A father comes to pick up his daughter and her friend from school on what appears to be a normal day in the Philippines. But the activity is the first event in a string of unforeseen situations that will shape the days ahead.
From the very first few scenes, director Ron Morales’s Tagalog film “Graceland,” which will be released in Los Angeles on Friday, sets up a series of twists and turns – including a kidnapping – that can be difficult to follow at times. At first it is unclear why the kidnapping is taking place and who is to blame, but as more information about the main characters is revealed, the film ultimately keeps viewers anxious to find out how everything will be resolved.
The story centers on the lead protagonist Marlon Villar, played by Arnold Reyes, who is a chauffeur for the corrupt politician Manuel Changho, played by Menggie Cobarrubias. While driving home with his daughter, Elvie, and Changho’s daughter, Sophia, Villar is pulled over by a policeman who turns out to be a kidnapper in disguise. In this suspenseful scene, Elvie is kidnapped and held for ransom.
As the plot progresses, Villar must figure out how to rescue his daughter while dealing with her kidnappers, Changho and detectives.
Throughout the story, it quickly becomes clear that no one can be trusted in the complex circle of kidnapping, child prostitution, corruption and scandal.
This movie’s greatest strengths can be found in Reyes’ and Cobarrubias’ quality acting. Reyes does an excellent job of capturing the anguish and despair of his character’s predicament, and executes a powerful scene in which he vomits and screams for help after realizing the severity of what has occurred.
Cobarrubias, on the other hand, effectively embodies Changho’s despicable and loathsome nature as well as the corruption that comes to the surface through his character. In a scene in which an unflattering headline about Changho appears in a newspaper, Cobarrubias conveys the politician’s outrage despite the fact that the scandalous news is true.
Ella Guevara, who plays Elvie, appears in only a few scenes but manages to convey Elvie’s solitude, fear and exploitation and evokes a deep sense of compassion each time she comes onto the screen. The terror in her eyes is palpable in the scenes that show her being tied up by her captors as she fears for her life.
One of the biggest issues with “Graceland” is that the complex and intricate storyline can be hard to follow. While some of this complexity is necessary and keeps the movie from becoming too predictable, some of the small details can be confusing. For example, Villar’s wife appears only briefly in the movie, but seems to be part of the driving force behind some of his questionable behavior.
The film also lacks a resolution that answers the questions that linger after the credits start rolling. This could be a way of highlighting the ambiguity surrounding the real-world issues raised in the movie, but a few more explanations would help wrap up some aspects of the film’s ending.
However, the depiction of the deep emotional connection between Villar and Elvie makes up for some of the film’s shortcomings and stirs up sympathy for Villar’s character, who will do just about anything to save his daughter’s life.
“Graceland” tells a compelling story that holds the audience’s attention and directs it toward the atrocities the film portrays and denounces. Despite its somewhat confusing moments, this film gives voice to issues that merit being addressed.