Pero kami, napatunayan na naming wala kaming ganyang kaisipan noong maging nominado si Vi for "Tagos ng Dugo" and we cited our reasons why we favor Lorna Tolentino in "Maging Akin Ka Lamang" over her. To the untained eye, very impressive si Guy sa "Bilangin" dahil ang performance niya is mainly a series of big highly emotional scenes that call for confrontations with Tirso Cruz III, Gloria Romero, Miguel Rodriguez and Ana Margarita. This is the kind of acting that call for grand, tour-de-force manner of emoting, with glaring eyes, flaring nostrils, quevering voice and all. Sabi nga, the works. All stops are pulled to really impress the audience n "Hoy, this is good acting and you should correspondingly be properly impressed." To Nora's credit, she relies entirely on her instincts and this works as Elwood Perez has never been known as an actor's director and Nora naman is the kind of actress na even when she is left to her own resources, still manages to come up with an arresting performance, no matter how florid.
Sa kaso ng pagkakaganap ni Vilma as Juliet in "Pahiram," it is a credit not only to the actress but also the director. Vi's innate talent shines, pero alam mong malaki ang naitulong sa kanya ni Bernal to further hone it and polish it and make it truly oustanding in the totality of its effect. Makikita ito sa succession pa lang ng opening sequences. Nagsimula ang movie na masayang masaya ang tono nito, with Vi rambunctiously singing "Material Girl" sa kanilang Christmas Party, without a trace of the impending tragedy that she will face. Then she goes to the CR, starts to feel bad, and after that ay nalaman na niyang mgay cancer siya't may taning na ang buhay niya. Vi is not shown vehemently reacting to this. Instead, ipinakita lang siyang tahimik na naglalakad, her shoulders hunched na tila ba nasa mga balikat niya ang daigdig. She then attends this family reunion sa parents niya, which ends in disaster dahil inaway lang siya ng ate niyang si Dexter Doria. Wala pa ring reaction dito si Vi kahit nilait siya ng mga kamag-anak niya.
Sa susunod na scene, nagwawala ang anak niya si Billy Joe dahil lumayas ang yaya nito't ayaw nitong pumasok sa school. Vi goes to the kitchen to prepare breakfast at habang nagbabati siya ng itlog, doon pa lang ipinakitang una siyang nag-breakdown. And this is shown nang nakatalikod siya sa camera. No overtly ornate kind of emoting na akting na akting ang dating. Pero damang-dama mo pa rin (if you're a trully perceptive, sensitive viewer) ang mga emotions the character goes through dahil sa buildup nito. This is apparent in various other scenes in the film. Bale ba, ang estilo rito ni Vi ay hindi 'yung trying to ingratiate herself with the audience to please them, which she is went to do in the past. Dito, basta she becomes the part (lalo na sa eksena nila ni Gabbly Concepcion sa simbahan na binalikan nila kung paano sila nagkasira), and if you notice that she is good, well salamat po. Sa second viewing ng movie naming lalong napansin ang subtle nuances ng performance ni Vi, up to her death scene which confirms our supposition that the movie is not really so much about death than a celebration of life, what with all the panoramic shots showing the beauty of nature and the world around us, na enough reason for anyone to want to survive.
So...'yan ang opinion namin. You may agree or disagree but tha is our prerogative kaya you may take it or leave it. - Mario E. Bautista, People's Tonight, 1990
About Mario E. Bautista, is a respectable and popular film critic and columnist in the Philippines. He regularly write articles for People's Journal, Malaya, Pinoy Gazette and his own entertainement website, Showbiz Portal