Philippine Bliss

The ironic provocateur, professional amateur, untiring musician and of course also film maker Khavn has a tempestuously growing oeuvre of often tempestuous films. In the year 2007 he made at least six feature films alongside all his many other activities. Feature films that completely differ in style, tone and genre. Alongside political genre parodies with many cult, camp and even splatter references, it turns out he is also able to play very different registers. This film was chosen partly because it shows a very different side of the work of Khavn.
The film is a social portrait in a sober, realistic style, certainly for Khavn. A style that he maintains almost until the end, before breaking out of the frame he had imposed on himself.
It focuses on six inhabitants of an apartment block. The complex was built in the period of the state of emergency imposed by the former president Ferdinand Marcos. The activities and stories (occasionally told straight to camera) of the various protagonists have been juxtaposed in the editing. This approach makes their stories more general and also ensures that the apartment complex itself gradually becomes the true protagonist. The inhabitants are certainly not from the upper echelons of society, but the social picture is far from grim. A sunny and colourful palette gives the film an almost Brazilian airiness. (GjZ)