Cavite (2005)

User Rating:

5.9/10   

Directors:

Neill Dela Llana
Ian Gamazon

Writers:

Neill Dela Llana (writer)
Ian Gamazon (writer)

Genre:

Thriller

Tagline:

Deliver unspeakable terror or lose everyone you love...

Plot:

Flying back to his home country, an American man is informed that his mother and sister have been kidnapped and will be killed if he doesn't comply with certain demands.

Plot Keywords:

Bank | Jihad | Security Guard | Philippines | Bus

Awards:

2 wins

Cast

Ian Gamazon	...	Adam
Edwin Lagda	...	Running Man - Adam's Dad / Alleyway Victim
Edgar Tancangco	...	Adam's Father
Norma Tancangco	...	Adam's Mother
Quynn Ton	...	Little Sister
Mariza Levario	...	Arguing Voice (voice)
Neill Dela Llana	...	Arguing Voice / Alleyway Assassin
Dominique Gonzalez	...	Dana
Ryan Lagda	...	Little Boy Thief / Kidnapped Kid
Nestor B. Casilis	...	Terrorist with Gun
Rico V. Lagda	...	Kidnapped Kid
Robert Sanque	...	Thug in Bathroom
Joven F. Abrenica	...	Thug in Bathroom
Solita R. Nadal	...	Woman on Cell Phone

Runtime:

USA:80 min

Country:

Philippines | USA

Language:

English | Filipino | Tagalog

Color:

Color

Certification:

USA:Not Rated

Filming Locations:

Noveleta, Cavite, Luzon, Philippines

Company:

Gorilla Films

Movie Connections:

References "Hello Kitty's Furry Tale Theater" (1987)

Austin Movie Show review -- "original and surprising"

Adam, a 32-year-old Filipino security guard from San Diego, must fly home to the Philippines after learning that his father is died. He lands at the Manila airport and waits for his mother to pick him up. She never does. He hears a ringing in his bag. It's a mysterious package with a ringing cell phone (think of The Matrix when Morpheus contacts Neo for the first time). Adam picks it up, and for the next hour, an Islamic extremist (who has kidnapped his mother and sister) threatens to kill Adam's family if he doesn't follow every single order he's given. Now that's suspense.

I love that Cavite truly takes you down the streets of the Philippines, where people drink soda from a plastic bag and bet on cockfights (reminds me a lot of Mexico). Everything about this film is original and surprising. The only problems were technical (and hardly worth mentioning). One problem was the discontinuity of the sweaty shirt. Adam wears the same shirt throughout the film, and the shirt is sweatier at some points than at others. The other problem was believing that two cell phones batteries could last an entire day. Adam is constantly on the phone with his family's kidnapper, and he only runs out of battery once? I don't buy it. But I bought everything else.

Equally as original as the plot of Cavite is the story about how this indie film found it's distribution. A U.T. class on advanced film producing promoted Cavite through the 2005 SXSW Film Festival and the 2005 Los Angeles Film Festival, and thanks to a deal with Mark Cuban's "Truly Indie" distribution initiative, Cavite is now showing at a theater near you, so check it out.