"ANI (The Harvest)" Movie Review - Flawed but Admirable

A kid had to face the world in his own animated version and conquer life's biggest monster.

ANI (The Harvest)

It's as if a child's imagination is a safe haven, a place where the world is a playground for all the possibilities the mind could think of. And even the tight and humble space called home, situated on a busy Metro could not hinder the inquisitive headspace of a young Mithi (played by Zyren Dela Cruz), a boy who accomplishes the day by playing with his colorful toy robots that perform a vital role in his imaginary narrative. With a loving father and a mother that sings him a self-assuring lullaby, Mithi is blissfully unaware of the harsh reality. But life decided to toy with his fate, and Mithi's perfect little world is now showing its cracks, putting his vulnerability to the test and slowly depriving him of his happiness he thought would last forever. And through his eyes, the world suddenly transforms itself into a menacing monster. 

Set in a lush and remote farmland in Bicol, ANI (The Harvest) is a promising coming-of-age film that celebrates creativity, imagination and reality through the eyes of a child. It's a fantasy film with elements of sci-fi and magic realism to tell a story that resonates and transcends through the ages.

For a movie with a limited budget and was wrapped-up in under a month, it's pretty expected that the final product is not as polished as they thought it'd be. What they had delivered though is quite impressive in both unconventional storytelling and computer-generated imagery. Most of the time, I found myself questioning if I'm seeing an animatronic or just a beautifully rendered robot via motion capture. It's not consistent throughout but you could just imagine the CGI's quality if the film had a bigger budget and a much forgiving deadline. 

As for the character, I fully respect Zyren Dela Cruz for pulling off such a challenging feat. I admire that he effectively sold his character as if we are growing with him and experiencing his pain and sense of wonder all together. 

The story needed a bit of a tinkering though, like a defective but a reparable machine demanding a much needed customization to fully perform its functions. At times, it feels like the movie tried to accomplish a lot — few hits and plenty of misses. Despite its flaws however, the movie is quite enjoyable and is full of heart. It's a character-driven story with bits that a child would wonder at and themes that the adults would relate to. 

Let's Be Reel

Like a diamond in the rough, ANI (The Harvest) is a precious addition to the vast lineup of Cinemalaya entries. It's not a genre-defining, cog-turning art film but you will appreciate and respect it for what it was.

6.5/10

Reel Points

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