FACTOTUM

Matt Dillon, Lili Taylor, Marisa Tomei

"All that maters is how well you walk through the fire"

Cinemanila, Greenbelt 1, Cinema 2
 
First of all, I have no idea who Charles Bukowski is. Nor what kind of novels he has written. So I go into the cinema with nary an idea what to expect. I knew it was starring Matt Dillon, Lili Palmer and Marisa Tomei. That's all. It turns out Dillon's character is based on Bukowski's life. His life as a struggling low life drunkard bouncing from one job to another while writing short stories and novels. There are a few scenes which make you chuckle but overall it is a bit depressing. You can't help but wonder how come some people are just so unlucky. But you see the circumstances, you know they are capable of changing their luck so you sort of cheer them on, never losing hope for their sake. Very real life, very human personas - all the 3 main actors portrayed their characters very convincingly.