A little bit of the Berlinale is here at Hollywood News today, ladies and gentlemen. Yes, I’ve got a Berlin International Film Festival review to file. It’s for Death of Nintendo, a coming of age period piece, even if the period being discussed is the recent past, specifically the 90’s. Folks over in Berlin really enjoyed this one, and if the movie is handled properly, it could very well become a crossover success on the independent film scene later on this year. It has got the goods, that’s for sure. Foreign titles breaking through are always a crapshoot, but after Parasite making Oscar history, anything is possible, so hope springs eternal here for this effort from the Philippines. The movie is a coming of age tale, taking place in the 1990’s, and specifically in suburban Manila. Plot wise, it’s very reminiscent of any number of coming of age stories, albeit with an international twist. Here, we follow a quartet of 13 year old friends, newly into their teenage years, as they begin to grow up. At the outset, video games are the focus, as they’re still relatively new and can blow a kid’s mind with the simplest of graphics. However, for Mimaw, Paolo, Kachi, and Gilligan, they soon find themselves not just enjoying these games, but beginning to enter into the adult world, sometimes involving young love, sometimes involving far graver issues. For Mimaw, it’s a broken heart. For Paolo, it’s dealing with his overprotective mother. Moreover, there’s a series of earthquakes in town, which are leading up to Mt. Pinatubo’s historic volcanic eruption, which is causing countrywide blackouts. That would be a problem, regardless, but for the friends, it’s also prevention them from playing video games. Raya Martin directs a screenplay by Valerie Castillo Martinez, with music by Yudhi Arfani and Zeke Khaseli, as well as cinematography from Ante Cheng. There is a great deal of nostalgia to be found here, even if the story itself is very specific. The desire to just play video games, either with your friends, or just alone, is a hallmark for a whole generation of people. Now, issues like teenage circumcision are not prevalent in most cultures, so there are very Manila centric moments here, but the overall feeling is pretty universal. In some ways, this is a spiritual sequel to Stand By Me, in the way that friends growing up in different […]