Netflix’s first Filipino original movie, Dead Kids, just released its official trailer today, and it looks like it might just be the kind of snappy, stylish thriller to encapsulate our chaotic national mood. (Either that, or it could just be a hyper-stylized slog that’s all sizzle and no steak. Fingers crossed it’s the former.)
Allegedly “inspired by true events” (we’re not exactly sure which ones, but OK), the film follows a group of misfit teens who take revenge on the school’s arrogant rich kid by kidnapping him. But, as is often the case with these kinds of scenarios, things take a dark turn when teen angst boils over into violence.
The two-minute sneak peek appears to show as much, with rising tensions, gorilla-masked captors, and enough shots of loaded guns to give Chekhov a heart attack.
One character in the trailer name-checks an “Uncle Rody” (huh, why does that sound so familiar?), and another quips that “cops only kill poor people,” while shots of conspicuous social media consumption and officers conducting “Oplan Tokhang”-like raids all go to show just how much the film (hopefully!) reflects modern Pinoy life.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hBiGo2A-1Qg
Mikhail Red, known for the acclaimed films Birdshot and Eerie — both also screening on Netflix — directed the movie.
In a statement, Red said he wanted to make a movie that “expose[s] the entitlement and insecurities of a generation growing up in a country of extreme social disparity but cleverly package it as pop entertainment.”
“It is a crime story in the age of social media and a bleak vision of the Filipino youth’s psyche,” he added. “It is a commentary on the youth’s views on masculinity, morality, and vigilante justice paralleled with today’s political climate.”
“It is both a coming-of-age story and a cautionary tale for the builders of our future,” he said.
(Pretty ambitious goal there, Red. We just hope the movie lives up to it.)
The film features popular actors Sue Ramirez, Khalil Ramos, Markus Paterson, and Vance Larena, together with rising young stars Kelvin Miranda, Gabby Padilla, and Jan Silverio.
Dead Kids is slated for worldwide streaming release on Dec. 1.
Are you gonna watch this film when it streams? Let us know in the comments below or tweet us @CoconutsManila.
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