Movie Review: Camp Sawi

Cast : Andi Eigenmann, Bela Padilla, Arci Munoz, Sam Milby, Yassi Pressman, Kim Molina

Director: Irene Villamor

MTRCB Rating: PG

Released By: Viva Entertainment Inc

After watching the movie’s trailer, one might not expect anything new in this movie, or at the very least, something to get excited about. Owing to the bevy of sexy bodies and pretty faces for its stars, one would think that they are just the movie’s come on which will be mixed with a formulaic plot.

But as it is said, the test of the pudding is in the eating. Nothing can be closer to the truth. Unexpectedly, the movie presents a story that is fresh and unique. It  has a winning plot, a very engaging story. Credit to Bela Padilla and her longtime boyfriend Neil Arce who created it. 

CAMP SAWI is a story of five different women who are in great pain from their broken relationships. They find themselves inside a camp – a refuge for the brokenhearted - that will make them heal from their hurtful past. 

The movie’s setting is at the beautiful and charming Bantayan Island in Cebu where the camp is located. There, the five women, detached from their world, are given ways to help them cope as they struggle to recover from their traumatic heartaches. Initially adamant to mingle with their camp mates, the girls soon find strength in each other.  

"Camp Sawi" is a visual feast, if only for its picturesque setting that complements its stars - five of today’s hottest and sexiest young actresses. Matched with a breathtaking cinematography, the treatment of the story is quite commendable. The movie doesn’t scream, it doesn’t struggle to impress, the story just flows naturally.

Director Irene has successfully made each character memorable. Both Brigitte (Bela Padilla) and Gwen (Arci Munoz) who were dumped by their exes complement each other’s quirkiness. There is riot when they are together, notably that drunken scene in the beach that really left a mark and the audience in stitches. 

Arci is undoubtedly a natural comedian, with Yassi and Kim catching up – no dull moment as they slowly recover and give justice to their colorful characters. Clarisse’s (Andi Eigenmann) dramatic story of loving the wrong man lends itself very relatable to viewers. The tragic story of Joan (Kim Molina) with her fiancé leaves her rejecting herself even more, along with Jessica’s (Yassi Pressman) hair-raising anecdote of her boyfriend. All told, the characters’ diverse stories are no different from everybody else’s that anyone can easily identify with. 

The girls’ bonding moments feel like you are just with your girlfriends unabashedly sharing each other’s angst while on a drinking spree – at times serious, other times downright hilarious. Louie (Sam Milby) makes for a cool camp master giving genuine attention and  guidance to the depressed girls in his camp, while carefully polite with their humorous advances. 

"Camp Sawi" definitely entertains, a must watch, especially for the heartbroken and weary souls out there who need to unburden. As it is, moving on may not be the same for everyone, and that a heartache, no matter how crippling, is there for a purpose. 

Don’t miss the movie - now showing in cinemas. 

Also in the cast are AJ Muhlach, Alex Vincent Medina, Bret Jackson, Bubbles Paraiso, Cholo Barreto, Dennis Trillo, Issa Pressman, Janna Roque, Jasmine Hollingworth, Jerald Napoles, RJ Padilla, Sarah Brakensiek, Tonton Gutierrez.