69 (2025) Filipino Movie Review: A New Vivamax Drama About Life and Love in Manila

 Movie Review: 69 (2025) – A Tapestry of Lives in Manila

Overview

Director: Rodante Pajemna Jr.

Studio: Vivamax (Philippines)

Language: Tagalog / Filipino

Genre: Drama

Release: Digital premiere on 22 August 2025, rated R-18

Premise

69 intimately weaves together five lives within the bustling heart of Manila. Through a series of intersecting bar encounters, each individual's story unfolds—marked by desire, heartbreak, and personal revelation. The tagline hints: "Five lifetimes intertwine through a series of passing encounters – with each experience being a confession, and every peak mirror is a mirror to themselves."

Cast

The film features a diverse ensemble, including:

Aliya Raymundo

Ashley Lopez

Queenie De Mesa

Juan Paulo Calma

Mhack Morales

Paula Santos

Review Summary

Strengths:

Ensemble Storytelling: By spotlighting multiple characters, 69 explores Manila's human mosaic through intimate vignettes, giving depth to everyday encounters.

Raw Emotional Core: The film seems to trade flashy spectacle for subtle revelations—moments of vulnerability, longing, and connection.

Director’s Intent: With its thematic framing (every "peak mirror" reflecting oneself), the film suggests a reflective mindset—each character is struggling with their own self-image and truths through these shared moments.

Potential Weaknesses:

Fragmented Narrative: Interwoven stories can risk feeling disconnected or lacking in resolution—some viewers may prefer more cohesive arcs or a central protagonist.

Depth vs. Breadth: With five main narratives, individual character development may feel truncated. The emotional impact might be lessened if the film doesn't allow enough time for audiences to invest deeply in each story.

Overall Impression

69 offers an evocative glimpse into Manila’s pulse, structured around fleeting yet impactful human connections. Its approach may not be for all—fans expecting a conventional arc might find the episodic format uneven—but those receptive to quiet drama and urban realism may find its moments of introspection resonate deeply.

🇺🇸 English:

Life often feels like a collection of brief stories. We meet people for a short time, yet their impact stays with us. This movie reminded me that every encounter, no matter how small, carries meaning.

🇵🇭 Tagalog:

Parang maiikling kwento ang buhay—may mga taong dumarating at umaalis, pero may bakas silang iniiwan. Pinaalala ng pelikulang ito na bawat pagkikita, gaano man kaikli, ay may kahulugan.

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'Class of 2018 Movie Review " 2018 Filipino teen suspense " #reviewmovies

Class of 2018 Movie Review " 2018 Filipino teen suspense "

Class of 2018

When Section Zamora contracts a mysterious virus during a field trip, they are quarantined by the military in an abandoned facility. Students Ada, RJ, Princess, and Migs fight for their survival as they deal with the dangers of the infectious virus and politics among untrustworthy classmates.

Director  : Charliebebs Gohetia

Writers   : Charliebebs Gohetia , Jericho Aguado 

Stars : Sharlene San Pedro, Nash Aguas, Kristel Fulgar, CJ Navato, Kiray Celis, Lara Fortuna 

Class of 2018 is a 2018 Filipino teen suspense–thriller film directed by Charliebebs Gohetia. It stars Sharlene San Pedro and Nash Aguas. The film was produced and distributed by T-Rex Entertainment. It premiered in the Philippines on November 7, 2018. 

T-Rex Entertainment, an independent Filipino production company which started in late 2015, began producing Class of 2018 during the first half of 2018. The project was headed by its executive producer Rex Tiri, who had produced films such as dark comedy Patay na si Hesus in 2016 and comedy-drama musical Deadma Walking in 2017.

Del Pilar National High School hosts a class full of rejects. Section Zamora, the name of the 12th grade class, goes on a field trip to Mt. Bantayog for an earth science project. During their excursion, one of them contracts a mysterious virus. Due to its disturbing symptoms, the whole section is quarantined by the military in an abandoned facility. They are soon forced to fight for survival as the unknown virus spreads. Anyone who is infected develops intense aggressiveness and a thirst for violence. Main characters Ada (Sharlene San Pedro), RJ (Nash Aguas), Princess (Kristel Fulgar), and Migs (CJ Navato) fight for survival as they deal with the dangers of the virus and politics among untrustworthy classmates.

"Class Of 2018" follows the students of Section Zamora, the section where Del Pilar National High School’s young misfits, losers, and delinquents usually end up in. Everyone knows that anyone in Section Z has no chance of a good future. When Section Z goes on a field trip to Mt. Bantayog for an Earth Science project, one of them contracts a mysterious virus. The infected student quickly develops disturbing symptoms, eventually driving him to attack the rest of his classmates. Out of nowhere, the military swoops in and quarantines the class in an abandoned facility somewhere deep in the forest to control the spreading of the virus. While inside the quarantine zone, everyone in Section Z is forced to fight for survival. Their issues with each other arise as quickly as the spreading of the mysterious virus, which heightens the infected’s aggression and thirst for violence. Believing that a proper future is waiting for them outside, the surviving students gear up to fight their infected classmates, who have transformed into mindless violent monsters. With the additional threat of the military who quarantined them for suspicious reasons, will the students make it out alive?

"Class Of 2018" doesn't really work as a horror film. It's more of a scifi thriller infused with some comedy. Imagine "The Maze Runner" meets "Battle Royale" with a Pinoy flavor. Its premise may not be new to us since we have seen many stories about experiments gone wrong in movies, but the script from Charliebebs Gohetia and Jericho Aguado manages to be interesting enough as they stuffed it with many twists and turns. Gohetia, who recently directed the Cinema One Originals comedy film "Bagyong Bheverlynn", infused the story with effective humor that creates a perfect balance between violence and laughs. The production values were okay, plus it has some nice visuals (despite some rough CGI), particularly the playful cinematography.

But the biggest aspect as to why the film works is because of its cast. It was so nostalgic to watch Sharlene San Pedro and Nash Aguas together since I have witnessed these two grow up from those cute little child actors back then to the teens that they are now. Their acting prowess were on full display of the film. NashLene fans will also get their money's worth because of their sweet little moments together. Kiray Celis was so fun to watch as your typical mean girl/ queen bee. I don't know why Michelle Vito keeps on getting typecast as the dumb rich or mean girl in movies ("irregardless?") but to her credit, she does the job really, really good. CJ Navato was okay as the nerd of the group, though he didn't really have anything to do except to make theories about what's going around them. Ethan Salvador and Jomari Angeles (both from the film "2 Cool 2 Be 4gotten") did a great job with their roles as Nash Aguas' buddies. Lara Fortuna was a revelation as the ass-kicking fighter in the group. But it was Kristel Fulgar who stole the spotlight as the mean girl turned good girl of the class. Her character was the most interesting one among the class. Kristel's performance was probably the best in the film. Her funny and quirky portrayal added to the enjoyment of watching the film.

Of course, the film isn't that perfect. It has several plotholes, some really bad characters who always choose making stupid decisions (like risking your life and another person's for a necklace?), and those weird visions of the characters' future whenever they die. The scares also don't work that much. I also sensed that some of the characters don't feel any danger at all.

Despite its flaws, "Class Of 2018" is a pretty engaging and amusing teensploitation. And aside from its entertainment value, it's also a morality play on today's society and a critique on this generation's youth, in the guise of a teen horror thriller with lots of comedy. It has its moments of fun and thrills, and loads of fan service. It's the type of film best enjoyed with friends as it promises viewers a really good time at the cinema.

 Class of 2018 Movie Tagalog

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