Dead Kids on Netflix is so good, it slaps you with the truth and then some

*** WARNING: This article contains minor plot points for Dead Kids ***

Life imitates Art far more than Art imitates Life. It’s a line directly lifted from one of poet Oscar Wilde’s written works. The line also uncannily fits with what’s happening in the Metro now.

Courtesy of  Netflix Philippines

To start off, Netflix just released its first original Filipino movie today. It’s called Dead Kids. And, oh, what a time for it be shown indeed. The movie is about an awkward high schooler who’s been recruited by 3 other guys from his batch to…wait for it….kidnap a classmate who’s been nothing but a jerk to them.

What’s more ironic is that this movie is loosely based on an actual kidnapping (albeit the culprits and the person they’ve kidnapped for ransom were all college students) that happened last year in Manila.

Despite its uncanny resemblance to local current events (although, there are no puti na van involved), the movie is so good and everything is done with good taste. The plot slaps you with our society’s truth and it leaves you thinking with open eyes.

Want more reasons to make you pull out a device and renew your Netflix subscription? Just continue reading below. You’ve been warned, though. There will be minor spoilers.

There’s Kidnapping But Definitely No Car Chase Scenes

Courtesy of  Netflix Philippines

For a Filipino thriller movie, Dead Kids barely have jump scares or cheesy car chases. However, there are a few scenes where the lead characters are talking in their cars.

You may think what’s special about car scenes? Loads of local and foreign movies and series have those kinds of shots. Well, every scene in Dead Kids where the characters are in their cars are very important. We get character building and rapport in each one. Plus, the events after those specific scenes would greatly impacts our characters’ lives as the story progresses.

You wouldn’t need a car chase scene for this movie, too. How the plot and how the scenes were executed will leave you on the edge of your seat. I suggest to pee before hitting play.

It’s The Usual Barkada Flick But There’s Nothing Typical About It

Courtesy of  Netflix Philippines

Pinoys love a good barkada movie. It greatly shows how we’re a social people. We always value friendship and camaraderie, and we consider friends as part of the family. Dead Kids plays with those familiar notions and pushes them to the edge — so much that we get to see how far we’d go for friends.

The characters are definitely from different walks of life and have clashing personalities. You’d wonder how’d they end up as friends in the first place. Mark Sta. Maria (played by Kelvin Miranda) is the newest addition to the unlikely foursome. He literally points that out in one scene after a heated discussion about their kidnap-for-ransom plan. The 3 other guys in the room couldn’t reply. You can feel the dead air and you, yourself, wonder: how did I become friends with my friends?

Can High School Students Even Pull Off A Kidnapping???

Courtesy of  Netflix Philippines

You may also ask why make the characters high schoolers and not college or even adults. Our youth are the most vulnerable. They learn from what they experience. If you let them grow up in a loving household, then they will grow as a loving person. If you acknowledge their experiences, then they will understand causality better.

Here’s the thing: a lot of things are happening nowadays. It’s true that kids are getting smarter and smarter every generation. As they should. It’s our society’s responsibility, our responsibility to show them the way.

Courtesy of  Netflix Philippines

Dead Kids is a social commentary about our youth and the environment we let them grow in. However, it doesn’t in any way promote violence. Rather, it shows us what’s already happening and what can still happen if we don’t do anything.

Do we have to wait before Dead Kids happen in real life before we react and say “Ah, Dead Kids was right.” Do we even need a movie to tell us that what we should have already known?

What’s The Title Again?

Does someone die in the movie? Well…you got to see for yourself. The title is Dead Kids after all.

Courtesy of  Netflix Philippines

Either a stroke of peculiar timing or just the universe finally trying to wake us up, Dead Kids is a fresh but deadly take on the thriller genre.

It’s a coming-of-age eye-opener for our youth and the society we live in. It also mixes humor, suspense, and hard-hitting lines well that it leaves you wanting more because of the whiplash.  Moreover, the pacing, the musical scoring, the character development, and the chemistry between the characters are so on point, you can’t help but feel proud for this work of art.

Dead Kids is the brainchild of Philippine cinema’s newest visionaries — the Red Brothers.  Directed by Mikhail Red and written by Nikolas Red, it stars the country’s freshest breed of talents: Sue Ramirez, Khalil Ramos, Markus Paterson, Kelvin Miranda, Vance Larena, Jan Silverio, and Gabby Padilla. The movie is produced by Globe Studios.

For more movie, series, and trailer reviews, check out more of the author’s works.

All GIFs used in this article are made from giphy.com with clips taken from Netflix Philippines Youtube page.

Photo appeared as Featured Image from Netflix Philippines.