THE RED SHOES Movie Review

Just like any typical Filipino, I love watching Filipino movies, especially if it is a love story where the hopeless romantic in me is awaken. Whenever I am watching a love story movie, I always dream that I’m the leading lady; and I love falling in love over and over again through these types of movies.

When I first heard about the movie entitled, The Red Shoes, I immediately thought that it is just one of the love stories produce from other countries. Honestly, upon the hearing (reading) the title, I thought it was a foreign film; but out of my inborn curiosity, I visited the movie’s official site and was surprised to learn that it is proudly made by Unitel Productions – a Filipino production, who also brought us the unforgettable and award-winning Crying Ladies, which starred the one and only Mega Star, Ms. Sharon Cuneta, as well as the movie which gave a big break to then blooming star, Angelica Panganiban.

This time, Unitel Productions, together with Director Raul Jorolan , is set to give the ABS-CBN talent, Nikki Gil her first major lead role in this film – The Red Shoes, together with a Kapuso star, the versatile Marvin Agustin. It is the first time that Nikki and Marvin will work together in a movie, plus the fact that they are paired with each other as the leading stars of the film. Actually, both of them really liked the story of the movie that they really find time, and even adjusted their schedule to fit with the shooting schedules.

During the first few minutes of the movie, I thought The Red Shoes was like a politically inspired movie that will tell some of the untold stories of the infamous numerous pairs of shoes owned by Former Philippine First Lady Imelda Marcos. But it turned out to be more than that.

The casts and the crews took time to furnish almost every detail of the film to effectively present it to the intended viewers. The Red Shoes is not just simply about a pair of red shoes per se as it also symbolizes significant values that Filipinos have, like love, ambitions or aspirations depending on how a person or the viewer will interpret it based on the movie. Lies, deceit and moving on are also among the major focus or theme of the film, where we, as viewers can learn important lessons that only life can teach us.

You know what? I’m really itching to give away the big turns, the climax and the unexpected ending of the movie which will change how your ordinary love story normally ends. But I don’t want to be a spoiler, so I can’t really say much.

THE RED SHOES SYNOPSIS

In 1986, in the evening of the People Power Revolution in the Philippines, ten-year old Lucas Munozca catches sight of the First Lady’s 3000 pairs of shoes at the Presidential Palace and decides to steal a pair.

In 2006, Lucas, now a professional wedding videographer, is seemingly stuck with one kind of footwear: white sneakers. He, too, is stuck with his past; unable to move on from losing the love of his life, the “well-heeled” Bettina, who, when they were still a couple, always wore flats being taller than Lucas.

Lucas’ mother, Chat, is similarly stuck on her past. Doing manicures and pedicures for a living, Chat gets to take expensive shoes off the feet of affluent women. After all these years, she still grieves the loss of her husband, Lucas’ father, Domingo. A construction worker who loved to walk barefoot, Domingo perished along with an untold number of workers during the collapse of an upper floor of the Manila Film Center in 1981, a pet project of the then First Lady Imelda Marcos. Chat has almost given up trying to contact the spirit of Domingo until she meets a talented spiritist, Madame Vange, who happens to be, of all things, an Imelda impersonator.

When Lucas accepts a high-profile wedding video assignment, he discovers that one of the principal sponsors is Madame Imelda Marcos herself. He is then forced to confront the consequences of stealing the shoes of the former First Lady and to reveal the real reasons why he did it: for poetic justice and for love.

As a boy, Lucas had originally wanted to steal two pairs of shoes–one for his mother Chat to be a token replacement of the shoes she never got for her birthday from her husband Domingo because he died constructing Imelda’s film palace; and another pair of shoes for his childhood sweetheart Bettina whose family had suffered from the Marcos regime. But young Lucas lost his nerves and only managed to steal one pair. And so, he had given the right shoe to his mother; and the left shoe to his beloved.

Twenty years have separated the shoes and, now, Lucas retraces his journey and discovers that the Imelda shoes is his way back to healing and redemption.

The Red Shoes will be officially showing on March 10, 2010 and I really recommend this to all of you out there who wants to see a movie that deviates from presently shown films recently.

UNICO ENTERTAINMENT presents a UNITEL Production “THE RED SHOES”
Starring MARVIN AGUSTIN, NIKKI GIL,
LIZA LORENA, TESSIE TOMAS, TIRSO CRUZ III, TETCHIE AGBAYANI and IWA MOTO
Sound Recording NOLET CLEMENTE Musical Scoring JESSIE LASATEN Editing IKE VENERACION
Cinematography IKE AVELLANA Production Design NORMAN REGALADO
Line Producer JOSIE BRACAMONTE NOEMI PEJI Executive Producer TITO VELASCO Co-Producer JAMES LADIORAY
Produced by TONY GLORIA Written by JAMES LADIORAY Directed by RAUL JOROLAN
Visit the movie’s website at http://theredshoes.com.ph