Basic Information & Premise
Ungol is a drama with erotic elements gong to be released in 2024, directed by Bobby Bonifacio Jr. and produced by Vivamax and White Space Digital Studios. The title of the film references the Tagalog word for “moans” and much of the narrative is centered around the audio stimuli and the experience of the senses.
The story centers on Gin (played by Stephanie Raz), a blind woman who, in a slum area, operates a makeshift motel. Gin’s case is bizarre as she becomes emotionally and physically responsive to the sounds of her customers, and more particularly to the moans. She attentively listens, and in a way tries her best to understand and feel everything through sound. Gin’s life becomes complicated when she has two guests in her room, Leo (played by Richard Solano) and Ola (played by Audrey Avila). The presence they show and the sounds they make cause Gin to get more involved and, to a greater extent, in a psychological way.
This film is about internal and emotional worlds, in particular, loneliness and longing, and her attempts to connect with people despite her blindness. The emphasis on sound and the emotions it can conjure is what makes the film sensibility.
Cast & Crew
Below are the main cast members and the crew:
Cast:
Stephanie Raz as Gin
Richard Solano as Leo
Audrey Avila as Ola
Ghion Layug as Abet (a friend of Gin)
Gboy Pablo as Ricky
Jodi Garcia and Carlo Lacana in supporting roles
Hurry Up Tingson and others in smaller roles
Crew:
Director: Bobby Bonifacio Jr.
Writers / Screenplay: Wiro Michael Ladera, Bobby Bonifacio Jr.
Story by: Bobby Bonifacio Jr., Albert Jonathan Juanillo
Cinematography / Photography: Jerico Vir Filomeno
Editing: Karla Diaz
Production Designer, Sound Designer, Assistant Directors, etc. — the local crew
Making the lead character blind was a creative choice intended to illustrate the film’s shift in focus from sight to sound. The film relies on “sound” as a primary storytelling tool.
Structure, Style, and Key Elements
Ungol is shaped by the absence of Gin’s sight. The film draws the audience’s attention to what is heard and not what is seen. This is to immerse the audience in Gin’s perspective and experience. Sounds, moans, whispers, and tones are the focus of Gin’s experience.
The sound design is key to the film’s success. There is a growing appreciation for the way the film treats sound like a character, even elevating its importance over the visual display. Gin is blind and cannot see what her guests do. Instead, she listens to guests and her emotional responses are triggered by what she hears.
Gin’s emotional journey is quiet and still. The narrative focuses on her responses and memories, as well as the tension between imagination and reality. Encounters with Leo and Ola are the emotional and reflective challenges for her, as she ponders relationships, intimacy, and longing.
The film deals with erotic themes, but most of the tension is implied. The director seems to focus on the mood, internal states, and the act of listening, rather than explicit actions.
Reception & Critique
Reception to Ungol has been mixed, with critics articulating both the strengths and weaknesses of the film. The film’s strengths include the performance by Stephanie Raz as Gin. Many reviewers have praised her portrayal of a blind woman listening and emotionally reacting.
The boldness of sound design has been emphasized and appreciated. The focus on sound, rather on visuals, is a unique and stylistic quality of the work.
The film’s concept has been regarded as interesting and daring, given the opportunity to compactly examine a character’s inner life whose defining sense is hearing.
There are those who praise the film for its ambition and general mood.
However, there are several criticisms as well:
The second half of the film has been described as formulaic and not living up to the potential created in the first half.
The emotional resolution has been described as predictable and empty.
There are those who point to inconsistencies such as the emotional realism of the performances and the aggressive emotional shifts.
There are those who claim the film’s erotic aspects are predominant over its psychological and emotional aspects, suggesting that the film is more about sensation and less about character transformation.
Community scoring systems show the film has been rated 5-6 out of 10, suggesting there is a polarization in mood, with a substantial number of viewers being unsatisfied.
Themes & Interpretive Notes
As interpreted through the film, some of the themes are outlined below in an organized fashion:
Isolation and Connection
Isolation is difficult—with emotional and social distance, and having to rely on sound to interact with others and to connect with the outside world, the blind character Gin is forced into isolation. The film considers the ways in which people attempt to connect when the physical senses are limited.
The Power of Sound
While most films rely on imagery, Ungol takes a different approach. The film focuses on sound. It makes the sound of moans and whispers and leaves the audience with silence to create tension. It conveys the question of “how much can we feel through what we hear?”
Longing and Desire
The unfulfilled desire Gin’s condition represents is more than physical. It is psychological. It reveals the emotional and the emotional void is far more resonant than contact. The film illustrates how, through her projected feelings, there is a deep silence in her life.
Reality vs. Imagination
The question of what is real is more pronounced with Gin’s condition. The most intricate and heightened sounds she hears are her only clues. She must interpret the sound, assign meaning, and, at times, guess the truth.Sensory Perspective
The film uses sensory substitution: when one sense is missing or constrained, other senses compensate. For Gin, hearing is her primary connection; the film invites audiences to feel exposed, to be situated in stillness, and to listen.
Watch Free Movies on Fmoviesadult
