An old man comes out as gay to his children and left their home to take care of his dying lover, ignoring the consequences of his actions.
Love Wins
Rainbow's Sunset, directed by seasoned and multi-awarded director Joel Lamangan and an official entry to Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) 2018, follows the story of Ramon Estrella (Eddie Garcia) as he confronts his children to come out as gay and decided to leave her wife Sylvia (Gloria Romero) to accompany his ailing lover and friend, Fredo (Tony Mabesa) in his end of days. At first, Sylvia is supportive of this decision despite the fact that she is hurting to see his husband with another person. Their children on the other hand is totally not on board with the decision of their father because for them it will only create malicious scandals that will taint the family's name and reputation.
As the story progressed, subplots about the children's own problems are coming into play, bringing in more tension and commotion to the already complicated situation. As a result, Sylvia is left alone trying to somehow find a common ground as to how she can fix the looming problems of the family.
Director Joel Lamangan is known for his movies about conflicting relationships especially when it operates within family members. He is responsible for directing a number of movie classics such as 1982's Himala, 1995's Flor Contemplacion, 2002's Mano Po and 2004's Aishite Imasu to name a few. All of those films were great because they revolve around one's personal struggels and conflicting relationships among family members. The same formula was also very evident in this film.
The Good
The film is heartwarming and the problems presented were very relatable especially to Filipino families. The performance from seasoned actors such as Gloria Romero, Eddie Garcia and even Aiko Melendez were of high caliber and an ingredient to a successful drama film.
The Bad
For a film that was suppose to be about the celebration of love and acceptance of LGBT relationships, I thought the movie focused more on its subplots. As a result, the film suffered from having to show a lot of things in so little time and that the main theme was compromised. The confusing shift from Eddie Garcia's perspective to Gloria Romero's kind of threw me off as I don't know which struggles am I suppose to follow and be invested in.
There were a few minor subplots that were introduced but then didn't mature by the end of the film or was even completely ignored. The use of glossy filter throughout the film felt a bit dated and distracting at times. I also feel like the film lacks a big scene, a big moment in which everyone can show their acting prowess and is almost always the most memorable parts in every heavy drama Pinoy films. Thematically I thought they could have been more aggressive but the end result felt too soft and restrained.
Should You Watch It?
If you are a fan of this type of film, then you should definitely check it out. It's not as deep as it was trying to accomplish but it will probably pop a few tears for the regular viewers.
Rainbow's Sunset is a familial drama with a wide spectrum of casts. Sadly, the progression of the story is not as colorful as it think it was.
5/10
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