Raffy (Xian Lim) and Jane (Julia Barretto) traveled to Pola, Oriental Mindoro to visit their ancestral house. They are welcomed by the house’s caretaker and Jane’s family servant, Aling Ising (Erlinda Villalobos).
Jane’s family plans to demolish the house and repurpose it. However, the city of Pola barred the operation in accordance with the National Cultural Heritage Act. Despite this, Jane is determined to proceed with their plan. So he asked for the help of her ex-boyfriend and a city hall employee, Roger (Marco Gumabao), to convince the mayor of their intention.
Meanwhile, unbeknownst to Raffy and Jane, the ancestral house is haunted by the spirit of a cruel Japanese soldier. It turns out the house was once a place for rape and murder during World War II. As Jane slowly discerns this tragic past through nightmares, she becomes the target of the ghost’s sadism.
"Bahay na Pula" is inspired by a real ancestral house in San Ildefonso, Bulacan. Many people associate the site as a symbol of slavery because of the brutal rape and murder of women that happened there by the Japanese military. Locals said that the screams of the dead could still be heard inside the red house up until today.
The plot somehow touches on the same crux of the infamous Ilusorio house. It's about abuse and violence. To underscore this, Jane has become the subject of rape three times in the film. And all of these scenes are disturbing, especially if we consider the fact that she is pregnant and the country has a tragic history of sexual servitude. In all fairness, Brilliante Mendoza handled these scenes with tact. Although it’s a point of discussion whether the sexual violence in "Bahay na Pula" really serves its purpose since it ends in an offbeat conclusion rather than a reassuring one.
Furthermore, the film is cluttered with unnecessary subplots. During the opening sequence, Jane and Raffy are observing the construction of their dream house when a worker falls and injures himself. But the topics about the house or the accident never reappeared. Another scene involves Roger and Jane meeting at the city hall. Nothing happened in those sequences, just Jane extorting Roger for the legal papers. Their relationships are neither discussed nor explored. Even more so, the film revealed that Raffy is facing a malversation case. And this side story adds little to nothing to the overall narrative.
Maybe a compelling reason to watch "Bahay na Pula" is the pairing of Xian Lim and Julia Barretto. Unfortunately, there’s no chemistry between the two. The tenacity of Lim isn’t compatible with Barretto’s grace and sweetness. It’s really admirable that Barretto is reinventing herself by taking on adult roles. But the characters she plays so far aren’t as compelling as in her previous films. On the other hand, Lim delivers an uninspired and underwhelming performance. His acting is nowhere as brilliant as his showing in his other thriller film, "Untrue." Only Erlinda Villalobos left an indelible impression.
Director Brilliante Mendoza is a capable director. Most of his films are well-respected both inside and outside the country. But despite his credentials, it’s really baffling why "Bahay na Pula" is such a head-scratcher. The production value is bad, the script is horrible, and the tone is confusing. It seems uncertain whether it wants to be a psychological thriller-horror, a family drama, or a sociopolitical movie. By the end of the movie, you'll be more frustrated than scared.
"Bahay na Pula" feels like a rushed draft made into a film. It might be worth your time if you are fans of Mendoza, Barretto, or Lim. But if you’re not, it's better to spend your time elsewhere.
0.5/5
