The Theatre Synopsis: The death of Mariel (Judy Ann Santos) was met with such hurt by her three closest friends. But it was her best friend, Carla (Iza Calzado) that she leaves a most special gift, a box full of her diaries through the years.
So this is my first movie to watch on the 2012th Cinemalaya Film Festival and I never regretted making it as my first film to watch for the festival. Also, I choose to watch Cinemalaya movies instead of the newly released Batman Movie (which is really a must watch but I’m not really a fan of Batman so I think it could wait).
I expected a lot on this film because it is on the Director’s Showcase Category and the director is no other than JOSE JAVIER REYES which makes really good films. Also the actress in the film are known for their excellence in acting especially the Queen of Soap Opera in the 90’s Judy Ann Santos.
So the only that’s left for me to judge is the storyline since I already know what these actresses can do in any film.
So the film’s main theme is “Friendship” not the cliche Friendship but the realistic one. The team is very related since we could assume that most people has/have/had friends.
It delves into the more complex part of Friendship, the part where the friendship has been there for a very long time and some choices, decisions, lies, deceptions and other good and bad things were already done.
The movie plays on the scenario that also almost everyone has encountered, it the part of friendship where each friends has confided or accidentally discovered secrets of other friends to another friend without being divulged to the entire group. It is the complete ingredients that if you produce in a mixture would create a pandemonium that might wreck your entire groups of friends.
It is also interesting because the film depicted the various levels of friendship that people have/had. As quoted from the film, “there are friends that you became your friends since they are already there so they are almost by default without any choice your friends (friends of friends) while there are some friends whom you have chosen to become friends with that is why your are friends”.
Aside from these two types of friends, the film also had the various types of friends depending on the length of time that you have been friends (i.e. childhood friends) and the kind of friends according to your closeness
I also liked the scenes in the movie where you could see some characters talking but instead of hearing their voices (knowing what they are talking) a music was just played so that viewers would focus more on the reactions of the actors instead of lines that they would throw.
Another thing that is notable in this film is the blatant quarrel between friends that leads to laying out very harsh words to each other which is really touching the concept of realism where whenever there is a fight, there is REALLY A FIGHT to the point of almost no return.
Along with the team of friendship and secrecy, is the mingling concept of life and death which apparent with Mariel’s death due to cancer. Also at the end, there is the “ideal” closure in quarrels between friends, which is FORGIVENESS.
Also, along with the theme of Forgiveness is ACCEPTANCE. It is accepting who your friends are even though you don’t like some of their actions, attitudes and decisions in life.
And to close, the ending song of the movie is really heart-warming and this might come out as negative but it it is really a perfect song for a funeral instead of the often used songs in funerals
Overall, “Ang Mga Mumunting Lihim” is a must watch film and would be better if you watch it along with your “close friends”.
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Takyo
P.S.
If you are not convinced with the greatness of this movie, you could watch the trailer so that you, for yourself could judge but this may lead to some spoilers of some dramatic scenes in the film.
Random Thoughts of a Geeky, Nerdy Nobody 