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Uninvited (2024 film)

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Uninvited
Theatrical release poster
Directed byDan Villegas
Written byDodo Dayao
Produced by
  • John Bryan Diamente
  • Ronalyn D. Bana-ao
  • Antoinette Jadaone
  • Dan Villegas
Starring
CinematographyPao Orendain
Edited byMarya Ignacio
Music byLen Calvo
Production
companies
  • Mentorque Productions
  • Project 8 Projects
Distributed byWarner Bros. Pictures (Philippines)
Viva Films (International)
Release date
  • December 25, 2024 (2024-12-25)
Running time
93 minutes
CountryPhilippines
Languages
  • Filipino
  • English

Uninvited is a 2024 Philippine mystery crime thriller film co-produced and directed by Dan Villegas from a story and screenplay written by Dodo Dayao. It stars Vilma Santos, Aga Muhlach and Nadine Lustre. In the film, a mother seeks revenge on a billionaire at his birthday party for being responsible for her daughter's death.

The film is part of the ten official entries of the 50th Metro Manila Film Festival.[1][2]

Plot

[edit]

Lilia Capistrano attends the lavish 55th birthday party of corrupt billionaire Guilly Vera at his mansion. She plans to kill Vega for the death of her only daughter Lily a decade prior. Scouting the party, she encounters her targets: Vega, his apathetic wife Katrina, his drug-addicted and rebellious daughter Nicole and her boyfriend Mark, his right-hand man Jigger Zulueta, and his enforcers Celso Batac and Randall Ballesteros. Vega also invites his political enemy, Colonel Red, to show off to him. Uninvited to the party, Lilia adopts the identity of Eva Candelaria, a donor who had donated a large sum to Katrina's foundation.

Lilia was a teacher who lived with her only child Lily, a college student who is dating her childhood sweetheart Tofy. During a study date, Lily and Tofy were abducted by Vega's scouter Jomar Maitim. Maitim, Batac, and Ballesteros bring Lily to Vega to be raped while Tofy is tortured. Afterwards, the enforcers kill the couple and dump their bodies in a grassland where they are discovered.

Devastated following their children's deaths, Lilia and Tofy's mother Norma meet and deduce that Vega was responsible following a tip from Norma's police officer cousin; Vega would send his men to abduct teenage girls for him to rape, before they would be killed or let go, bribing their families into silence. Another victim of Vega, Tanya, commits suicide, and her father Elmer gives Lilia a list of Vega's lackeys. Lilia swears revenge on Vega and his men, and begins her plan by killing Maitim by running him over with a car.

Cracks begin forming among Vega's inner circle. Nicole tells Mark that she resents her father for his various crimes but only stays with him because of his wealth. Katrina rebuffs her husband's seduction prior to the party, as she is dissatisfied with him and is secretly having an affair with Zulueta. Having tailed his wife's affair for some time, Vega kills Zulueta.

Lilia steals a carving knife from the party's catering and kills Batac when he is alone before taking his body. Ballesteros, who had deduced Lilia's identity and informed Vega, engages in a gunfight with her, accidentally killing Mark and injuring Nicole in the crossfire. Lilia manages to kill Ballesteros before holding Nicole at gunpoint, planning to kill her as payback for her father's crimes. Nicole reveals that she is a victim of her father as well, having been continuously sexually abused by him since she was a child. Having overheard the gunfire, Vega arrives and holds Lilia at gunpoint, forcing her to stand down. Nicole offers to take Lilia's gun and kill her herself, but she instead shoots her father, enabling Lilia to stab Vega to death. Prompted by Nicole to flee, Lilia leaves the party, satisfied at finally avenging her daughter's death.

In a mid-credits scene, Red discovers Vega's lifeless body and gloats over it.

