Movie Review

The film was keen on details and it’s refreshing. This film deserves to be watched to inspire each and every one of us. If you allow it, the film can even move your heart. If you liked Kita Kita, then I assure you that you’ll dig 100 Tula Para Kay Stella as well and get the “I want to watch it again!” feeling.

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The film successfully delivered the characters’ journey. First, JC Santos as Fidel shows writing poems as an outlet for someone who wanted to avoid being laughed at because of his speech defect. He proves how inspiration can change life and that same inspiration is not enough to win a girl or to have a happy ending. Santos’s performance, when Stella hands down the poems to him, creates a heartbreaking confrontation scene. ‘Friendzoned’ right there. Then, there is Bela Padilla as Stella, who surprises us with her natural acting skill. She’s effortless even if she is playing a frustrated rock artist who is facing many challenges in life. I found myself in roller coaster as I watch her character, from loving her to hating her, but I realized, she’s an epitome of a character we need to embrace.

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“100 Tula Para kay Stella” is directed by Jason Paul Laxamana. It is a story about a freshman, Fidel, who stutters. He loves poetry which serves as his avenue to express his love for the campus rock star, Stella. When in college, they become close friends. When he reached his 100th poem, Fidel finally gave the poems to Stella to confess his love. Yes, it is about friendship beginnings that turned into ‘love’, but it’s not a typical love story that we’ve seen in Pinoy teen romance films.

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Aside from the excellent casts, there’s the element of nostalgia in the film, resonating with the millennials. I know Gen X and even Y will be delighted to see the days of the vintage Nokia phone, diskettes and cassette tapes, and POP idols like 98’ Degrees and Mariah Carey. With Rivermaya’s “Balisong”, it displays the time when Pinoy Rock Bands were in boom. Even Friendster existed and it sounds bizarre and interesting at the same time seeing the time of social media back then.

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Just with the title, I got the “I want to watch this!” feeling. At first, when I heard it from my classmates, I thought it would be about ‘spoken poetry’ which has been in social media platforms nowadays, but I was totally wrong. Since Pista ng Pelikulang Pilipino (PPP) is over, let me share my insights about this movie.

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Catharsis in Nostalgia

By Abigail Eclavea

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It is with the effect that Filipino film makers are thriving to offer something fresh and new to movie audiences. ‘100 Tula Para kay Stella’ gives the idea that mainstream and indie film are put together. It surprisingly includes some elements that are hardly present in mainstream cinema.

I love that there’s more to poetry and music in the movie. It features admirable characters and the 2000’s vibes.

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Movie review is an example of a critique.

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• False

An effective movie review consists only of the writer’s opinion.

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• False

Writing a movie review allows the writer to criticize a film and its elements as well as to give their biased impression about the entire film.

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• False