Eva (2021) Movie Review
Directed by: Jeffrey Hidalgo
Cast: Angeli Khang, Sab Aggabao, Marco Gomez, Ivan Padilla
Presented by: Viva Films
Release Date: December 24, 2021 (via Vivamax)
Eva (2021), directed by Jeffrey Hidalgo, is a film that attempts to delve into the life of a domestic worker, but ultimately succumbs to a narrative filled with shallow characters and gratuitous scenes. While the premise holds potential for an engaging drama, the film is weighed down by its lack of substance and overreliance on explicit content, leaving little room for meaningful storytelling.
Plot and Character Overview
The film follows Eva, a domestic worker whose life seems to revolve around cooking sausage and eggs for her employer. This seemingly mundane task serves as a metaphor for the repetitive and uninspired nature of the movie itself. The employer’s fondness for consuming sausage and eggs in the privacy of his room mirrors the film’s fixation on feeding the audience scenes that lack nourishment in terms of plot or character development.
The narrative is filled with numerous eating scenes, but rather than being enticing or symbolic, they only emphasize the film’s lack of depth. The story fails to explore the characters’ motivations or backgrounds, leaving their actions feeling hollow and disconnected. Conversations between characters are often forced, lacking context or relevance, as if they were inserted merely to pad out the runtime and create the illusion of a plot.
Eva, portrayed by Angeli Khang, is a character with a lot on her mind and a lot to say, but very little action to back it up. While some of her lines hint at a deeper struggle, her words ultimately amount to empty rhetoric. The film portrays her as a character who talks a lot about her battles in life but does little to overcome them, making her journey feel unfulfilling and incomplete.
Performance and Characterization
The performances in Eva are overshadowed by the film’s overemphasis on explicit scenes. The actors are reduced to mere objects, serving more as eye candy than as vessels for conveying a meaningful story. Even characters who contribute nothing to the narrative are included in these scenes, further diluting the impact of the film.
Angeli Khang, in the title role, attempts to bring some depth to her character, but the script offers her little to work with. Her character is more defined by her physical presence than by any emotional or psychological complexity. The same can be said for the other actors, whose roles are primarily focused on their appearances rather than their contributions to the story.
The film’s approach to these scenes is blatant and unrefined, treating the actors more like meat on display than as integral parts of the narrative. This objectification strips the characters of their humanity, reducing them to mere participants in a spectacle rather than individuals with their own stories to tell.
Themes and Execution
Eva touches on a variety of themes, such as power dynamics, exploitation, and the struggles of the working class, but it does so in a way that feels superficial and disjointed. The film introduces these ideas only to quickly abandon them in favor of more titillating content. The narrative lacks coherence, jumping from one scene to the next without building any real tension or connection between the characters.
The film’s title, Eva, seems to allude to the biblical figure of Eve, but the connection is tenuous at best. Instead of exploring the complexities of temptation, sin, or the human condition, the movie opts for a more literal interpretation, focusing on the physical and carnal aspects of its characters’ lives. The result is a film that feels exploitative rather than insightful.
Cinematography and Atmosphere
Visually, the film is unremarkable. The cinematography is functional but does little to enhance the story or add any visual flair. The atmosphere is bland, with scenes that lack the tension or mood needed to make the drama compelling. Even the more intense moments fail to leave a lasting impact, as they are often undercut by the film’s inconsistent tone and pacing.
The music and sound design also do little to elevate the film. The score is forgettable, and the sound effects are often mismatched with the scenes, further detracting from the overall experience. This lack of attention to detail contributes to the sense that the film was more concerned with churning out content than with creating a polished and cohesive product.
Where to Watch
For viewers who are interested in the more provocative side of Vivamax’s offerings, Eva might offer some momentary distraction. However, those looking for a well-crafted film with depth and substance will likely come away disappointed. Eva is available for streaming on Vivamax, but it’s unlikely to leave a lasting impression on those who watch it.
Conclusion
Eva (2021) is a film that had the potential to explore meaningful themes and tell a compelling story about a woman navigating her difficult circumstances. However, it is ultimately bogged down by its shallow characterization, weak narrative, and overreliance on explicit content. The film’s attempts at social commentary are overshadowed by its focus on the superficial, leaving the audience with little to chew on.
In the end, the film is like the sausage and eggs it so frequently references: a dish that might satisfy in the moment but ultimately lacks the nutrients needed to leave a lasting impact.
