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When I last reviewed Sana Dati a few months ago, I had a rather low opinion on the concept of true love. To quote my old self:
Full Disclosure: I no longer believe in weddings. I no longer believe in true love. I no longer believe in starting a family or having kids or having any kind of meaningful romantic relationships with anyone. I guess I no longer believe in a lot of things.
Do note that I loved this film. So... yeah. Since then my thoughts on the above have changed a bit. That's probably one of the understatements of the year. While I believe in love, I still think that love-at-first-sight whirlwind romances are overrated. Some of the best forms of love are the kind that you nurture over time.
I recently rewatched this film during a limited screening at Fully Booked (it's a crime that this film isn't distributed more widely) to see if my renewed perspective on love would change how I saw the film. The short version of what happened is: I still loved the film, but for different reasons. I still consider it one of the best films of last year.
So I feel I have to revisit the film's themes with this new perspective. My comments on the technical aspects of the film stay as they are; and some of the comments below WILL spoil you if you haven't watched the film.
"Sigurado Ka Ba?" (Are You Sure?)
Sana Dati begins with a quote from Voltaire: "Doubt is not a pleasant condition, but certainty is absurd." Indeed, certainty and its role in commitment is one of the movie's main themes. In the beginning and end scenes of the film, we hear the characters ask each other some variant of "Sigurado ka ba?" but in different contexts. At the beginning, Andrea asks Andrew if he's sure about getting a flower store for the both of them. He says yes, both in words and in print later on. Near the end, Robert tells Andrea in an impassioned, impromptu vow that he's never been more sure about her. And at the very last scene of the film, Robert asks Andrea if she is sure she loves him.
Think about these three instances. In the first instance Andrew is in the throes of a wild, passionate love - where he abandons everything to be with his beloved. He can't be more sure than he is now. In the second instance Robert loves Andrea, but his love stems from patience and something more measured albeit similar to Andrew's response to love (see below for more details.) In the last instance, the scene can be interpreted in different ways. Either Andrea has completely moved on and has accepted Robert's love, coming to love him, or she's lying, and she really isn't sure, but she'll try to live with this doubt and learn to love him anyway. Personally I believe in the second interpretation as it capitulates the essence of Voltaire's quote, and it matches my belief (stated above) that love can grow over time, slowly but surely, and can eventually be as strong as love that comes like lightning.
All three instances are forms of commitment, and none of these forms of commitment, of surety, are as valid as any other.
The Anti Rom Com
We're often exposed to the notion that true love conquers all in print, in film or in television. Most of the romantic comedies or dramas available for Filipino audiences fall along these lines. What's so refreshing about this film is that it challenges this notion, revealing its relative impotence.
Andrew's story reflects this love conquers all philosophy. Driven by the desire to be with the person who he loves, he abandons his life and family to be with her. This ends up more or less as we expect. Not even love can counteract common sense.
In the end, one can interpret the film to argue that such carefree philosophies are precarious ground. Many of us know from experience that love does not always flourish; many of us who have been rejected or who have left a relationship know that love, whether lost or never reciprocated, can die over time and fade away. A relationship is an arduous, rocky process. And it's a strange thing at first, living with a complete stranger for (presumably) the rest of your life, longer than your parents, your siblings, or anyone else. People have to get by their insecurities, their partner's flaws, and ultimately their own selfish ideas about love. It's all about understanding your partner and building from there.
I recently rewatched this film during a limited screening at Fully Booked (it's a crime that this film isn't distributed more widely) to see if my renewed perspective on love would change how I saw the film. The short version of what happened is: I still loved the film, but for different reasons. I still consider it one of the best films of last year.
So I feel I have to revisit the film's themes with this new perspective. My comments on the technical aspects of the film stay as they are; and some of the comments below WILL spoil you if you haven't watched the film.
"Sigurado Ka Ba?" (Are You Sure?)
Sana Dati begins with a quote from Voltaire: "Doubt is not a pleasant condition, but certainty is absurd." Indeed, certainty and its role in commitment is one of the movie's main themes. In the beginning and end scenes of the film, we hear the characters ask each other some variant of "Sigurado ka ba?" but in different contexts. At the beginning, Andrea asks Andrew if he's sure about getting a flower store for the both of them. He says yes, both in words and in print later on. Near the end, Robert tells Andrea in an impassioned, impromptu vow that he's never been more sure about her. And at the very last scene of the film, Robert asks Andrea if she is sure she loves him.
