Review: 'Rigodon' is Lushly Drawn, Piercingly Affectionate

After his lavishly attractive lark Tiktik: The Aswang Chronicles, director Erik Matti returns, remaining as triumphant, with another feature. This time ferocious vampire-like Filipino mythoi are nowhere to be found. Instead, there is the usual subject of our contemporary Filipino culture - perhaps contemporary Filipino entertainment alone - the undying premise of adultery (they are so hot right now). If you've seen enough, then you must already have an idea where this one will go. A young man builds a relationship with another woman. Wife gets pissed, mistress gets a feeling of something samey. The set-up is really simple, but Matti's expert execution draws you in the most inner core of the movie, something you have never experienced with others in these kinds of movies of the recent memory.

The husband is Riki (John James Uy), the wife is Regine (Max Eigenmann) and the unsuspecting other woman is Sarah (Yam Concepcion). Sarah is the broken-hearted troubled young woman who finds comfort with Riki after their first sexual contact. Unbeknownst to her is that his new beau - an ab-exercise machine model of some sort - is actually a family man - a wife, and a daughter. Tension builds up when both women begin to sense the ongoing deception. Both of them set out to their own methods which ushers them to the unspeakable horrors of love and of a broken heart.

The infinitesimal selection of movies that involve deception and adultery are usually frizzling so finding Matti's deftly directed movie feels like a treasure. His movies are, he is too - treasures. The feeling is like when you found the needle in this huge banded haystack. And in order to at least hint my instant reaction to the movie, I should sound a bit nonchalant for a fleeting moment. So, the feeling is like when you found the needle in a giant haystack right, well guess what? You just found the fucking needle, you dimwit-ass you. His execution is slick, introducing us to his gorgeously drawn characters. Their fright, arousal, vengeance and redemption. 

Eigenmann is arguably the sell-point of the movie, acting-wise. There's a shivering effect to my bones each time I see her on screen. The rawness - a lover's struggle, a wife's ordeal, the pain of his treacherous husband - is there. It's there alright. Concepcion holds up pretty well, while Uy had shown smaller range than how big the females did. I wasn't expecting a lot from them, but I got more than I imagine of having. The movie's ending is an excellent one, leaving the audience a story to create on their own. Matti is a real gem for making this come out and I figure it's only fitting to bow before him right now.

Recent adultery-themed mishaps like No Other Woman and A Secret Affair are naturally flat-footed ; only exacerbated with poorly-written scripts and soapy trash talking. Matti does the exact opposite with Rigodon, where his lushly drawn characters go on an unnerving psychological state which pushes them to translate their agony into dark intentions into actions. (Real kinetic energy is produced, in 'yer faces No Other Woman and A Secret Affair!) Rigodon is a tense tale that affects you only in some extent, and when it does, it pierces through your body and the hole just stays there. 

VERDICT: A