Watching director Paul Soriano?s latest opus ?Kid Kulafu? is like being hit squarely in the face by Manny Pacquiao?s lethal one-two punch combination.
Unlike any other movie depicting Pacquiao?s life, the film ships back its viewers during his childhood when he begins to dream big and embark on his ambitious journey.
The lush mountains of Bukidnon serves as young Manny?s home, the place where he first experienced worldly miseries brought by extreme poverty.
A traumatic event, where the whole family gets caught in middle of a hostile encounter between rebels and government forces, seemed to have a lasting imprint on Manny?s mind.
The family had to move to General Santos City and start anew. Manny had to collect bottles of Kulafu, a liquor brand, for his uncle Sardo (Cesar Montano) in exchange for the help he extends to his family. With his uncle as his mentor, Manny discovers his flair for jabs and hooks. From then on, he becomes strong-willed and unstoppable, keeping his desire to end the ordeal of his family while shaping and giving meaning to his own destiny.
Soriano?s treatment of ?Kid Kulafu? is nothing less than raw and untamed, humanizing the characters to the point of immortalizing them.
Perhaps he recognizes the linear structure inherent in the story, with his obvious thirst only to tell a zero-to-hero tale. And so he knows better than hurry the exposition of the narrative. He lets his characters breathe, enjoy, muse and fret. He bids the audience welcome and feel the angst, the desperation, the growth and the hope tucked in helms of the story.
Moreover, the film?s cool, crisp and classy cinematography is very impressive. The playful shots will make the audience stare agape at the screen, turning plain moments to an exciting adventure. The musical score, too, was spot-on, enlivening the scenes in a very affecting manner. Pleasingly memorable was Manny?s dream sequence. It was short and chimerical, but it managed to give off enough dose of cathartic effect.
