Bitter Melon

What makes the movie smart is its refusal to cast Troy, a difficult role well-played by Epino, as strictly a villain. Instead, Mendoza delves into the cycle of violence that can be passed down through generations.

The complex tonal, textural and thematic mix here doesn’t always work, but it’s always interesting and often invigorating.

Although the first hour of Bitter Melon is a spiky and absorbing story of repressed feelings, the movie grinds to a halt in its final third as the characters talk things out, which might be helpful in life but in drama tends to belabor the obvious, as well as offer an easy exit.

There are scenes of utter brilliance and honesty, then clunky scenes of melodrama the next.