#Y

Verdict: Value for Money

Pinoy Rebyu Score: 3.25 (12 ratings)

Genre: Drama

Director: Gino M. Santos

Writer: Jeff Stelton

Cast: Elmo Magalona, Coleen Garcia, Sophie Albert, Kit Thompson, Slater Young, Chynna Ortaleza

Synopsis: #Y chronicles the adventures of the members of this generation know for their affinity with social media and the Internet, and combines this with a tale of sex, drugs, and alcohol, and the nights they won’t remember but will never forget.

MTRCB rating: R-13

Running time: 100 mins

Reviews:

4.0 Renelson Morelos (Ramblings of a Film Urchin)

“For today’s generation growing up in the age of FB, Twitter and Instagram, of by-the-minute status updates and hashtags, of iPhones and selfies, Santos and script collaborator Jeff Stelton may just be the ‘unofficial’ spokespersons, even if the mirror that they are holding up at their own age bracket doesn’t necessarily emit bright rays of light.” (Read full review)

4.0 Nicol Latayan (Tit for Tat)

“Some parts comedic, some parts dramatic, but definitely cathartic, director Gino M. Santos clearly has a vision of what this film wants to achieve. His humor in dealing what is a sensitive topic for most, reminded me of a crossbreed between Alexander Payne in Election and Wes Anderson in Royal Tenenbaums, is one of the film’s strengths.” (Read full review)

3.5 Skilty Labastilla (Pinoy Rebyu)

“With this movie, Santos and writer Jeff Stelton have declared themselves the most qualified film chroniclers of the country’s upper-middle class millennials. It’s a huge responsibility, and I believe they’re up to the task. #Y retains the same vibrant energy as The Animals but now it’s less a cautionary tale of the excesses of the young and more an inside peek at privileged kids’ collective psyche.”

3.5 Philbert Dy (Click the City)

“The film finds a compelling measure of insight into a world that’s often simply dismissed as idle juvenilia. The film could probably stand to lose an element or two, some of it feeling a little gimmicky. But in its quietest moments, it offers up an affecting level of human compassion for a too easily dismissed subset of our society.” (Read full review)

3.5 Benedict Bartolome (PEP)

“#Y is a slick production with modern sensibilities. The twist, the fake-out, the testimonial treatment and general demeanor of the cast scream foreign influences but it still presents a cutting look into the pulse of the troubled teen.” (Read full review)

3.5 Armando dela Cruz (Film Police)

“Director Gino M. Santos and screenwriter Jeff Stelton delve deep into the melding psyches of the millennial youth, literally jumping into one conyo mind to the next, hearing exactly their desires, insecurities and curiosities.” (Read full review)

3.5 Manuel Pangaruy (Tagailog Special Presents)

“Malinaw rin ang boses ng pelikula. Nag-uumigting ‘yong energy n’ya, nakakahawa. Refreshing. Mula sa editing hanggang sa cinematography, distinct ang pagiging youthful n’ya. Kahit ‘yong script, may sarili ring dating.” (Read full review)

3.5 Rob San Miguel (Brun Philippines)

“#Y also provides many moviegoers a glimpse of the lives of privileged teens in this Third World country. Yes, wake up upper class Mellinnials, listen to us lower class/lower middle class Generation Xs. You live in the Third World. Deal with it!” (Read full review)

3.0 Zig Marasigan (Rappler)

“The film yells for attention with its talkative script and its overly stylized scenes. Its bludgeoning voiceovers suffocate its characters instead of allowing the visuals to speak for itself. But maybe that’s exactly the predisposition of the Y generation, to clamor in the loudest voice possible in hopes that someone is listening.” (Read full review)

3.0 John Tawasil (Present Confusion)

“I find it difficult to relate to Miles as a character. I sympathize with him, but his motivations and viewpoints towards life are opaque and hidden behind his skewed mental state. Unfortunately, for me, like The Animals, I found it hard to gain an emotional connection with the film. Am I cynical? Am I just too old or jaded to care? I’m not really sure.” (Read full review)

3.0 Carl Papa (Whatever Carl)

“Santos can never do wrong with a material and story such as this. It seems that he knows the environment he is in and knows the stories of the people surrounding him and he tells these stories with clarity, truth and aplomb which makes me think that he clearly is one of the young filmmakers to watch out for.” (Read full review)

1.0 Macky Macarayan (The FilmSoc Report)

“At the end, there is no reprieve. There is no hope. Is this what the film wishes to deliver as postscript, that the generation Y is fucked no matter what?” (Read full review)