'The Girl and The Gun' review: Reaching far beyond Hollywood's hypersexualized femme fatales

3.5/5

What’s it about?

Babae at Baril is a Tagalogian film about an unadulterated depiction of what would occur if a female is given power in a male-centric, oblivious and savage society. Will she pick the very way that the rest did to deliver retribution or will she not assume her part in cultivating similar violent behavior?

The story follows a young salesgirl (played by Janine Gutierrez) who is struggling with making ends meet and her interactions with men all through her work. She's bashful, a quiet survivor of this male-driven society. She truly needs to fight back when she's misspoken to or gotten into mischief with, yet can't accumulate the fortitude to do as such. She's encircled by these men who are continually harassing her and exercise their control over women both physically and when impractical – verbally. The story really gets going when she staggers onto an old pistol lying outside her home after she's been assaulted in her working environment. This is, be that as it may, not only one of those fury-driven vengeance stories. Out of nowhere the story voyages a very long time back where you see how this old weapon got to her in the specific hour of need.

What’s hot?

The film is loaded with imagery. Beginning with the firearm addressing the force men have. Director Rae Red doesn't simply show the situation the young lady faces, yet in addition intricately clarifies how the firearm – which means the predominance and the viciousness men have over women, has traversed time and place. The characters that had the firearm already were not really related. Subsequently disclosing to you that their rough, prevailing, oppressive nature isn't actually acquired however you get on it willingly and conveniently, as you grow and move ahead in time.

The Girl and the Gun opens up with a tune that says ‘morning or night, we went full throttle on Alcohol, gambling, coffee, women,’ which momentarily enlightens you regarding the tale of the whole city. Similar music is irregularly utilized all through the film. In spite of not having many dialogues, Janine Gutierrez conveys an extremely straightforward, splendid performance. The camera work is great and it can be perceived through the first scene seconding Laura Mulvey's male gaze. A man's undeniable relationship to viciousness is obviously conveyed to the viewer in a scene that doesn't show it directly.

What’s not?

The exchanges in the first half are correctly utilized. However, as the film goes on, a large portion of the discussions drag. The young lady's character is set up in a couple of moments as the film opens yet there isn't sufficient time given to get attached to her or to comprehend the unexpected rage in her character. The transition from the assault victim’s trauma to a seething irate individual is practically undetectable. The visual signs aren't generally unobtrusive and it could feel like coddling the crowd for certain obvious shots. The funky music now and again removes the gravity of the whole scene. Additionally, one can't shoot ceaseless shots utilizing an old gun without pulling the trigger every time. For the direction, which was sufficiently gritty to precisely zero in on the TV scene to keep the rude awakening on point, passing up such subtleties appears to be somewhat conflicting.

Verdict:

Overall, The Girl and The Gun will keep you engaged throughout because of its representative nature, engaging storytelling and great performances. The way that the young lady stays anonymous all through the film addressing every one of the casualties out there makes it significantly more fundamental to be seen by the male-centric world. Watch this one doing justice to Lincon's acclaimed saying, ‘If you want to test a man’s character, give him power’.