This separate Villamor from other filmmakers. She made it clear through her films, that she is no cupid or a matchmaker. She's a filmmaker dedicated on showing her character's imperfections and weaknesses.
There's a little excitement that kicks in knowing that Villamor's 6th film, On Vodka, Beers and Regrets, is also an anthology of reunion. The film sees the director reuniting with Bella Padila and cinematographer Pao Orendain. It also marks the return of the Bella Padilla-JC Santos on-screen love team, one that has been solidified by director John Paul Laxamana. Hopes were high for the film as familiarity of casts and crew often equates to quality movie.
In On Vodka, Beers and Regrets, Bella Padilla plays an alcoholic washed-up actress named Jane Pineda. The film starts by establishing Jane's addiction to alcohol and her family problems. As Jane sips alcohol alone in an almost empty bar, Brisom vocalist named Francis (Santos) went to accompany her. In what seems to be a normal night for Jane and Francis, it quickly turns into a romantic relationship.
As the title suggests, On Vodka, Beers and Regrets is an ode to inebriety. Alcoholism played a vital part in the story, in fact the whole plot of the story depends on Jane's level of drunkenness. The film sees alcohol as an escape from reality, a companion in loneliness and a shortcut to solace and bliss. Despite the number of drinks Jane guzzle throughout the film, it still manages to paints a picture, for the viewers to see, the negative effect of intoxication. This opens a lot of plots for Villamor to explore such as depression and aggression, which she seems to acknowledged but not thoroughly.
Padilla's acting prowess stands out as the film follows Jane's battle for self-control. The opposite happens to Santos though, as his character gets outdistanced by Padilla's character development. Francis is meant to be an anchor for Jane and his unrelenting love for her should be her sanctuary from sadness and addiction. Problem is, Francis remains the same throughout. He imparts no wisdom for Jane and the viewers to indulge. This makes Francis a forgettable character and a macguffin of a story he's supposed to be a big part of. To say it shortly, Francis is one-dimensional. He didn't really do anything to make the narrative interesting and/or at least touching.
Beyond the more apparent alcoholism theme of the story. The film takes a few jabs on issues such as unemployment, grief and physical and verbal abuse. Instigating reflections and discussions about the hardships and struggles of living.
Irene Villamor stayed true to what she's good at. Subverting narrative expectations and twisting tropes to her favor. However for On Vodka, Beers and Regret, there are still a lot of space left to fill to fully achieve the brilliance of her previous films. As what is said before, there is a certain kind of expectation everytime she tells a story. Its the expectation that it will be unlike any other. The fact that she was able to produce a film as good as Ulan and Sid & Aya means she can create a film more "trope-breaking". But as of now, Villamor was able to give something new though it's not as compelling as her other works.
1.5/5
