ANi (2019) Cinemalaya Movie Trailer Impressions: A Filipino Sci-Fi Coming-of-Age Film About a Journey of a Boy and His Robot

ANi is a 2019 a coming-of-age science fiction film and an official Cinemalaya 2019 finalist with a screenplay by Toni Zuñiga, Kim Zuñiga, and Sandro Del Rosario; under the direction of Kim Zuñiga and Sandro Del Rosario starring Ricky Davao, Zyren Dela Cruz, Miguel Valdes, and Anna Luna; and is slated for a limited Philippine theatrical release from August 2-13, 2019 at the Cultural Center of the Philippines. Let's check out what this 2019 Cinemalaya film festival entry about a Filipino sci-fi film about a boy with his malfunctioning robot here at Pinoy Movie Blogger.


ANi (The Harvest)
Plot / Synopsis

When his grandfather falls ill, an orphaned boy and his malfunctioning robot embark on a quest to look for magical grains that he believes will save the old man’s life.

Source: Cinemalaya

Watch the ANi Official trailer here:





ANi (The Harvest) Official Trailer Impression
ANi (The Harvest) Film Trailer Review


What can be said about the ANi (2019) official movie trailer for Cinemalaya 2019? Well, Ani feels fresh to me; not in the context of what we've seen so far in mainstream Filipino films. We just don't get something done seriously and competently. The technology is already there but companies just don't want to invest in something outside horror and romantic films. And even if they do, it isn't a guarantee that the visual effects are going to be visually appealing amidst the many months of preparation and post-production. Well, luckily Ani seems to break this mold. There are some good studios backing up the film, so that helps boost it up a notch. Of course, all will be for naught, if the narrative and performance will fall behind. The ANi trailer is good so far and intriguing at best. ANi isn't categorized as a straight-up horror but more of a coming-of-age science fiction film, but we can sense a looming dread in this film from its trailer; of a dystopian society run by warbots (war robots).





This is the hook of Ani. What are these "warbots" in this dystopian society? And the premise tells that the film will follow a boy and his malfunctioning robot to find a magical grain. How can a magical grain cure the life of his old man? What part do these warbots play in society and why are the ordinary people seem to both be afraid and hostile towards them? This raises more questions that hopefully will be resolved as the film unfolds. While some of the performance from the trailer is questionable (I'm looking at you scene where kids are beating what seems to the main robot or the kid protagonist), hopefully, it won't detract what seems to be an interesting premise. As a big fan of horror, fantasy and sci-fi, Ani is one of my most anticipated film for the Cinemalaya 2019.


How about you guys? What do you think about this 2019 Cinemalaya sci-fi coming-of-age film festival entry about a dystopian future possibly ruled by war robots? What are similar films like this that you have seen and liked in the past (internationally)? How do you like that it uses another local dialect instead of the safe Filipino (Tagalog) language? Will you be seeing this 2019 Cinemalaya official film festival finalist on its limited theatrical run in the Cultural Center of the Philippines from August 2 to 13, 2019? Share your thoughts and opinion about ANi (2019) in the comments section below and let's talk about it.