Drama movies hit differently when it is starred by someone usually seen in not-so-dramatic roles in films. That’s a fact and Baron Geisler in Doll House is no exception. Geisler and Ruedas’ tandem in Doll House was undoubtedly a hit. The movie, released on the 7th of October in 2022, had been top 1 on Netflix Philippines for days.
Director Marla Ancheta did well with her movie—choosing significant characters and writers, and filming in places with the best complementing sceneries. Baron Geisler and Althea Ruedas were great actors, their lines were a balanced mixture of dramatically impactful and street-type ones and the backgrounds were both cool and relaxing in some type of way.
Baron Geisler had been in show business for quite some time now. However, he usually stars as someone cool, happy-go-lucky, and comedic. This time, he proved himself again that he is not only good at portraying hip roles but is better at portraying heavily-dramatic ones.
As a person who doesn’t usually watch TV, seeing the film was my first time hearing about Althea Ruedas who happens to be in the Mini Ms. U segment of It’s Showtime in 2020 and was the first runner-up of Eat Bulaga’s Little Miss Philippines segment in 2019. She can also be seen in the movies Silly Red Shoes, The Haunted, Bakit ‘Di Mo Sabihin?, and Anak ng Santol. A musically inclined rising star, Althea’s performance in acting and singing will surely touch your hearts.
In that part where she sang Pangako with her real voice, I felt and embraced the meaning of the song rather than just hearing about it—something a good singer makes the audience feel.
The six most relevant characters were enough to make the drama film *quite a bit* of tear-jerking. Of course, a tissue box must be ready if soft people are to watch this film. However, if you have already watched enough drama, you might only think “oh, I see, so that’s what happened.”
Rustin Clyde (Baron Geisler), Yumi (Althea Ruedas), Bok (Phi Palmos), Rachelle (Katreena Beron), Sheena (Izah Hankammer), and Rustin Clyde’s dad (Ricardo Cepeda) all gave justice to their characters, all good in their ways.
The main characters Rustin Clyde (Baron Geisler) and Yumi (Althea Ruedas) made a lot of people cry with how they showed the story. Rachelle and Bok were the concerned aunt and uncle who were there with Yumi and Sheena when Rustin Clyde was not. Sheena is a loving wife who tried to stop Rustin Clyde from his vices. Lastly, Rustin Clyde’s General dad wants him to be better and has his back whenever he gets caught by the police.
That’s a good point to include too despite this being a redemption film: that people in power or with connection to authorities could easily clean up their messes and names. Also, this movie showed how the abuse of alcohol and drugs could lead to something regretful. Anyway, going back…
As a Filipino, name a local movie that starts with the protagonist being too detached from his family members but rekindles and realizes that family comes first in everything in the end. There’s a lot.
That movie wherein he feels like everything he does is a mistake—what “disappointment” would look like if that word was alive. Where he feels like everything is a slip-up so he tries to make his life better, but ends up in a worse situation. The pattern was like good days-resentment-apologies-reawakening. Familiar? That’s what a family drama Filipino film seems like. That’s what Doll House is like.
Alcoholic drinks, cigarettes, and drugs. Rustin Clyde was someone who would always get wasted with his friends because of tiredness from everything that only music could fix… or so he thought. When something grave happened to one member of their band, he thought of going back to the Netherlands. He did and he went back there only to be reminded of the past.
Just when you thought you had a chance to make yourself better, what you did will remind you why you’re in your current state—leaving you with no idea of what to do.
In the end, Rustin Clyde did what a Son, a Husband, and a Father would… after a parent, a wife, and a child were gone. All these, he did, but after losing the chance to be better.
Redemption films like this give hope to people. Again, a new year might be a sign of a new start, but a person could change only when he knows what he must and must not do.
Being better does not erase the sins from the past, so, for you, what’s there left to do to prove oneself?
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