Indak: A Very Long Music Video
Ang taas ng expectations ko pagpasok ng sinehan para panoorin ang Indak. That was one of the mistakes I made. My biggest mistake? I stayed to watch the entire movie.
There were reasons why I had such high expectations. It’s top billed by Gawad Urian Best Actress, Nadine Lustre. The production company who made the movie, Viva Films, has recently created films with great special effects such as Maria, Buybust and another Lustre film, Ulan. Director Paul Basinillo is well known for directing concerts and music videos. The trailer, most importantly, was a very promising tease to what we should expect.
Indak presented itself as a Dance Musical with a storyline about making dreams come true: a story of an island girl recruited to be part of a Philippine dance crew that will compete in an international competition.
What was lacking?
The problem lies between the movie being a musical – mga dance sequence na randomly lalabas sa gitna ng kwento at mga kantang lip-synched na nga, hindi pa sabay sa kumakanta – and having a supposed “inspiring” story, a plot that lacked determination and subplots that didn’t give justice to its premise.
Lustre’s performance was good but not as amazing as expected. For her to look stunning in every scene was a big problem – there was no development from her character being an island girl to a competitive dancer. Same goes with the entire cast. The movie focused on the glamorous life of a dancer in the city with their cool music and cooler streetwear. Where was the struggle of the characters? Ah yes, it was with the pettiest problems they faced that wasn’t really connected to the goal. Adding a love triangle plot that didn’t really give much – no kilig, no hugot.
READ: Maria: Aksyon o Panay Usapan?
Indak’s lack of substance from the conflict to the resolution was covered by their dance sequences which were… okay na. Basinillo played so much with special effects to the dance routines, with zoom-ins and slow motions, which didn’t really present the talents of dancers and the entirety of the routine. Props to the other characters such as Meyton Eugenio, Julian Trono and the G-Force for showing real skills.
Watching Indak was still an experience. Maybe you’ll enjoy the little things like the dance breaks and the view of Bantayan, Cebu and Seoul, South Korea. I specifically enjoyed Karencitta and Race Matias’ short performances. Where I really had fun was waiting for the story to improve and hoping it will have a good ending. It didn’t.
2 out of 5 stars.
