Review: The much talked about independent film, or "Maxi" as it was nicknamed in the indie and art community, came home from the Montreal World Film Festival with a Golden Zenith this year, and now this little indie digital film has been blown up for the big screen. Maxi will be heading to the Sundance international film festival soon, but before then Filipino audiences should go and see Maxi at the local cinema.

Friends in the academe have required students to watch it. That is how good this film is. Maxi earned a grade of A from the Cinema Evaluation Board. So before Maxi’s head gets big from all the sudden media attention, let’s talk about the quality of the work before celebrities ride on the bandwagon. Everyone may be asking where did the creators of this "overnight success" come from? What people don’t know is the creators and producers of this beautiful film have been working their butts off for a long time, making many little films and video projects before they put together Maxi. So the term "overnight success" will not do justice to the years of hard work they put into their craft, and mostly working with non-existent budgets.

Imagine what independent filmmakers could do with a big budget when they can come up with digital masterpieces on a shoestring? It all boils down to the story. If you have a tight script and a good cast, a crew that will work out of love, and you surround yourself with creatures who don’t sleep, then you might be the next Maxi in the making.

Whoever was lucky enough to witness Auraeus Solito’s early theater projects in UP Diliman in the Nineties knows that he will kill himself first (or disown vehemently) anything that leaves his hands that falls below par.

The genius is in the simplicity of a scene, and excellent script development. This is where all the elements of filmmaking, from casting, to writing, music, cinematography, editing, direction, and acting all worked so well. When the director decides to make the camera move during scenes where there is tension, it works for the scene, and doesn’t make it feel like a hard sell. The refreshingly subtle ending and the sheer simplicity of the scene where Maxi counts cups of rice say so much more than any line of dialogue. Even when you get down to the choice of using grade school pad paper for the graphics or credits is something you have to appreciate.

Thanks to Maxi and more mature, discerning Pinoy audiences, long struggling independent cinema in the Philippines is finally getting the attention it deserves. If you build it. They will come.