''About Us But Not About Us'' is a 2022 Philippine

psychological drama Psychological drama or psychodrama is a sub-genre of drama that places emphasis on psychological elements. It often overlaps with other genres such as crime, fantasy, black comedy, and science fiction, and it is closely related with the psychologi ...

film written, co-produced, and directed by

Jun Lana Rodolfo R. Lana Jr. (born October 10, 1972), known professionally as Jun Robles Lana, is a Philippines, Filipino filmmaker. The winner of 11 Palanca Awards, Palanca Awards for Literature, he became the youngest member of the Palanca Awards#Palan ...

. The film stars Romnick Sarmenta and Elijah Canlas. The film was first released in

Estonia Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, a ...

on November 23, 2022, as one of the official entries for the

Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival, or PÖFF ( et, Pimedate Ööde Filmifestival), is an annual film festival held since 1997 in Tallinn, the capital city of Estonia. PÖFF is the only festival in Northern Europe or the Baltic region with a FIA ...

, where it won the Best Film award. It also received a Philippine premiere on April 8, 2023, as one of the entries for the 1st Summer Metro Manila Summer Film Festival, where it won 10 awards including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Screenplay.

Premise

Eric (

Romnick Sarmenta Romeo Nicolas Sarmenta Tejedor (born April 28, 1972 in Quezon City, Philippines), known professionally as Romnick Sarmenta, is a Filipino actor best remembered as the five-year-old boy who played the role of Peping in the TV series ''Gulong ng ...

) and his student, Lancelot (

Elijah Canlas Elijah Luiz Madiclum Canlas (born August 16, 2000) is a Filipino actor and commercial model. He began his professional acting career in the 2014 independent film ''Sundalong Kanin'', an official entry to Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film F ...

) converse with each other over a meal at a restaurant unveiling secrets.

Cast

as Ericson; A gay man who worked as a literature professor *

portrays two roles which are: **Lancelot: A student attending the

University of the Philippines The University of the Philippines (UP; fil, Pamantasan ng Pilipinas Unibersidad ng Pilipinas) is a state university system in the Philippines. It is the country's national university, as mandated by Republic Act No. 9500 (UP Charter of 200 ...

who has Ericson as his mentor. His character is helped by Ericson after the student was beaten up by his stepfather. Canlas described the character as a survivalist, who was also victimized by a pedophile priest at ten years old. **Marcus: Former husband of Ericson who committed suicide

Production

''About Us But Not About Us'' was produced under

The IdeaFirst Company The IdeaFirst Company (TIFC) is a Philippine film production company and talent agency founded in 2014 by filmmakers Jun Robles Lana and Perci Intalan. The company focuses on film and television production, as well as artist management. The compa ...

, Octoberian Films, and Quantum Films under the direction of

. Perci Intalan, Lana's ex-partner was the producer. Lana described the film as a "personal" project which he created during a "period of depression". Characterizing the film as "part fiction and part confessional", Lana disclosed writing for three straight days for the story of the film, drawing inspiration from his childhood trauma. The film's story is "conversational" featuring just two seated characters talking to each other in a single setting. A significant part of the story was in English. ''About Us But Not About Us'' took five days to shoot, with a script reading taking place a day prior. It was shot entirely on location at the "L'Opera Ristorante" Italian Restaurant in

Bonifacio Global City Bonifacio may refer to: Places * Bonifacio, Corse-du-Sud, a town in Corsica, France * Strait of Bonifacio, separating Corsica from Sardinia * Bonifacio, Misamis Occidental, a municipality in the Philippines * Bonifacio Global City, a central bu ...

Makati Makati ( ), officially the City of Makati ( fil, Lungsod ng Makati), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the National Capital Region of the Philippines. Makati is the financial center of the Philippines; it has the highest concentration ...

Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...

Release

The film premiered in

at the 26th Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival in November 2022. It screened in cinemas in the Philippines as one of the eight official entries of the

2023 Metro Manila Summer Film Festival The 2023 Summer Metro Manila Film Festival was an iteration of the annual Summer Metro Manila Film Festival held in Metro Manila and throughout the Philippines. It was organized by the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) in partner ...

which began on April 8, 2023.

Reception

Critical response

''About Us But Not About Us'' was recognized as the Best Film in the Critics' Pick competition of the 26th Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival. Film critic Niki Nikitin, as an attendee of the Estonian film festival, praised the film as "masterfully orchestrated" despite having a small budget. Indonesian film critic Bavner Donaldo praised this film for its stunning acting performances with an unexpected conclusion.

Accolades

External links

References

{{reflist Films about mental health Philippine drama films Films about child abuse Films about teacher–student relationships Films set in restaurants English-language Philippine films