Cast

[edit]
Cast of Uninvited during the MMFF Parade of Stars 2024 in Manila
Main Cast
  • Vilma Santos as Lilia Capistrano / Eva Candelaria, a woman who poses as a socialite to crash Guilly's party to avenge her daughter's death.[3][4][5][6]
  • Aga Muhlach as Guilly Vega, a billionaire who hosts a lavish party for his own birthday. He murdered Eva's only daughter a decade ago before the start of the film's main story.[5][7]
  • Nadine Lustre as Nicolette Chantal "Nicole" Remegio Vega, Vega's drug-addicted daughter who resents her father.
Supporting cast[8][6]
  • Tirso Cruz III as Colonel Red Zaldarriaga, Vega's former friend-turned-enemy who was invited to the party.
  • Mylene Dizon as Katrina Vega, Vega's unsatisfied wife who runs a foundation.
  • Gabby Padilla as Lilia Nieves "Lily" Capistrano, Lilia's late daughter.
  • Elijah Canlas as Christopher Norman 'Tofy' Almario, Lilia's boyfriend.
  • RK Bagatsing as Jigger Zulueta, Vega's right-hand man.
  • Lotlot de Leon as Norma Almario, Tofy's mother and close friend to Lilia.
  • Ketchup Eusebio as Jomar Maitim, Guilly's pimp.
  • Cholo Barretto as Celso Batac, Guilly's ruthless henchman and bodyguard.
  • Gio Alvarez as Randall Ballesteros, A corrupt police officer who is Guilly's cooperate fixer.
  • Ron Angeles as Mark, Nicole's boyfriend who supplies her with cocaine.
  • Nonie Buencamino as Elmer Gatdula, the father of another victim of Vega.
  • Samantha Samarita as Tanya Gatdula, the late daughter of Elmer who is also another victim of Vega.

Production

[edit]

Uninvited with a working title of Project Red,[7] was co-produced by Mentorque Productions and Project 8 Projects with Dan Villegas as its director and Dodo Dayao as its writer.[9] While Dayao is credited as Uninvited's writer, co-star Vilma Santos provided significant output for the film's story. Due to Santos' candidacy for Batangas governor in the upcoming 2025 Philippine elections, production of the film was expedited.[10]Uninvited also marks as Villegas' return in film directing since Hintayan ng Langit in 2018.[3][11]

Mentorque has hinted that it has proposed several film projects for Santos as early as May 2024. Among these proposals were for a thriller film and Santos expressed interest to star in a type of project that she has never done before.[12] In August 2024, Mentorque announced its collaboration with Project 8 Projects for a "dark" film starring Santos.[13] Santos describes the film as a happening in 24 hours which starts nice but ends as "dilapidated".[14] Lustre agreed to work in Uninvited after learning that Santos and Mulach are involved in the film.[15] Lustre remarked that her role as Nicole is "very extreme" and is largely a "polar opposite" on how she acts in real life.[16]

Principal photography was already underway for the film as of September 2024. Production for Uninvited needed to be finished by the end of the month to be an eligible entry for the second batch of films for the 2024 Metro Manila Film Festival.[17] The title of the film was announced in that month.[18] Uninvited was filmed in several houses with the scenes edited in post-production to make it seem like they were set in one huge mansion.[19]

The production team claims that Uninvited is the first film in the Philippines to be filmed with a pair of custom-built Cooke Optics Anamorphic Full Frame Special Flare lenses fitted in an Arri Alexa 35 digital cinema camera. CMB Film Services procured the equipment with the preferred specifications given by cinematographer Pao Orendain. The studio says the cost of the lens alone is enough to produce another film by itself.[5]

The production team rejected the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board's recommendation to cut out some scenes for a more lenient rating, from R-16 to R-13.[20]

Release

[edit]

Uninvited was released theatrically on December 25, 2024, as one of the entries for the 50th Metro Manila Film Festival[2] by Warner Bros. Pictures.[10] In addition, Viva Films handled worldwide sales for this film. The film also scheduled to premier at Manila International Film Festival (MIFF) in Los Angeles on January 30, 2025.[21]

It is also planned to be screened in cinemas outside the Philippines during the film festival's run. The organizers have allowed screenings for the film, provided that it would not be streamed online during the exhibitions' runs.[5]

Reception

[edit]

Accolades

[edit]
Accolades received by Uninvited
Year Award Category Recipient(s) Result Ref.
2024 50th Metro Manila Film Festival Best Actress Vilma Santos Nominated [22]
Best Supporting Actress Gabby Padilla Nominated
Nadine Lustre Nominated
Best Cinematography Pao Orendain Nominated
Best Original Theme Song "Hahamakin ang Lahat" Nominated
Best Float Uninvited Won

