Dementia (film) | Movie Review

About Dementia

In the hopes of helping her aunt Mara (Nora Aunor) better deal with her dementia, Rachel (Jasmine Curtis) moves her out to their family's remote ancestral home. There Rachel records Mara's daily activities and helps engage the older woman in exercises that would help her cognitive thinking, such as putting together jigsaw puzzles. What Rachel didn't plan on is that Mara's presence in the house will stir up memories and presences that are better left undisturbed

Cast: 
Nora Aunor as Mara, a woman facing a dementia.
Jasmine Curtis as Rachel, Mara's niece.
Bing Loyzaga
Chynna Ortaleza
Jeric Gonzales
Yul Servo
Althea Vega

Lui Ma­nansala

My notes on Dementia:
1. It had the right atmosphere for a great horror movie so some choices bordering on cheap scares (does everything have to be loud?) completely baffled me.
2. The scene where a hand suddenly came out of nowhere made me jump out of my seat, though. And I'm not one to easily get scared.
3. When I saw the doll in its glass case, my brain just screamed "Maria Leonora Teresa" (the Guy & Pip doll, not the Deramas movie).
4. Were the faded colors supposed to be intentional or did the film really lacked the budget for that Star Cinema gloss? Regardless, the Batanes backdrop was gorgeous.
5. Did we really need that love story? Sure, Jeric Gonzales was pleasing to the eyes but it didn't do any favors to Jasmine Curtis (wonderful in both Transit and Puti). She should never say yes to anything close to a teenybopper role.
6. I kept telling myself that Nora Aunor dressed like a teacher and the movie made me feel like an idiot when it revealed later on that she indeed was. Kudos to the costume designer?
7. I wonder what service provider they had in Batanes. I can't even Facetime in my own room.
8. They must be a family of owls for being able to read so well in the dark.
9. What was the crackling sound during the last few scenes? Was the sound just too loud that it busted the speakers of SM Cinema?
10. Chynna Ortaleza is slowly becoming one of my favorite young stars in Philippine Cinema. So many good performances this year. I wouldn't have guessed that she would outshine my Click favorites Trina Zuniga and Tricia Roman.
11. That ending was a cop-out. Why?!
12. Oh, but of course Nora Aunor was brilliant here. She almost made me forget about the execrable Hustisya. (Dear Noranians, please spare my life.)

My Reaction :

DEMENTIA (Perci Intalan, 2014) - Call me crazy but I'm not a big fan of snot running down someone's nose in any crying scene.

Movie Star Rating :

★★★☆☆

Written by Jason Javier