by Heinrich Domingo

An orphan resides in a church in the absence of a house. He cohabits with an old caretaker who mostly skulks around. Their friendship builds a cinema image that is too familiar in mainstream films but is surprisingly effective to an indie cinema audience.

Nenok brings laughter to a crowd who has been fed up with a lot of indie films that mask hollow storylines with profoundness. It strategically uses the image of a cute orphan boy to gain sympathy from the crowd. With this, the audience immediately fell in love with Nenok.

With the repetitive and shallow nature of slapstick comedy, it is often seen as lowbrow. But with a commendable success, the director was able to avoid awkwardness in several scenes.

It can be claimed that the film was effective in its purpose of offering a fresh menu to Cinemalaya crowd. Yet, due to its focus on laughter and amusement, this short film was unable to give emphasis on potential topics of poverty, homelessness, and child abuse. The hearty laughter of the crowd seemingly drowned out the pressing issues of our generation.

Rating: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

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