Bliss (2017) Trailer Impressions: A Dark Journey Down the Rabbit Hole of a Broken Actress

Bliss is a psychological thriller from Artikulo Uno Productions under the direction and screenplay by Jerrold Tarog starring Iza Calzado, TJ Trinidad, Ian Veneracion, Shamaine Buencamino, Audie Gemora, and Adrienne Vergara with a May 10, 2017 theatrical release. Let's check out what this R-18 psychological thriller from the same makers of Heneral Luna has to offer.


Bliss
Plot / Synopsis

Spoiler Warning: Detailed Plot Synopsis courtesy of Referenced Source Material. Read at your own risk.

Bliss revolves around the character of Jane Ciego (Iza Calzado), an actress on the verge of burnout. This prompts her to produce a film to boost her chances of winning an award but which only results in her literal downfall. That's because Jane figures in an accident in the middle of a 30-hour shoot. The accident has left her paralyzed and she becomes "trapped" inside a house with her husband, Carlo (TJ Trinidad) and a nurse, Lilibeth (Adrienne Vergara).

She wakes up everyday to the same scene, looking up at a smoke detector. Carlo would serve her breakfast, leaving only after asking her to sign a check to buy equipment for a restaurant.

All throughout the film, Jane would hear voices and other noise inside the big house. She would often follow the sound, only to wake up as if she was dreaming.


While Jane is trapped inside the house, the other characters go about their business. There’s Lexter Palao (Audie Gemora), the director of Jane’s film, who hopes that she gets better so she can promote her film. There’s also Jane’s mother (Shamaine Buencamino), who also wishes the same thing so she can go on living the life of a stage mother.

The film also shows the backstory of Rose, a nurse wanted by authorities for sexually molesting her patient. It turns out that Rose was in the same audition as Jane when they were younger, but failed to make it into showbiz. She became a nurse, and a fan of Jane.

At some point in Jane’s repetitive life, she becomes confused whether she is living her life or dreaming of a scene from her movie. Her husband Carlo turns into Joshua (Ian Veneracion), and she becomes Abigail. Jane’s sanity begins to crumble as the horrors pile up in a symphony of blood, tears and madness. What was supposed to be a simple dream for Jane soon becomes an endless nightmare.

Source: ABS-CBN News

Watch Bliss Official trailers here:









Bliss Official Trailer Impression
Bliss Film Trailer Review


What can be said about Bliss (2017) official movie trailer? Well, Bliss official movie trailer has piqued my interest. We really don't have that many Filipino film titles that falls under the psychological thriller genre, so when something like this comes along, it probably is worth taking a closer look. Does it automatically indicate quality? Well, not really but for what Bliss trailer has showcase it seems to be so. Oh, don't take my word for it, take the recognition given to Iza Calzado with the Yakushi Pearl Award in the 2017 Osaka Asian Film Festival as a testament. All seems well, right? Not quite yet as their next big obstacle is the MTRCB and its initial X-Rating classification.


One of the biggest newsmaker and free "unintentional" (?) publicity for this film is when it was initially given by the MTRCB with an X-Rating for scenes featuring prolonged frontal nudity, excessive violence, and masturbation (More info here), but later on got an R-18 rating after submitting their appeal to the ancient conservative prudes at the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board. Who knows, maybe those initially "controversial" and "alarming" scenes (recognized by an international Film festival) from the film were left on the cutting floor as according to the specifications of the moral and conservative connoisseur of the MTRCB lead by MTRCB chairperson Rachel Arenas and their shining board members. Should I name them, well that is already overkill on the roadkill already. Well, in a land of conservative Catholics filled to the brim with Star Cinema romantic movies, it was probably really so scandalous to include blood and "gratuitous" scene that should never be seen or done by adults... NOT! Hahaha but I digress, we are already making so much commentary on a matter of taste and moral righteousness of the MTRCB that we have forgotten about the film that can only be compared to a "little Hollywood film" called Mulholland Drive from 2001.


I was really invested and was like asking so many questions about the trailer. We have already ruled out the supernatural element as its genre doesn't indicate it as so, all we have left now is a thought-provoking film. Who dunnit, why, and how will it end? Although most of the identity of the characters have been showcased in the Bliss movie trailer. It was really only became clear when you read its synopsis which might be a spoiler in itself and thus why I included a small spoiler warning in the Plot/Synopsis section of this movie trailer impression for 2017's Bliss. Its either an official PR material from the Bliss production team of ABS-CBN (official source of the plot) that overdid it. But I am not complaining that much...call it a minor nitpick. My curiosity was piqued and will be checking Bliss once it hits the theaters on MAy 10 .


