Eugene Domingo at her finest in "Kimmy Dora"

CEBU, Philippines - We had fun watching “Kimmy Dora (Kambal Sa Kiyeme),” the launching flick of Eugene Domingo when it had a special press screening at the Shang Cineplex last week We didn’t have any expectations with regards to the film directed by Bb. Joyce Bernal. We only had one thing in mind—to have a good laugh and to enjoy ourselves as we watch the film. And we sure did have a good laugh.

We admit that, at the start, we were rather impatient because the movie doesn’t seem exciting. But when the story picked up, especially during the scene where Eugene had to masquerade as Kimmy, when she’s actually the slow-witted Dora, the movie took a turn for the better. It was no mean feat to breathe life into two distinct characters but Eugene was able to pull it off, with flying colors! The movie succeeds mainly because of Eugene’s fine acting.

We’ve always believed Eugene is a fine actress, as evidenced by her award winning works in “Pisay” and “100.” And we’d like to credit her for a superb acting job in “Kimmy Dora,” in her dual role as the smart Kimmy and the slow-witted Dora. An actress of lesser caliber, who would be given the same role, might not perform up to par and could end up giving a disastrous performance. But not Eugene, who was at her best, in this film.

Kudos also to Direk Joyce Bernal for guiding Eugene well in her performance, making sure that the contrast in terms of acting between Kimmy and Dora was really pronounced. It was like seeing a real twin of Eugene, Her portrayal is already worth the price of admission.

“Kimmy Dora” opens today in major theaters nationwide, produced by Spring Films and directed by Bb. Joyce Bernal.