'Uninvited' keeps viewers engaged

The last time viewers saw Star for All Seasons Vilma Santos in an offbeat role on the big screen was when she played a serial killer in director Maryo J. de los Reyes drama thriller, "Tagos ng Dugo" (1987).

- By LEAH C. SALTERIO

It has taken Vilma nearly four decades to accept another anti-villain role, this time as an avenging mom in director Dan Villegas’ “Uninvited,” the sophomore entry of John Bryan Diamante’s Mentorque Productions this time to the 50th anniversary of the Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF).

The dark, psychological thriller marks the return of director Dan to filmmaking after a six-year hiatus, the last one being “Exes Baggage,” that reunited erstwhile lovers Angelica and Carlo Aquino (2018).

Written by Dodo Dayao, “Uninvited” easily presented the vendetta of Eva Candelaria (the character of Vilma), who avenged the death of her only daughter, Lily Capistrano (Gabby Padilla), abducted and killed a decade earlier with her boyfriend Tofy (Elijah Canlas) by the dirty men of billionaire Guilly Vega (Aga Muhlach).

“Uninvited” was given an R-16 classification obviously because of its themes of rape, sexual assault, revenge and death. The film tropes adopted by this entry were not easily distinguished from the start, although the ending is predictable.

However, as the film unraveled, one could sense the similarity of “Uninvited” with other gripping stories shown in the past. Jennifer Lopez battled with an abusive husband and killed him in “Enough” (2002).