REVIEW: Flames of Love

Title: Flames of Love

Director: Gigi Alfonso and Baby Nebrida

Producer: Gold Barn Media International

Distribution: Solar Films

Date of premiere: December 12, 2012

Flames of Love came like a thief in the night. This movie has a famous cast and a distinguished distributor, but we barely have heard any promotion for it. It's already showing, but there seems to be no effort to convince viewers that it is worth seeing.

But is it worth seeing? Perhaps. If you like watching daily dramas on local television, those terrible shows that trumpet the same plots again and again, then this may be for you. It's two-hour-and-30-minutes run is an indication of that.

This film exists to push an advocacy, namely for the pro-life side in the RH Bill debates. Included in the film are some snatches of dialogue that promote this view, like how the condom is absolutely not 100% effective, or how promiscuity is not a good trait.

But taking down this film just because of this agenda, when you don't agree with the message, is completely unfair. Similarly, overpraising a film and ignoring its faults just because you agree with its agenda is wrong, too.

I think a movie must be judged on its artistic merit alone.

For instance, I found The Human Centipede 2 to be absolutely disgusting. But director Tom Six claims it is his movie's agenda to be the most revolting horror film that he can ever do. And in the context of exploitation films, The Human Centipede 2 hits all the right notes. I give it a 3.5/5.

So how is Flames of Love, artistically?

Well, it is horrible.

Again, it imitates the awful daily drama shows on local television, and the stories presented seem all too familiar. 

Dina Bonnevie plays a single mother who raises two children away from her adulterous husband (Ricky Davao). Valerie Concepcion tries to lead a normal life despite working as a prostitute to Ricky Davao and Allen Dizon. Allen has a sickly wife who has a hard time bearing a child. Christopher de Leon and Lani Mercado have a happy marriage, until Lani thinks of reconnecting with her old sweetheart.

These many stories lead to the long running time. It's all unnecessary--since some of these stories are treated with less significance anyway, I don't see the point of it.

(One story that should have been chopped is Allen Dizon's family life. It was even given no resolution.)

Characters aren't also well-written. Many of them are supposedly godly, but pepper their dialogue with swear words. Dina Bonnevie had an adulterous husband, but then chooses to egg on her bestfriend (Lani Mercado) to betray her marriage. Valerie Concepcion's boyfriend boasts of being the ultimate playboy, but is really just a one-woman man.

All of these inconsistencies lead to a head-scratching ending: Lani Mercado chooses drive away with her old flame to Subic, while Christopher de Leon chases them. Suddenly, the usually-reserved Lani becomes a slut, saying slutty things to the guy she wants to go to bed with. And when the car goes off a cliff, Lani crawls up the cliff to beg Christopher for forgiveness. Then they kiss under the setting sun, completely forgetting that a guy is burning to death a few meters away from them.

If that isn't the year's most ridiculous car chase scene, I don't know what anything is anymore.

RATING: 2 star out of 5
SUMMARY: Over-long and inconsistent. It makes sense why the mainstream distributor does not seem to want to promote it.

NOTE:

1. I did not take notes so I don't know the character names.