The nod given by Itim to Antonioni’s Blow Up does not mean that the film takes the path of an applied (or even emphatic) homage. For his debut directorial feature, Mike De Leon instead reveals a personal and multi-faceted, almost syncretic inspiration, blending fantastic borders, enigmatic rites, occultism and religious statuary, but also the direct proximity of young heroes tormented by a past that “does not pass”, with an acute sense of space, light and suspense. The film stands superbly on the border between worlds. It revealed the actress Charo Santos, a veritable appearance set in the seductive game of chiaroscuro (“Itim” means “black” in Tagalog). FM
Restored print
