A Film That Knows When to Hold Back

Read Time:5 Minute, 10 Second

MOVIE REVIEW
Fil-Am
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Genre: Drama, Comedy, Coming of Age
Year Released: 2026
Runtime: 14m
Director(s): Ralph Torrefranca
Writer(s): Ralph Torrefranca
Cast: Deuce Basco, Emerson Basco, Darion Basco, Madeleine Humphries, Hunter Stiebel
Where to Watch: shown at the 2026 Santa Barbara International Film Festival

RAVING REVIEW: What does it mean to be American when the definition keeps changing depending on where you stand, how you sound, and who gets to decide? FIL-AM starts with that issue quietly embedded in its bones rather than declared outright, and it trusts the audience to feel the tension long before it names it. Writer-director Ralph Torrefranca frames his short not as a thesis statement about Filipino American identity, but as a lived-in memory shaped by displacement, resentment, and reluctant adaptation.

Set in 2003, FIL-AM follows Jonah, a sixteen-year-old Filipino kid uprooted from inner-city Milpitas and dropped into Santa Barbara, a place that feels less like a sanctuary and more like a social experiment. The film understands immediately that culture shock doesn’t require exaggeration. Torrefranca doesn’t rely on caricatures of either environment. The danger Jonah feels isn’t physical, as it was in his previous life, but psychological, social, and deeply isolating. That distinction becomes the film’s propulsion.

Deuce Basco carries the short with a performance rooted in restraint. Jonah is angry, but not in a performative way. He is guarded, observant, and constantly calculating how much of himself he is allowed to show in this new space. Basco avoids the trap of portraying teenage defiance as noise. Instead, he lets silence, posture, and hesitation do the work. Jonah’s resistance feels less like rebellion and more like grief that hasn’t yet found its outlet.

The decision to cast multiple members of the Basco family adds an undeniable layer of authenticity without turning the film inward or indulgent. Emerson Basco brings emotional intelligence to Stephanie, grounding the sibling dynamic in something recognizable rather than sentimental. Darion Basco’s presence adds generational texture, not as a looming authority figure, but as someone navigating compromise in his own way. Madeleine Humphries anchors the family unit with a performance that resists martyrdom. Her character’s choices are complicated, imperfect, and deeply human, and the film never punishes her for them.

What FIL-AM does particularly well is refuse to frame Jonah’s struggle as a simple before-and-after narrative. This is not a story about escape from one bad place to a better one. Santa Barbara isn’t presented as salvation. It is quieter, cleaner, and safer on paper, but it introduces a different kind of vulnerability. Jonah’s sense of self is suddenly up for negotiation, and the film understands how destabilizing that can be for someone already learning how to exist in the world.

Torrefranca’s direction is confident without calling attention to itself. The film’s visual style favors intimacy, and that matters. Scenes are allowed to breathe just enough to let discomfort settle in. The camera often observes rather than pushes, reinforcing the idea that Jonah is constantly being watched, evaluated, and measured against expectations he did not agree to.

FIL-AM is strongest when it resists over-explanation. Identity here is not reduced to labels or declarations. It shows up in glances, misunderstandings, and the quiet math of deciding when to speak and when to stay silent. The film acknowledges racism and cultural alienation without turning them into lecture points. Instead, they exist as forces that shape behavior, not as plot devices that demand resolution.

There is also an impressive balance at work. Despite the weight of its subject matter, FIL-AM allows moments of humor and warmth to surface naturally. These moments don’t undercut the seriousness of Jonah’s experience. They reinforce it, reminding us that survival often includes laughter, even when it feels out of place. As a short film, FIL-AM understands its limits and works within them. It does not try to resolve Jonah’s journey, and that restraint is one of its strengths. Life doesn’t suddenly make sense at sixteen, and the film respects that truth.

FIL-AM succeeds because it prioritizes character over messaging and specificity over generalization. It is deeply personal without becoming isolated, and culturally specific without shutting anyone out. Torrefranca’s voice is clear, disciplined, and grounded in lived experience rather than abstraction.

More than anything, FIL-AM understands that belonging is not about location. It’s about recognition, both from others and from oneself. Jonah’s journey isn’t about becoming something new. It’s about learning which parts of himself he refuses to abandon, even when the cost feels exponential. This is the kind of short film that stays with you not because it overwhelms, but because it trusts you. It does not ask for applause. It asks for attention, and it earns it.

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[photo courtesy of REEL CLEVER FILMS, UNDRDG, FLASHBACK PICTURES]

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