We also liked this movie. One of the things this movie proved is a strong story, a good writing, a great cast, does not need big budget (not the type the studios have, but the kind of budget, independent film makers can afford to spend in a project). But the backbone of the film, is good script, good story. It is the story itself, that kept the movie goers invested in the different characters. For good actors, it is easier for them to portray the characters, just like stepping into a second skin, if a good and tight script is handed to them. It is not so much about the sceneries. Hindi dinadaya ang manonood, they are not distracted, from the central theme of the story. We noticed for example, that in scenes where the actors are in it, they would say that they were in another state en route to Southern California, but in reality, those highway scenes were in Southern California itself. But in some scenes, where they only have a shot of the yellow Volks combi, and no close ups of the actors, the Volks combi were indeed in those other states. It is more expensive to transport more people, crew and actors in another state, than to shoot local. They just assign a second unit, to take other shots to establish the locations of certain scenes.
Lesson : good films can be made in a shoe-string budget.
