This Partner Label release is distributed through Vinegar Syndrome's sister company OCN Distribution. Vinegar Syndrome had no part in, nor are responsible for, the restoration, extras, quality control or any content(s) of this release. We hope you enjoy our growing roster of Partner Labels and the expertise and curation brought to each release by their dedicated staff!
Details
This special limited edition spot gloss slipcover (designed by Constantino Zicarelli) is limited to 1,500 units and is only available here at VinegarSyndrome.com!
Named after Yasujiro Ozu’s custom-made, tatami-level, crab-like tripod, Kani is a new home video label dedicated to leveling the gaze and furthering the understanding of Asian cinema in North America. Focused on genre-defying films, Kani aims to expand the canon, bolster up-and-coming filmmakers and reintroduce repertory classics in context. Vinegar Syndrome’s sister company, OCN Distribution, is thrilled to be representing this diverse and unique home video line!
Sonya (Marietta Subong a.k.a. Pokwang) is a living ghost, struggling to keep her family-owned funeral home afloat. Lonely and thoroughly alienated by an insistent bailiff, she wanders inside her own house, leaning heavily on her favorite Chinese song, recorded on a broken cassette tape, to get through the hours and days… Until an unexpected corpse lands, rather illicitly, at her doorstep. Developing a unique relationship with the unclaimed body, she becomes fascinated by the cadaver’s absorbing mystique.
Dwein Ruedas Baltazar’s ODE TO NOTHING (following 2012’s MAMAY UMENG and 2018’s I LIKE YOU WITH ALL MY HYPOTHALAMUS) is a powerful meditation on our universal longing for connection, in increasingly precarious, uncertain and isolated times. The ineluctability and omnipresence of death is given form, here, in an uncanny cohabitation with desuetude itself – in what amounts to one of the most captivating art-horror hybrids to emerge from the Philippines in recent years. A Best Picture, Best Director and Best Screenplay award winner at Quezon City’s influential QCinema Festival highlighting new Filipino cinema, ODE TO NOTHING unfolds in a languid and hypnotic manner – every careful shot oozing with the palpable texture of rot, humidity and crushing loneliness.
directed by: Dwein BALTAZAR starring: Marietta SUBONG, Joonee GAMBOA, Angelita LORESCO, Dido DE LA PAZ, Anthony FALCON, Iana BERNARDEZ 2018 / 92 min / 1.33:1 / Tagalog with English subtitles
Additional info:
Region Free Blu-ray
INTERVIEW WITH DIRECTOR DWEIN BALTAZAR (2022, 19MIN)
BOOKLET INCLUDING WRITING BY DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY NEIL DAZA, PRODUCTION DESIGNER MAOLEN FADUL AND NEW ESSAY BY ELMO GONZAGA
English SDH subtitles
Overall rating: 4.2058825 / 5 from 68 reviews.
AI Generated Review Summary
Ode To Nothing, a limited edition Blu-ray from Vinegar Syndrome, is a captivating art-horror hybrid from the Philippines. The film, praised for its beautiful cinematography and unique storytelling, won Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Screenplay at the QCinema Festival. It features English subtitles and includes additional content such as an interview with the director and a booklet with essays.
"I genuinely loved this movie, and I'm so happy with this beautiful release." — David R.
"This film was shot beautifully and the colors just help to tell the story." — Alfredo B.
"Its impactful simplicity, quiet intensity, and outstanding cinematography all help its very slow pace be enjoyable." — Donald M.
Reviews
Great
"An emotionally dark movie that deals with loneliness in a way I haven’t seen. The main characters mental decline, the decomposition of the corpse, and the storyline all made it such a visceral experience. Definitely recommend this."
— Ismael F. (5/5)
Great purchase!
"A lovely blind buy. The transfer is excellent. The slip cover and box art are plain and dark, but very fitting for the films tone and subject matter. The booklet, disc art, and interior box art are also very nice. A great buy if you are looking a new foreign film to expand your film horizons."
— Alec E. (5/5)
Decent film if this is for you.
"Would watch the trailer for this if you are thinking about it. If this sort of style of film is for you, you will love it."
— callum d. (3/5)
odd but effortlessly intriguing
"love that a lot of Kani releases have director interviews and for this film it was interesting hearing his thoughts."
— Chris Z. (5/5)
Quietly unsettling and beautifully restrained
"Ode to Nothing is a slow, melancholic meditation on loneliness, grief, and the uncanny. Its minimalism and quiet surrealism make it stand apart from conventional horror. The atmosphere is thick with unease, and the performances are hauntingly sincere. A poignant, eerie film that lingers like a ghost long after the credits roll."
— Thomas L. (4/5)
Kani is the best
"Kani never fails on bringing films from the homeland on physical media."
— TJ Q. (4/5)
If you like weird movies
"Movie from Philippine, weird but you have to watch it till the end"
— Kamal H. (5/5)
Kani is the best partner label! Asian cinema forever!
"The slip cover and quality is fantastic! Kani is amazing"
— Thomas R. (5/5)
Ode to something
"A very interesting and yet mundane film. It’s a slow burn slice of life kind of movie. The transfer is nice and so is the slipcover."
— Brett C. (4/5)
The Impact of Loneliness
"A film that lingers and takes its time. It results in the right mood to depict the state of loneliness for our main character. Elements of this film may strike a bit too close to home for those who have or are dealing with loneliness. A great looking file with an excellent transfer. I also love the cover art."
— Stephen P. (4/5)
Q&A
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