MANILA, Philippines?After a deluge of negative reviews at the Cannes International Film Festival last year, Brillante ?Dante? Mendoza?s ?Serbis? opened in US theaters last week preceded by good reviews in The New York Times, LA Weekly, the Los Angeles Times and Time Out New York.
David Fear of Time Out New York wrote, ??Serbis? bristles with livewire intensity.? LA Times? Kevin Thomas said the film ?teems with vitality, humor and anguish.?
Calling from Pampanga, Mendoza told Inquirer that after the trouncing in Cannes, ?I didn?t expect these good reviews.?
He said Regent Releasing, his North American distributor, invited key industry people to previews and set up interviews with NY Times and LA Weekly.
He said the most frequently asked question was: ?Is your film based on real life??
Next stop for ?Serbis? is the Asian Film Awards in Hong Kong, where it is nominated for three awards?Best Supporting Actress noms for Gina Pareño and Jaclyn Jose and Best Director for Mendoza.
Bayani San Diego Jr.
