Balota 2024
A land-grabbing tycoon and a former sexy male actor are in a tight race for mayor in a small town. When violence erupts, Emmy, a teacher, runs into the wilderness with a ballot box, the last copy of the election result.
Cast
- Marian Rivera portrays Teacher Emmy
- Marian Rivera as Emmy, a teacher in a small town. During the local election, Emmy is assigned to the Board of Election Inspectors for her precinct. As violence erupts, she must flee into the forest with a ballot box containing the final copy of the election results.[3]
- Will Ashley as Enzo
- Royce Cabrera as SPO1 Jeremy Morales
- Nico Antonio as Migs
- Raheel Bhyria as Jimbo
- Sue Prado as Melissa
- Felix Petate as Dominador “Babe” Babista
- Esnyr Ranollo as Ehrmengard
- Donna Cariaga as Anita Hernandez
- Joel Saracho as Pastor
- Gardo Versoza as Giancarlo Edraline
- Mae Paner as Elena Hidalgo
Review
As one of the most anticipated films in the 2024 Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival selection, Balota already hooked audiences and critics alike as early as the release of its first teaser. A teacher is at the center of what the brunt of local elections can yield: violence, turmoil, and above all, systemic threats to an already crumbling democracy. An upcoming Cinemalaya film was set to star the well-loved mainstream actress, Marian Rivera, and directed by Kip Oebanda, known for titles like Liway and Bar Boys.
Going into the film, and seeing how grim the film seemed in its promotional materials, the snappy election jingle in its opening sequence caught me and other audience members off guard, setting the stage with an ambiguous note. An array of visuals sets the scene: posters campaigning for aspiring mayoral candidates are plastered all around, a group of men with mysterious backgrounds operates in the shadow, and a man walks through his village selling votes to his neighbors, to put it frankly.
