REPTILIA IN SUBURBIA

Ang Pagbabalat ng Ahas

Directed by Timmy Harn

Discoveries / Philippines / 2014 / comedy, experimental / 75 mins / Tagalog with English subtitles / DCP / North American Premiere

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REPTILIA IN SUBURBIA

UltraStar Mission Valley
Tue, Nov. 11, 2014 8:15 pm

Description

Official selection, 2014 Curitiba International Film Festival

Sometime in the 90s in the Philippines, the ugly branch of the family tree moves back into its grandmother’s suburban gated community. The loser dad starts growing pot, the tubby mom has a hot affair, and the teenage son with a skin condition falls in with the wrong crowd. Meanwhile a mad scientist in the neighborhood has grown a weird creature out of his television that seems to be behind a series of dog-nappings.

REPTILIA IN SUBURBIA is as weird and idiosyncratic as a high schooler’s classroom doodles, yet director Timmy Harn’s execution is flawless and the showcase of a fiercely independent young filmmaker. With a background as a television art director, Harn surrounds his film with veteran talents including a cast of seasoned actors and a co-writer, Pamela Miras, with several television series to her credit. Maybe this is why REPITIILIA sometimes feels like a demented episode of Degrassi; the filmmakers have a feel for the lunatic underbelly of TV. Like last year’s Big Boy, REPTILIA combines exuberant DIY creativity with a keen eye for comedic detail, all without pretention. Instead it’s as if Devo directed The Ice Storm: hilarious, dramatic, tender, and totally unique. –Lev Kalman