100 is about a stern, uptight and exacting woman (Joyce - Mylene Dizon) with a terminal illness who tries to accomplish a list of 100 things to do before she dies. Her tasks vary from the simple to the complicated, from the practical to the mundane, from the ordinary to the extraordinary. In the process, she accepts the truth that even death is something personal, dying never is. (Cinemalaya 2008)
When I heard of the plot I didn’t like it because it resembles that of
Bucket List (Jack Nicholson & Morgan Freeman). But what makes it different is that it is not that melodramatic as compared with Bucket List. It has some heartbreaking moments that made me shed some tears, but not really “heavy crying”.
The mother-daughter confrontation scene was touching, one thing that made this film very Pinoy (a mother will do everything for her child; from giving up her favorite past time to accompanying her daughter everywhere, even going to crowded Manaoag… up to finding ways to have her daughter cured.)
Another thing that showed the Pinoy side of this film is our faith in Chinese medicines (pakulo ng kung ano-anong lamang ugat at halaman, etc.. lahat talaga gagawin ng Pinoy, susubukan para lang gumaling.) It also has a lot of hilarious scenes (there’s Eugene Domingo, of course). Eugene made Joyce’s trip to death a lighter phenomenon. I never imagined that a film about death/dying could be this light and interesting. And fun too. Eugene’s a good dramatic actress too. Very talented and versatile woman.
For an indie film, it is well-crafted though it has minor technical flaws. The story was very detailed. The cast is great too.
Thumbs up for
Mylene,
Eugene and
Tessie Tomas who is really “walang kupas” (she was the one who really made me cry in that kare-kare scene).
Mylene Dizon never disappoints me, plus the fact that she really is one of the most beautiful women in Philippine entertainment.
Memorable lines:
“If everybody wants to go to heaven, how come nobody wants to die?”
“If I am 100% sure that I’ll go to heaven, I can die anytime.”
Wonderful scenes/Surprising/Spoiler Alert:
- Mt. Pinatubo is so breathtaking!
- Ryan Eigenmann… a priest???
- Watch out for the skinny dipping part. Mylene and Eugene had butt exposure. Even Mean (Mylene’s family’s all around helper, the lesbian in the film Milan) went naked. Tessie Tomas, on the other hand, was shown wearing t-back panties! :D I admire them though, seems no hesitations at all.
Some scenes/part of the story that left me thinking…
- How sure is she that she was able to do exactly 100 things before she died when in fact her mother and nephew took charge of her “notepad tasks”? Did she count the number of sheets she posted on her wall?
- Was the scene in Pinatubo happened at the start of the story? Or was it at the end and she was just being nostalgic?
- If you were to die, would you have it abruptly? Or would you embrace it unhurriedly?
- If a dying person tells you “sana matanggap mo na para maging masaya na tayo..”, is it really easy to do?
- What’s easier, leaving your loved ones? Or being left by the one you love?
- Is there really life after death?
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Credits:
Writer/Director: Chris Martinez
Director of Photography: Larry Manda
Assistant Director: Melvin Lee
Editor: Ike Veneracion
Production Designer: Aby Jamnague-Rivera
Cast: Mylene Dizon, Eugene Domingo, Tessie Tomas, TJ Trinidad, Ryan Eigenmann, Simon Ibarra & Cecile Paz
“100 has won 5 awards in this year’s Cinemalaya Film Festival: Best Actress for Mylene Dizon, Best Supporting Actress for Eugene Domingo, Best Screenplay, Best Direction and Audience Choice Award."
