Cinemalaya 2017 Quickies: CFI films, Please Remember Me, Pastor

We begin this short entry with the films of this year's Cinemalaya Institute. The institute holds classes for filmmakers of every stripe in such fields as directing, cinematography and so on. This year's batch of offerings wasn't as extensive compared to the last time I saw the CFI in 2015; in fact the screening was barely an hour long. Apparently there were less classes this year compared to last year.

We were shown entries from the cinematography and directing classes. For the latter, directors had to shoot a scene in black and white telling a simple, character driven story.

I wont go over all the individual films, but my personal favorites include 3:15, about a security guard and a mysterious tenant, Takas, which is exactly what it says on the title, and Kinsenas Katapusan, which manages to fit in a classic assassin's story in 10 minutes or less. The films feature relatively well known actors and actresses and looking at the production credits, the films also had crew from the TV and film industry, so the films themselves have an impressive amount of technical support.

I'll be looking forward to the CFI next year. Hopefully the volume of entries will be more substantial.

The last Asia Visions film for this year's Cinemalaya is the documentary Please Remember Me by Zhao Qing. It's a very simple and sweet story about an elderly couple based in Shanghai. The husband, Feng, has taken care of his wife Lou for many years. Lou has Alzheimer's disease, and over time it has led her to forget most of the people around her.

Feng's increasing age has made him unable to properly take care of his wife, and this has led him to consider intermittent stays in nursing homes. Throughout the film we see the couple struggle to fit into their new lifestyle, as Lou's condition slowly deteriorates.

But the film isn't dreary or depressing. Instead, the film is filled with happy moments. Feng and Lou are the sweetest old couple one can find, and their interactions are both warm and fuzzy and heartbreaking at the same time. This is a couple that knows they are in the twilight of their lives and have decided to make the best of it. I personally could not wish for anything more from a partner.

We also see a glimpse of how the elderly are cared for in mainland China. With a population poised to move from an industrialist state with a rapidly growing population to something more like Japan, populations are sure to get older over time.

Please Remember Me is a documentary in its purest form: no pretensions, no twists or gimmicks, just a heartfelt personal story of two people that is relateable and endearing.

Cinemalaya 2017 ends with Adolfo Alix's latest film, Pastor. The film reunites Phillip Salvador and Gina Alajar, who have starred together in such landmark films as Lino Brocka's Bayan Ko: Kapit sa Patalim (1984). It took a long time to get off the ground, predating Alix's earlier films such as Ang Alamat ni China Doll (2013).

Pastor draws inspiration from the Story of Job, where a man's faith is tested again and again by God. It draws inspiration from other biblical stories as well - the prodigal son, the temptation of Jesus in the desert, the story of Lot and his wife. Its interpretation of personal change and the uncertainty of personal redemption is obvious, especially within its final few frames.

There's a certain clever metafictional conceit in having Salvador in this role. Salvador is best known as an action star, the guns blazing, kill 'em all and let God sort 'em out type. The opening and ending scenes serve as glimpses of that previous life. (Whether it also reflects a yearning for that previous life is up to your interpretation.) Far removed from his action movie days, Salvador is now a Born Again Christian. In many ways, his journey reflects the journey of the pastor character in this film.

That said, the film suffers from a plethora of story problems. The film doesn't quite know if it wants to be a faith based film or a film that seeks to doubt that faith. Many scenes feel awkward or unintentionally hilarious - a certain police raid scene ends up extremely rough in its execution. And some scenes end up stretching my disbelief too much, as a moviegoer and as a medical professional.

Like the titular pastor's faith, Pastor the film is extremely conflicted. While it has moments of greatness, it's bogged down by weird storytelling decisions.

***

next up: Cinemalaya winners and Closing Thoughts.