By Ed Sum
(The Vintage Tempest)
Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival
Please check local film festival schedules for a screening near you.
The Filipino coming of age film, Death of Nintendo, is deceptive because of the title. I wondered how video games factored into a story about three boys going through puberty and trying to understand the life they have under the shadow of Mount Pinatubo, a very active volcano. Plenty of level ups are going to be required to deal with school bullies and to win a certain princess’s heart.
Paolo (Noel Comia Jr.) is crushing hard on Shiara (Elijah Alejo). His friends Kachi (John Vincent Servilla) and Gilligan (Jigger Sementilla) are not as grown up and have their video games, a Famicom, to fall back to. We also see in Paolo’s room a lot of posters representing everything that’s considered manly. The Wolverine poster says it all.
Continue reading “LAAPFF 2020 From Adolescence to Adulthood in The Death of Nintendo”