Ang Babae sa Septic Tank 2: Forever is not Enough: MMFF Movie Review

"Ang Babae sa Septic Tank 2: Forever is not Enough" pretty much plays on the success of the first film. It's mostly the same banana (ironically, it turns out to be formulaic) but Eugene Domingo brings a lot of life into the film that means it is enjoyable. Te first film set the bar pretty darn high and sadly, this sequel falters and fails to match it.

It has been years since Director Rainier de la Cuesta (Kean Cipriano) has worked with eccentric actress Eugene Domningo (Eugene Domingo). Their first and only collaboration, "Walang Wala" earned awards throughout the globe but it never really garnered commercial success. De la Cuesta hopes that his latest project, "The Itinerary", a serious romance drama could help save his marriage as it is based on the realities of his own floundering relationship with his wife. But this is easier said than done as Eugene Domingo is reluctant to work on "The Itinerary" without her own outlandish and silly inputs included in the final script.

We just can't decide if we were left disappointed or satisfied once the credits rolled as "Ang Babae sa Septic Tank 2" left us with mixed emotions. Most of it was actually fun. Eugene Domingo was still the same Eugene Domingo we loved from wayback. Her outlandish "lifestyle", eccentric demands and even her Spanish assistant Facundo had us laughing out loud in an instant. Additionally, the fourth wall breaking characters, with their cameos, were unique and lovingly acted on by the cast. Most importantly, the satires on mainstream films were actually interesting and definitely the meat of the film. One scene in particular plays the merits of commercial success over winning awards, about pleasing audiences over being artistic, which hurts but is also a true reflection of how our society and reality works. What had us scratching our heads is the seemingly inept side story of Director de la Cuesta. The film latches on the idea that he has a struggling marriage and that he is working on his current pet project to save his marriage. It was underdeveloped and unnecessary. The conflict itself could have worked but it was more of an afterthought more than anything else and that really bugs us. Overall, "Ang Babae sa Septic Tank 2: Forever is not Enough" is not as effective as its predecessor but it still delivers on the promise of tackling a pretty serious issue while having a damn good time while you're at it.

Rating: 3 and a half reels





Why you should watch it:
- Eugene Domingo and the gang brings on the goods
- satires upon satires that had us laughing out loud

Why you shouldn't watch it:
- not as cleanly done as its predecessor
- de la Cuesta's side story was underdeveloped and could have been more integral to the plot

Photos courtesy of "Ang Babae sa Septic Tank 2: Forever is not Enough" Trailer