Oliver Hermanus’s film hits all the right notes, but none is struck to perfection. Both Mescal’s and O’Connor’s performances are really solid, but the truth is that their love story lacks emotional depth.
The story of Fatima is one that has appeared many times on the big screen. The struggles of accepting one’s sexuality, whether due to internal doubts or societal misconceptions, are familiar territory, and the film’s structure follows a similarly well-worn path.
This biopic about the first President of the Philippines under the Commonwealth suffers greatly from its incomprehensible humorous undertone, with cheap comedic quips present during two-thirds of the film.
It is a bad sign when, already within the first act, a film jumps randomly between genres, from action‑comedy to action‑drama to rom‑com. This reveals a glaring lack of clarity and conviction about what the filmmaker is trying to achieve and what mood the movie wants to convey to the audience.
This documentary is quite effective and engaging thanks to its very interesting subject matter and a myriad of touching personal cases, which provide us with a wide range of nuances to a worrying situation while contrasting it to the other side with a poignant and accountable perspective.
