23/03/2025
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REVIEW | Olsen's Day (2025)
Rating: 4.5/5 stars
Now Showing in Gateway Cineplex as part of the 2025 Puregold CinePanalo Film Festival
Review by: Stephanie Mayo
JP Habac’s well-deserved Best Director win at this year’s CinePanalo Film Festival is evident in "Olsen’s Day," a tight, contemplative drama rich with subtext.
Nearly a one-man show, the film revolves around Olsen (CinePanalo Best Actor Khalil Ramos), a reserved, melancholic young man we follow on a journey from Dagupan to Manila, driving a van on All Saints’ Day. His passengers are Tony (Romnick Sarmenta), a strange, chatty man in his 50s, and Tonton (Xander Nuda, whom I consider the best child performer in this year’s festival), his young son.
Rarely do we get to see a local film packed with such exquisitely beautiful nuances, brought to life by two great actors who completely disappear into their roles. The intelligent, natural dialogue, flawlessly delivered in a casual, conversational tone by Ramos and Sarmenta, paired with their strong onscreen rapport, keeps you hooked from start to finish.
But what makes "Olsen’s Day" remarkable is not just its craftsmanship — it is a soulful film that treads delicately on the most painful aspects of life. At its core is a young man seemingly resigned to a depressing routine, with Habac masterfully capturing the secret sorrows of the heart through unconventional camera angles, thoughtful silences, and the guise of small talk.
And the small talk, humor, choice of radio songs, and references to "The Little Prince" are not mere fillers to get the characters talking. Every line is necessary, each one loaded with meaning, all tied to the essence of this poetic, meditative portrait of pain, resentment, regret, and loss within the family.
Of course, early on, one can already predict the twist, but ex*****on is what truly matters. The ending takes an almost supernatural turn, slightly breaking the film’s tone, but nevertheless, the journey far outweighs the destination.
Great drama is one that understands its subject with profound depth, resulting in sharp, clever writing and masterful direction. It draws out the emotions of its characters without spelling everything out and trusts the intelligence of the audience. "Olsen’s Day" is clearly an inspired work of cinema.
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Originally posted in the Daily Tribune, March 22, 2025 at https://www.facebook.com/tribunephl/videos/the-film-calls-itself-a-sports-drama-yet-bizarrely-theres-nothing-about-the-titu/635823209432515/
The CinePanalo Film Festival runs until March 25 exclusively at Gateway Cineplex
