It’s one thing to produce a concert, but it’s another thing to produce a musical film. The seamless transition from a dialogue to a song number is one aspect that I usually applaud whenever I watch a dance or musical movie.
INDAK directed by Paul Basinillo has every good intention to create a movie that is worth-filing alongside the string of your favorite Hollywood dance movies or musical film. It’s an ambitious attempt and I honestly hoped it would work, but after watching yesterday’s screening, I felt that the movie was half-baked.
And when I say half-baked, I am more pertaining to the screenplay. I am also confused about its format. One scene, the leads are singing; the next scene, they’re just dancing. Is this step-up or high school musical?
The opening moments of the film would give you chills, all thanks to the beats of INDAK’s O.S.T. ‘Sumayaw Sa Indak’. It’s a good mood-setter. Astig. But the moment it transitioned to Karencitta’s ‘Cebuana’ production number that was when the momentum started to drop. It’s choreographed – I wasn’t even pertaining to their dance routine. The acting of the entire crew is so sloppy that I could feel VIVA just scouted random people from the set.
For a musical film, you’ll appreciate how synchronized and snappy the actors are; it’s like the dance moves injected in their normal activities appear natural. In INDAK, majority of their production scenes appeared as if they’re just rehearsing, especially that opening moment in Bantayan.
Back to the script, we’re presented different plot points. But I felt like there were five storylines in front of me but none of those intersected. The script is too confusing that I don’t even know what their solid end-goal is. Is it how Jen (Nadine Lustre) overcomes her lifelong trauma? I am not even sold with that back story. But who am I to judge how a misstep can cause one’s trauma, right? Fine. Or Is it her wanting to go back to Bantayan because of her ailing (but supportive) mother? Is it the pressure in Manila? Is it Vin? Is it just the contest prize or the price you are willing to pay to live for your dreams?
I felt like it was the latter but the narration was still all over the place. The plot bullets are too weak and clichè. They want to inject too much drama at every point. Some are even unnecessary.
Of course, INDAK narrated a budding relationship between Indak Pinas’ team leader Vin (Sam Concepcion) and Jen whose meet-cute didn’t even trigger a giggle. Vin scouted Jen out of the blue because of an oh-so-common form of discovery: The Internet. But to be very blunt, the dance style that Jen (or Nadine) delivered in this movie was common and not that exceptional that it merits virality.
I wasn’t completely convinced about the build-up of their love story. Hindi naman ganun ka persistent si Vin. I observed how Vin was enthralled to Jen but I never saw it reciprocated. That’s why I was surprised when Jen cried when she found out about Vin’s past. And the next scene you’d see Vin weeping. It felt like I was jumping from one scene to another instead of sailing from one frame to another. The connection wasn’t stitched properly.
Spoiler Alert: There’s this one major confusing moment. When Vin was at the airport waiting for Jen. I believed that Jen was hesitant to leave for Korea upon learning the condition of her mom. But the song that they sang there was Triangulo. That scene was supposed to portray a grappling moment between Jen’s dream and her family situation, but the production number or the song didn’t match what the scene required. All because that new kid had to have a moment.
I’m hyper-aware that the film required a different level of training. And I would give it to the cast. It must be really tiring to retake each prod. But I think that INDAK is Nadine’s pro bono work to Viva Artists Agency. She deserves better material after her big acting wins — Famas, YCC, and Gawad Urian. But if there’s one thing that Nadine earned from this film, it’s solidifying her killer factor versus her contemporaries: Her being a total performer.
This isn’t to undermine how talented Nadine Lustre and Sam Concepcion are. For a fact, I find Sam so charming and multi-skilled in this film and it makes me wonder why we are sleeping on him. Though, perhaps, Nadine and Sam’s intention was to become a catalyst for art. For the dancing community. They just want to help. Nadine has always been like that, hence her movie ULAN. She’s a risk-taker. But this material is such a momentum breaker for her.
To sum it up, I think the creators focused too much on their intention to produce a dance film that they forgot to develop the heart of the story. They have the drive to be creative. The treatment is flavorful. The voice-overs of Jen somehow added beauty and made the story less confusing. But there’s not much immersion in the community that they want to build. Why would an interest-based movie matter if it neither speaks to its target market nor stands as an eye-opener to the general viewers? What about the dancing community that we didn’t know? How can we make them socially-relevant?
INDAK wanted to show angst but it lacked heart. It has some memorable prods — the finale and Nadine and Sam’s Ikot-Ikot — but those weren’t enough. There’s effort but it’s not aspirational. For a dreamy concept like this, we should’ve tapped our exceptional talents – indie or maintream – to stage the film.
INDAK could’ve worked if their end-goal is clear. It lacks balance, experience, and purpose.
2.5/5
