Joyce Bernal's 'very Pinoy' flavor in SONA 2020 direction leaves bad taste

Director Joyce Bernal
Philstar.com/Maridol Ranoa-Bismark, file

MANILA, Philippines — It’s a film Filipinos had seen before and they didn’t like the ending.

The reviews are in for director Joyce Bernal’s vision for President Rodrigo Duterte’s fifth State of the Nation Address (SONA), but the coverage which she previously described to have a flavor palatable to the people ended up being panned instead.

“Para sa mga tao naman (ito) so ibang flavor naman. Pinoy na Pinoy. Mas maiintindihan, mas magaan,” the known comedy director described her take on this year’s SONA in a chance interview with reporters.

Related: SONA a report, not a performance. Filipinos remind Joyce Bernal amid her ‘very Pinoy’ vision

Pinoys, however, didn’t feel the “Pinoy na Pinoy” aspect at all, taking to social media to express how underwhelmed they were by the final result.

 

 

Some described the moment as a total "flop" and poked fun at Joyce's choice to direct the SONA again.

 

 

Others joked that Joyce is the perfect filmmaker to helm SONA since they said the Philippine government falls in the comedy category.

 

 

Netizens also observed technical hiccups like nauseating camera angles, zooming into sleeping attendees, a cameo of Duterte's enlarged facial pores, the variety-show-like applause, and the president's difficulty reading his teleprompter or visual cue for his actual address. 

 

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