BOUNDARY

Boundary
by Neel Chaudhuri
Source: Cinemas of Asia

Boundary is a remarkably tense film, with an opening that feels distinctly like something out of Beckett or Buñuel: a vagrant Limuel wanders about, fiddles with his shoe, eats a banana and then, shortly after, there is a fleeting image of a dead bird in the water. Through the rest of the film, director Benito Bautista maintains a steady hold in a drama of unsteady moments. The first half is dominated by seemingly mundane exchanges between Limuel and his passenger, and yet, I found it as unsettling as the terrifying denouement. The dialogue is sparse and there are pregnant pauses before the characters answer each other. There are hints and red herrings but you always sense – in their shifting glances and the manner in which they measure each other – that one man will betray the other. But who will betray who?

Review: Boundary
by Vincenzo Tagle
Source: Film Misery

Boundary’s biggest strength lies in its storytelling. San Francisco-based Filipino filmmaker Benito Bautista clearly knows how to tell a compelling narrative as he has written and directed a contemporary, thrilling movie that keeps you at the edge of your seat. But more than just being a great suspense film, it also provides a sharp commentary on the underlying social issues that plague gritty Manila.

Cinemanila 2011: Boundary Review
by Oggs Cruz
Source: twitch.com

In the end, Bautista has crafted a firm and suspenseful thriller whose clever twist in the end puts both perspective and pertinence to its constricting but intriguingly exciting process.

The Long Dark Journey
by Philbert Dy
Source: Clickthecity.com

Boundary is a film of tremendous ingenuity. It begins with an odd note, establishing the strangeness of the world at large. Then it moves the action to a taxi. And inside this confined space, the movie does miraculous things. It explores the treacherous ground of human connection, and builds an atmosphere of tension that consumes every single inch of the frame. The story ends up in familiar territory, but the trip there is more than worth it.