Deleter: Repost

 At the 2022 Metro Manila Film Festival premiere of Mikhail Red’s “Deleter,” starring Nadine Lustre, I found myself in awe at the reactions I heard from the press/blogger audience at the SM North The Block’s Directors Club. I was watching a different movie that can be a life of a real person, a content moderator, who felt trapped in a job that terrorizes your sanity.  After the movie, I went back home and reflected on my thoughts and personal anecdotes that mirrored what I saw on screen.

My niece, Dianne, was talking to me about a job she was considering before at Xentro Mall, a content moderator.  The perks of being an employee were great!  You can even bring your own child and they have a daycare center in the office!  After seeing “Deleter,” the mental pain you take every day in your job can be really overwhelming!

The first thing I liked about the film is the camera shots.  It is not the typical glow-up setup and all-focused picture.  I was amused by the almost experimental angles and treatments that Direk Mikhail Red has produced.  The next thing that surprised me was Nadine’s look for the movie.  I know Nadine mostly from her sexy beautiful ads and endorsements.  However, here in “Deleter,” Nadine was transformed into an ordinary call center agent in an almost “dirty” chic way.  Kudos!

The best part for me of the movie was its storyline and the way it was told.  The jump scare moments were enough to keep me glued and attentive.  I hated the free soda when I had to leave in the middle of the film to pee!

“Deleter” was an examination of the cruelty on the mental health of people with psychologically challenging jobs.  As an outsider to the call center profession, the movie tickles my curiosity as the nuances of a nocturnal job are similar to mine as a video editor.

Mikhail Red’s films manipulate truth as much as your fears, as another force relative to a person’s sensibilities, determining our courage and resilience to horror in fundamental ways.  A little truth in every scene full of great imaginings.  Include the come-back movie of Nadine Lustre in your Christmas itinerary next week and enjoy MMFF 2022 for an evolving emotional response to a scary art entitled “Deleter.”