Μουνγκλόου

Brandon Streussnig

Isabel showed me this two years ago and there are moments in it that I haven’t stopped thinking about. A cop thriller by way of Isabel with a scene that absolutely took my breath away in its audacity. One of our very best, we’re lucky to have her.

Lé Baltar

Might just be the sexiest title card drop ever.

NinoLeaks3.5

‘People are trapped in history, and history is trapped in them’Moonglow was one of the world premieres I was most excited for at the International Film Festival Rotterdam this year. The premise sounded very interesting to me, and the neo-noir setting completely sold me from the start. The film is a neo-noir film set against the backdrop of Marcos-era Philippines in 1979. It follows a police detective, who is aggrieved by the inescapable corruption around her, so secretly commits a heist on her boss his vault. She is then paired up with her former lover, an obsessively truth-seeking detective, to crack the very crime that she orchestrated herself. Director Isabel Sandoval said she wanted Moonglow to appeal to cinephiles who love Wong Kar-wai’s In the Mood for Love, classic noir films and classic Hollywood romances, and honestly, that’s the perfect way to describe this film. It’s a solid neo-noir that understands the genre and uses it well. Visually, the film is absolutely stunning. The cinematography and color grading are both gorgeous, and you’re fully pulled into the world the moment it starts. Every frame is so carefully composed, with some truly fantastic shots throughout. The camera work is also a major highlight here, using very interesting and unique angles and good camera movements that made even simple scenes visually engaging.The plot itself is good, but not without flaws. The central thriller concept works really well, but the writing sometimes lets it down. In some of the more serious scenes between the two leads, the dialogue can feel a bit generic. Thankfully, this isn’t the case across the whole film, because as example the final scene between them is genuinely excellent and easily one of the most memorable moments in the film. The pacing is also a bit uneven at times, especially when the film takes longer narrative breaks between its more tense moments. Still, I really liked the choice to let the audience know from early on who committed the crime (because nobody else in the film knows), as it shifts the tension from what happened to how it will all unravel.An interesting structural choice is also the title card dropping nearly an hour into the film. It was very unexpected in my opinion, but the scene surrounding it is beautifully done and clearly functions as a bridge between the first and second act. Isabel Sandoval both directs and stars in the film as the lead, as she does in much of her films, and she’s good here. That said, Arjo Atayde stood out a bit more to me as Charlie, her ex-lover and fellow detective. Their scenes together are strong, even tho not all of their romance scenes worked to me (more of it did work then didn’t). I really liked how their shared past is slowly revealed through brief flashbacks to a party they once attended, each flashback adding new context and details.Sandoval was clearly inspired by neo-noir, Park Chan-wook and classic crime films, and Moonglow uses those influences well. While the writing and pacing aren’t always as sharp as the visuals, the film’s atmosphere, performances, and striking craftsmanship make it a compelling watch. I’m sure this one will make rounds at many more film festivals worldwide throughout the year, so I’d recommend to keep an eye out for this one.