THERE ARE MANY THINGS THAT MIGHT be said about the movie ?Red Shoes? (directed by Raul Jorolan, written by James Ladioray), but definitely not that it?s the year?s best movie. This is nowhere near as good as Unitel Pictures? other releases? ?Inang Yaya,? ?Pinoy Blonde,? ?La Visa Loca? and ?Crying Ladies.?

?Red Shoes? is a montage of various stories woven into a narrative featuring main protagonist Lucas (Marvin Agustin). But this is getting ahead of the story, or many stories.

One of these is the tale of Bettina (Nikki Gil). The rich girl, a nurse by profession, is childhood sweetheart to working-class boy Lucas, but she is oblivious to the latter?s struggle with the differences in their circumstances. Her class violence is apparent only in her dislike of his white rubber shoes and her insistence on spending her money on him.

There is the story of Lucas? mother (Liza Lorena), who seeks closure for her husband?s death in the ill-fated construction of the Manila Film Center by talking to every other espiritista. She makes a living out of giving women pedicures, which creates her relationship with Bettina?s mother (Tetchie Agbayani), which in turn allows for the romance of Bettina and Lucas to happen.

These two women?s stories are told by Lucas, along with the shorter, less important stories of Bettina?s nurse-colleague (Iwa Moto), her mother and the espiritista-turned-Imelda impersonator (Tessie Tomas).

Sad laughter

Lucas tells the story because as a 10-year-old boy, he steals a pair of red shoes from Imelda Marcos? collection left behind, ripe for the picking, during the 1986 Edsa Revolution confusion in Malacañang.

Lucas gives one shoe to Bettina, who is mourning her brother?s death, and one to his mother, who looks for answers to her husband?s death.

These premises seem wonderful enough, if not perfect for a lot of sad laughter, the kind that the combo of love and death necessarily bring. But this isn?t the way the story unfolds, and while there is a lot of laughter, it isn?t the kind that the movie would like to elicit from an audience.

For example, the Bettina-Lucas confrontation about his infidelity is nothing but campy, with lines reminiscent of ?80s-era Regal movies. When Lucas throws Bettina?s class origins in her face, he says, ?Sabi ko na nga ba, nakatuntong ka sa marmol!? Bettina gets back at him by saying, ?At nakatuntong ka sa ?kin!?

But more than this kind of failure in script, there is a drawback in storytelling as well. The sad thing is, this wouldn?t even be a problem had the tale been told chronologically, or had it been told from one space and time within which Lucas? and all the other character?s stories become clear. Instead, it employs too many flashbacks.

Maybe as with much of the movie, this is just proof that not everything sold as indie is great, and that sometimes, the simplest of love stories can be told just as simply.

And the more complex ones need to be told without escaping into an abyss of flashbacks.