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Lim, Aubrey Shane (October 22, 2024). "'Uninvited,' 'Hold Me Close,' and more included in MMFF's second batch of entries for 2024". Philstar Life. Retrieved October 23, 2024.
  2. ^ a b "Metro Manila Film Festival announces last 5 official entries for 2024 edition". Rappler. October 22, 2024. Retrieved October 23, 2024.
  3. ^ a b "Mystery and revenge in 'Uninvited'". Malaya Business Insight. November 21, 2024. Retrieved November 26, 2024.
  4. ^ Severo, Jan Milo (October 28, 2024). "'Uninvited' producer admits Vilma, Aga, Nadine film too pricey but worth it". The Philippine Star. Retrieved November 26, 2024.
  5. ^ a b c d Cruz, Marinel (November 25, 2024). "MMFF 2024: 'Uninvited' uses cutting-edge cam, lenses". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved November 26, 2024.
  6. ^ a b Manila Bulletin Entertainment (October 23, 2024). "Star-studded #MMFF2024 entry 'Uninvited' drops first-look teaser". Manila Bulletin. Retrieved October 23, 2024.
  7. ^ a b Santos, Rhea Manila (November 24, 2024). "Vilma Santos and Aga Muhlach reunite onscreen after 30 years in 'Uninvited'". ABS-CBN News (in English and Filipino). Retrieved November 26, 2024.
  8. ^ "WATCH: Teaser for Vilma Santos' film with Aga Muhlach, Nadine Lustre released". ABS-CBN News. October 23, 2024. Retrieved October 23, 2024.
  9. ^ "'Uninvited' shakes up 50th MMFF with star-studded cast, crew". Malaya Business Insight. October 23, 2024. Retrieved October 24, 2024.
  10. ^ a b "Vilma, Aga, at Nadine sanib-puwersa sa MMFF 2024 movie Uninvited" [Vilma, Aga, and Nadine joined forces in MMFF 2024 movie Uninvited]. PEP.ph (in Filipino). October 24, 2024. Retrieved October 24, 2024.
  11. ^ Cerezo, Anna (September 27, 2024). "Dan Villegas makes film comeback after 6 years with 'Uninvited'". ABS-CBN News. Retrieved November 26, 2024.
  12. ^ Requintina, Robert (May 26, 2024). "Mentorque producer Bryan Dy reveals another Vilma Santos-Recto film on the horizon". Manila Bulletin. Retrieved October 24, 2024.
  13. ^ Tomada, Nathalie (August 28, 2024). "Mentorque and Project 8 Projects to team up anew for Vilma Santos' new film". The Philippine Star. Retrieved October 24, 2024.
  14. ^ PEP Troika (September 11, 2024). "Cast Reveal: Judy Ann Santos at Lorna Tolentino bida sa Espantaho" [Cast Reveal: Judy Ann Santos and Lorna Tolentino main leads in Espantaho]. PEP.ph (in Filipino). Philippine Entertainment Portal, Inc. Retrieved October 22, 2024.
  15. ^ "Nadine minura-mura si Aga; agad-agad nag-YES sa 'Uninvited'" [Nadine threw swear words at Aga; immediately said YES in ‘Uninvited’]. Bandera (in Filipino). Philippine Daily Inquirer. November 26, 2024. Retrieved November 26, 2024.
  16. ^ "Nadine, Vilma aminadong na-challenge sa 'Uninvited': 'Sobrang extreme!'" [Nadine, Vilma admitted being challenged in ‘Uninvited’: ‘Very extreme!’]. Bandera (in Filipino). Philippine Daily Inquirer. November 24, 2024. Retrieved November 26, 2024.
  17. ^ "Vilma Santos, nagsimula nang mag-shooting ng Uninvited" [Vilma Santos, already started filming for Uninvited]. PEP.ph (in Filipino). Philippine Entertainment Portal, Inc. September 18, 2024. Retrieved October 24, 2024.
  18. ^ Escuadro, Kiko (September 19, 2024). "Vilma Santos, Aga Muhlach, Nadine Lustre to headline upcoming movie 'Uninvited'". ABS-CBN News. Retrieved October 24, 2024.
  19. ^ "Ketchup Eusebio, umaasa ba ng acting award para sa Uninvited?" [Is Ketchup Eusebio expecting an acting award for Uninvited?]. PEP.ph (in Filipino). Philippine Entertainment Portal, Inc. November 25, 2024. Retrieved November 26, 2024.
  20. ^ Aguja, Januar Junior (December 9, 2024). "MMFF thriller 'Uninvited' won't compromise, accepts R-16 rating". The Philippine Star. Retrieved December 15, 2024.
  21. ^ Martinez, Gavin (December 31, 2024). "'Hello, Love, Again' returns to LA as part of MIFF 2025". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved January 2, 2024.
  22. ^ Reyes, Juno (December 28, 2024). "FULL LIST: Winners, 2024 MMFF Gabi ng Parangal". Rappler. Retrieved December 28, 2024.
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