Evaluation board gives ‘Captive’ an ‘A’ grade

Brillante Mendoza. AFP FILE PHOTO

The Cinema Evaluation Board (CEB) has given Brillante Mendoza’s “Captive” a grade of “A.” Board members said they found the film “compelling and poignant” and the direction “sensitive to the theme.”

“Captive,” produced by Centerstage Productions, is loosely based on real-life events that involved a group of missionaries and holiday-makers kidnapped in Palawan in 2001 by a rebel group linked to the militant Islamist organization al-Qaida.

The film stars French actress Isabelle Huppert, whose character Therese, a social worker, ends up caring for one of the kidnappers.

Mendoza had a “nice touch and command of the medium with a very patient exposition delivered with objectivity,” according to a CEB report sent to Inquirer Entertainment on Friday.

Tight, gripping

A board member said the film was “tight and gripping; earnestly done and very truthful to the facts.” Another stressed that it was “a compelling and poignant depiction of the plight of the Palawan hostages and a revealing commentary on the incompetence of the government to cope with serious terrorist threats.”

A film graded “A” gets a 100-percent tax rebate; a film graded “B” gets 60 percent, according to CEB chair Christine Dayrit.

The award-winning Mendoza said he was pleased with the CEB rating. “This will really help, especially for an indie producer like me. For many of us, every centavo counts.”

He added that the film received an R-13 rating from the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board and that Star Cinema, ABS-CBN’s film production arm, agreed to release it. “This means the film will be accessible to more viewers.”

According to the CEB report, Mendoza was “able to get the best from each of his actors.” Actors Huppert, Raymond Bagatsing and Alan Paule all received commendations from the Board. “[They] are revelations.” Huppert was described as a “class act” who “blends well with the local cast.”

“There’s praiseworthy coordination of the very impressive and excellent acting performances,” said a CEB member. “The actors competently portray their roles realistically so much so that the film comes across an extended in-depth documentary.”

A reviewer said the screenplay was “properly subdued, appropriate without being excessive; both the dialogue and character development were believable.” Another member added: “A lot of research was apparently done to make the story as realistic as possible and this helped enrich the material.”

The editing was described as “crisp and concise,” as well as “good and disciplined.” Another reviewer deemed it “well-crafted and meticulously thought-out.”

The cinematography was described as “beautiful,” “very real,” “admirably free of over-dramatization,” “excellent,” and “gritty, powerfully un-Hollywoodish.”

Another member pointed out: “The spectacular shots made the jungle alive; it was as if it was a character with a specific role.” Yet another likened the film to Terrence Malick’s “The Thin Red Line,” its camera angles “done with care and imagination.”

The CEB report said the production design was “very good, true to the theme, and faithful to life of bandits on the run… [It] captured the local flavor effectively.”

The musical score was described as “effectively subdued; subtle, powerful and moving in its unobtrusiveness; low-toned but effective and never called attention to itself.”

A sneak preview of “Captive” was held on Saturday at the 17th Citi-Rustan’s French Film Festival ongoing at the Shangri-La Mall, while a nationwide theatrical run is scheduled in September.

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