Movies Review CELESTINA: BURLESK DANCER

Country : Philippines

Movie stars : Christine Bermas, Sid Lucero, Yen Durano

Director : Mac Alejandre

Genre : Drama

Celestina: Burlesk Dancer (2024) takes an interesting perspective on Celestina's claim to fame, working in a strict and prestigious burlesque house.

Here is a list of the main cast in the film Celestina: Burlesk Dancer (2024):​

Yen Durano as Celestina / Tinay, a mother who becomes a burlesk dancer to support her child during the Japanese occupation in the 1940s.​

Christine Bermas as Rosalinda, a burlesk dancer who helps Tinay get a job at the theater.​

Sid Lucero as Cornelio, Tinay's husband who is a former haciendero who is now a drunkard, gambler, and a womanizer.​

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Arron Villaflor as Leandro, a man who is interested in Tinay and turns out to be a member of the Hukbalahap.​

Allan Paule as Estong, the owner of the theater where Tinay and Rosalinda dance.​

Aiko Garcia and Angie Castrence, who also stars in the film.

"Celestina: Burlesk Dancer" – When Stage Lights Hide Wounds**

On stage, Celestina is a goddess of the night—glittering, alluring, untouchable. But behind the velvet curtains and the applause of her devotees, she is just a human being—with wounds, with longings, with dreams that are about to die.

*Celestina: Burlesk Dancer* is not just a film about erotic dance or the glamour of nightlife. It is a visual poem about bodies that are used for entertainment, about souls that are locked behind heavy makeup and fake smiles. The film dances between sensuality and pain, inviting the audience to witness the conflict between dignity and need, between love and existence.

In the hands of the director, Celestina is not just a character. She is a symbol. She represents thousands of women whose lives are a spectacle, but whose stories are never truly heard.

The acting of the main character—bearing the character's name with an almost suffocating intensity—is not only strong, but honest.

There is an explosion of emotion in every glance, in every breath after the dance is over. We don't just see Celestina; we feel with her.

The cinematography is like a surrealist painting. Blood red, gold, and black dominate the screen like raging emotions: passion, anger, loss. The accompanying music creeps into the spine, making the quiet moments feel louder than the long dialogue.

But make no mistake, this is not a comfortable film. It is not meant to please. It disturbs. It forces us to ask: who is really dancing? Celestina... or the rest of us who continue to watch, judge, consume without a care?

**Verdict:** 

*Celestina: Burlesk Dancer* is not a light watch.