How about you guys? What do you think about this seemingly controversial (at first) and internationally recognized film? What are your thoughts about MTRCB ratings and what probably have been cut in the R-18 version of the film? Do you think the adult Filipino movie going audience are not prepared to see such adult themes on the big screen as what the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board is somewhat implying? Share your thoughts and opinion about Bliss (2017) official movie trailer in the comments section below and let's discuss about it.

The Road (2011) Movie Review

The Road is a 2011 Filipino psychological thriller with minor elements of supernatural horror produced by GMA Films under the creative control of internationally acclaimed film director Yam Laranas. Does GMA Film's The Road meet the hype and the positive reviews it got from international critics? Check out the spoiler-free Pinoy Movie Blogger's review on The Road.

The Road
Synopsis

The Road is about a 12 year-old cold case which is reopened when three teenagers are missing in an abandoned road. In the course of the investigation, deeper and gruesome stories of abduction and murders are discovered. After more than two decades, the secrets and mysteries of the road are finally revealed and the ghost lingering the dark and desolate pathway is out to make sure nobody leaves alive.

The Road Movie Review
The Road (2011) Film Review

Thanks to The Road's intriguing movie trailer which was shown on the Kapuso TV Station, it somehow made an impression that it is a really good horror film. Being a fan of horror movies and quality films in general, yours truly (the Pinoy Movie Blogger) did not miss out the opportunity to watch it on its first day that it hit the theaters (a while ago). As a horror cinephile, my mind and expectation was generally set high as soon as GMA Films logo faded.

Right off the bat, there is no denying that Yam Laranas' The Road has really excellent cinematography. The abysmal darkness of the road at night is balanced (if not contradicted) by the wonderful variety of shots of it during the daylight. As for the musical scoring, it is generally done well with some really complaints. One in particular is a scene where you obviously know that there is no hint of anything scary that is about to happen but the film still tried to pull it off just to try it and just because the production team can. As a veteran horror film enthusiast this somehow disappoints. As for the acting, I can say that it is generally alright. The Road is not a drama film so some lame acting on some selected parts are forgivable. Now let us now move to where the Road may possibly shine, the story.

The Road features three different segments which unfolds the mystery behind a seemingly haunted and abandoned road; and a reopened case that paved the way to answer questions from past to present. It is refreshing to see a Filipino film somehow uses creative retelling of stories through flashbacks, but I believe that there is no need to feature the word "PART" in different time interval. A mere date and changing of cinematography would do, but that is just a very small observation I had as the film flowed nicely. Since the film is currently on continuous viewing, trust me when I saw that it is best viewed from beginning to end. Entering the theater halfway or a quarter way to the film will generally ruin the film as most fun of the film is figuring out who did what and who appear when. I hinted before that it just had minor elements of horror because generally the movie could do without the spooky parts. Maybe because I was already prepared for to be scared (my defenses are up) or because I am a horror film fan, I somehow failed to appreciate the few scares that the movie tried to pull off. This might only be me as most of the movie audience had different reactions which was screaming and jumping out of their seats. I later found out that it was not really a horror film but a psychological thriller and that is when I started to appreciate The Road. There is still an element of horror to it as if you would try to makes sense of all the scares that the woods/the road showed its unfortunate passersby.

The Verdict for The Road (2011) Film

GMA Films and Yam Laranas' The Road (2011) is a psychological thriller film, and not the usual horror film that the Philippine film industry fed us through the years. Thus, it is advisable to leave your defenses down as soon as the film starts rolling. You will appreciate the scares better in The Road this way. The Road is far from perfect. It not really revolutionary overall or something that would put the Philippines in pedestal when it comes to horror and psychological film genres. What can be said about The Road is that it is a well-crafted film with a decent story line and a similar execution to other Asian horror films (specifically Japanes horror films). The Pinoy Movie Blogger recommends The Road to be best seen in theaters and a definite own when it is out on home video version. Pinoy Movie Blogger gives The Road (2011) an eight out of 10 (8/10) film review rating.