasonable. It will also leave you crave for the quest of what is right, and necessary. A brilliant way to end a pain.
HONOR THY FATHER is definitely another Erik Matti‘s masterpiece. Tackling and sharing a dark, complicated plot of screenplay in this generation of Pinoy audience where everybody just want to laugh makes you think, are we really ready for serious and worthy films such as this? The answer is YES. We just refuse to progress as thinking audience.
ROD MAGARU SHOW rate HONOR THY FATHER >>> 10/10
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