Balota

It perfectly captures the harsh reality of electing a politician in the Philippines, making it a relatable and emotional ride for viewers. (5/5)

Sa kabila ng mga kakulangan, hindi nawala ang hangarin ng pelikulang ito na maghatid ng mensahe. (3/5)

Marian Rivera lends her superstar power to attract the fickle Filipino moviegoers to watch a film with an important advocacy to push. (8/10)

Kip Oebanda's 'Balota' highlights the chaos of elections, politics in general, and what it does to the Filipino people. (4/5)

With a comedy that's reminiscent of humor ni Vice Ganda, and the timely issue on Philippine politics, this satire of a film is definitely a winner to Filipino audiences. Balota yung tipo ng indie film na kapag ni-release sa mainstream has a high chance to perform so very well. (Maganda)

Rivera manages to truly be in the moment and really captures all the layers that makes Emmy such an interesting character. (4/5)

It's easy to fall into the trap that the movie is cynical about our state of affairs, but I believe it offers a more pragmatic look at the situation at hand. (3.5/5)

While entertaining, a lot of it feels anachronistic, evoking 2020s sensibilities even though the story is set in 2007.

A delicious mix of scathing satire and campy humor with an unexpectedly satisfying payoff. It's a fun and engaging black comedy with enough bite. (3.5/5)

Though it hesitates to go all-out with the nihilism about its subject matter, Balota proves itself to still be a crowd- pleaser armed with a darkly comic yet uncomfortably timely tale and a career-best performance from Marian Rivera. (B+)

For the Western audience unacquainted with the local tropes, “Balota” will remain a potpourri of ideas that doesn’t always deliver the message it wants so passionately to bring across. [...] “Balota” is in no way a film that will stay long with you, but it is fun to watch it.

Artsy, highbrow, technically superior films have their audience, but "Balota" knows its viewers. It is speaking to them in the language they are familiar with — easily digestible and understandable, without beating around the bush.

With too many plot points scattered across the film, it needed more space for any storyline to strike a chord deep enough.

This is Marian Rivera's bravest role yet, mahusay sya dito sa pelikulang ito, a strong contender for Cinemalaya Best Actress [...] (3.5)

The movie is often funny, but as a piece of political satire, it's pretty weak. It stays on the surface of the issue, basically saying things we all already agree with. (3/5)

[...] even without the comedy, the film already works. And if we’re being honest, it would’ve been much, much better. (B)

It’s surprisingly comedic [...] but it can become distracting, especially when the next scene is another character in a life-and-death situation. Make no mistake, the comedic moments are justified, but the tone could be introduced more effectively. (3/5)