Lolo and the Kid

Written and directed by Benedict Mique, Lolo and the Kid follows Lolo (Joel Torre), a grifter, and Kid (Euwenn Mikaell), the boy he took in, routinely conning the upper classes.

The film portrays the grandfather/grandson relationship, how they go through their lives going to karaoke nights, living in motels, and routinely deceiving the wealthy. Upon reflecting on what is in Kid's best interest, Lolo begins to have doubts if their way of life is the best course of action. Kid never went to school, and this is presented as a hindrance to being successful and making money. Kid wants to go to school, but Lolo's opinion at first is reluctant about what school can teach you that the streets cannot. As a hustler, he is the kind of person that sees street-smarts not only as something better, but as the only real education worth having. Lolo thinks there are two kinds of people: those who cheat and those who get cheated.

Benedict Mique's feature has its problems. To begin with, despite its many attempts at crying-inducing scenes, it does not have the emotional weight it aims at. It simply doesn't. When the script and execution are good enough, there is simply no need for unnecessary non-diegetic emotive music or excessive crying onscreen to provoke sympathy. It feels like a bad trick to manipulate the audience in a very obvious way, like a puppet master does with its marionettes.

The routine of them conning people is also tiresome and makes its short runtime of 97 minutes feel much longer. Lolo and the Kid has its moments, and it offers good performances from its two leads, but it doesn't have any memorable moments, and the same ideas have been seen better portrayed elsewhere.