Think about these three instances. In the first instance Andrew is in the throes of a wild, passionate love - where he abandons everything to be with his beloved. He can't be more sure than he is now. In the second instance Robert loves Andrea, but his love stems from patience and something more measured albeit similar to Andrew's response to love (see below for more details.) In the last instance, the scene can be interpreted in different ways. Either Andrea has completely moved on and has accepted Robert's love, coming to love him, or she's lying, and she really isn't sure, but she'll try to live with this doubt and learn to love him anyway. Personally I believe in the second interpretation as it capitulates the essence of Voltaire's quote, and it matches my belief (stated above) that love can grow over time, slowly but surely, and can eventually be as strong as love that comes like lightning.
All three instances are forms of commitment, and none of these forms of commitment, of surety, are as valid as any other.
The Anti Rom Com
We're often exposed to the notion that true love conquers all in print, in film or in television. Most of the romantic comedies or dramas available for Filipino audiences fall along these lines. What's so refreshing about this film is that it challenges this notion, revealing its relative impotence.
Andrew's story reflects this love conquers all philosophy. Driven by the desire to be with the person who he loves, he abandons his life and family to be with her. This ends up more or less as we expect. Not even love can counteract common sense.
In the end, one can interpret the film to argue that such carefree philosophies are precarious ground. Many of us know from experience that love does not always flourish; many of us who have been rejected or who have left a relationship know that love, whether lost or never reciprocated, can die over time and fade away. A relationship is an arduous, rocky process. And it's a strange thing at first, living with a complete stranger for (presumably) the rest of your life, longer than your parents, your siblings, or anyone else. People have to get by their insecurities, their partner's flaws, and ultimately their own selfish ideas about love. It's all about understanding your partner and building from there.
The True Hero
During my first viewing of the film back in Cinemalaya 2013, I empathized with Andrea - a person who has just lost her love, and in a fit of abandon, decides to marry a person she "does not know." Her longing for her one true love hit me in a way back when I was in a similar situation, and the repercussions of her actions in the final scene of the film haunted me well after I saw the movie.
On closer inspection of the film's themes, I realized that I had neglected Robert's character in my viewing of the film. I had pegged this man to be the alpha male, the "victor" of this complicated love polygon that gets what he wants, when he wants.
I was completely wrong. This man is the unsung hero of the film.
Early on we see that Robert knows something is up. He's a politician, but we see he's more of a public servant during the scenes that establish his character. Upon rewatching the scenes, knowing what we know from the previous viewing we see that Robert's not really a bad guy. He never used his status or power to force Andrea to love him - remember that she came to him first after her little tryst with Andrew. When he senses that Andrea's having cold feet, he does not force the issue - instead, he mulls over breaking off the wedding - denying himself the chance to be with his love, only because she still has lingering feelings for someone else.
His character comes to a head during the wedding vows scene, where he apologizes to Andrea but tells her that he's sure he loves her. The film frames a shot with Robert talking to Andrea and with Dennis (as a proxy to Andrew) behind her. In a way, he's talking to Andrea and Andrew at the same time. He apologizes because he knows about their love. He apologizes because his love for her will never be the same as the love they shared. But still, he loves her - and he is damn sure of it.
Robert's story in the context of this film eventually became my favorite part of the film. Try watching the film from his perspective and see what you can come up with.
Closing Thoughts
The impermanence of things (including love) is a topic that has been showcased in many films before this, but few have been made that deal with the topic with such subtlety. Sana Dati is a film with emotions bristling just below the surface, a metaphorical pot just about to boil over. This is helped by the superb acting, of course. Every scene you see is something going by normally but there's always something bubbling beneath the surface.
In the end, the most fun thing about watching films like these is talking about it afterwards and trying to process it with your friends. There are a lot of other concepts (like the idea of fate intervening for the characters, the concept of a marriage of convenience or a marriage for political or other cultural reasons, and so on) that I haven't touched upon. When I watch the movie another time (hopefully it comes out on DVD), I'll write some more about this remarkable film.
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