The closing film for this year's Cinemalaya was Silong, directed by musician and actor Jeffrey Hidalgo. Although I didn't catch the film in its initial run, I vowed to catch in during its commercial run.
Silong (lit. 'shelter') takes on different meanings as the movie goes on. At first, it seems to refer to the shelter both main characters find in each other's loneliness: Miguel, a doctor who is still reeling from the death of his wife, finds a bloodied woman on a country road. They seem to bond as the woman, Valerie, begins to acclimate herself in Miguel's home.
Of course, nothing is so simple. There is a pervading sense that something is ever so slightly off and the film is generous in giving small clues here and there. It is when these clues come to fruition where "silong" takes a darker meaning.
the film's deliberate pace may be a turn off to some; personally its in finding these little clues that brought me the most satisfaction. The two leads turn in decent performances; Piolo is restrained but no so much as to be morose; Rhian Ramos starts strong as well, although her later performance can be polarizing (I didn't mind it except for that rap scene, and no I didn't misspell 'rap.')
Silong thrives in its atmosphere, and your appreciation of the film will depend on how much you will invest yourself in it, and in its characters. If anything, it's a sign that Filipino filmmakers are capable of making a wide variety of films such as this psychological thriller. With this film, a historical film like Heneral Luna and a social drama like Taklub (which also has a commercial run starting this week,) this has been one of the most varied months in Philippine cinema in terms of output in recent memory.
Of course, nothing is so simple. There is a pervading sense that something is ever so slightly off and the film is generous in giving small clues here and there. It is when these clues come to fruition where "silong" takes a darker meaning.
the film's deliberate pace may be a turn off to some; personally its in finding these little clues that brought me the most satisfaction. The two leads turn in decent performances; Piolo is restrained but no so much as to be morose; Rhian Ramos starts strong as well, although her later performance can be polarizing (I didn't mind it except for that rap scene, and no I didn't misspell 'rap.')
Silong thrives in its atmosphere, and your appreciation of the film will depend on how much you will invest yourself in it, and in its characters. If anything, it's a sign that Filipino filmmakers are capable of making a wide variety of films such as this psychological thriller. With this film, a historical film like Heneral Luna and a social drama like Taklub (which also has a commercial run starting this week,) this has been one of the most varied months in Philippine cinema in terms of output in recent memory.
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