#DeadKidsMovieReview

[thesmolines]

Dead Kids

“Kung may isang tao na gusto mong mawala sa mundo, Sinong gusto mo?”

For me, this exact line wraps up the entire thought of this film by Mikhael Red. Dead Kids is a story of how four teenagers are desperate to get back to the school bully, who is a privileged kid and a constant problem to their everyday lives by keeping him as hostage in exchange for money. Although the hefty sum of money they might get from all this is one of their motives, you can see right through the characters that the money is not just what they longed for. It is their strong eagerness to take matters into their own hands for that sense of power they thirst for when the antagonist is around.

Being the first Filipino original movie on Netflix, I was instantaneously intrigued the moment I saw how social media is hyping up this film. I must say, it was worth it. I had to pause once in a while to laugh or grasp the scenes because it is both funny and intense. Dead Kid did not fail me at all; this might just be added to my shortlist of favorite movies for how funny yet critical this movie is. Thus, here are my reactions without spoiling y’all! Three C’s, here we go!

1.The Characters!! Oh my goodness. The characters are very much underrated. They are rising actors who gave justice to the role they were given. From the antagonist down to the supporting roles, all were nothing but good! I love how they gave us new faces for this movie because tbh, I am so tired of seeing the same lead roles over and over again. I love the role of Khalil Ramos. Although the lines were not your typical heavy punch lines, the way he delivered it made a big impact. He was very effective and convincing that I felt how scared he was that his girlfriend might rat them out.

2. The Cinematography also made the film cooler than it already is. The shots were amazing plus you can feel the thriller vibe the movie is trying to emanate because of the color tone of the movie. The goal is to shift from pop-friendly moments that can be seen during parties inuman sessions of the cast to dramatic tones when the boys are about to meet their fates.

3. The Cursing, the slurs made the scenes even more realistic. If I have to take a shot for every swearing I hear in this entire movie, I would puke my entire intestine out because it is literally in every scene. The slurs for me, was like the seasoning of the entire chicken for it surely gave the entire film the flavor we, teenagers seem to love. Its depiction of how easily warped the ideologies of the youth of today also left me in awe. They portrayed how susceptible the youth are in doing things that might put them in great risk, especially without the proper guidance of adults.

As I have mentioned earlier, this movie also touched several relevant social issues that most filmmakers avoid. The depth and meaning behind every dialogue spouted by the characters served as a silent wake up call to the growing inequality and rampant oppression of those who have less. They also gave us a peek in the dirty world of those who are in power and how they can get away with everything just because they have the means.

This isn’t new to the eyes and ears of the audience but how classism and social divide was portrayed in this movie gave us quite a clearer view as to how the weak get weaker and how they are easily persuaded and used in situations where they are made to believe that getting out of their hell hole called poverty is within their reach if they agreed to the circumstances they are given.

Overall, I love the movie and the way they told the story but WHAT A CLIFFHANGER!!!! I still have questions bombarding my mind up until now. I am still skeptic who ratted them out? How did the police found out that it was them? Or why was Yssa not arrested if she became an accessory to the crime? Or What happened to Blanco right after he was saved by his father? Nevertheless, It was a really good movie and I’m hoping to see more movies like this.