Cinemalaya 2018: Distance, Pan De Salawal

Perci Intalan's Distance shares many thematic elements with another film that premiered this year, so much so that the two films can be considered companion pieces to each other. But to reveal that film's name is a spoiler in itself, so I will leave it to you to discover. When Liza (Iza Calzado) is visited by her husband (Nonie Buencamino), he is not confrontational; instead, he wants to take her back to the household she left five years ago. The circumstances behind her departure are mysterious, its central mystery slowly unraveling until it bursts, releasing years of heartbreak. It shows a family in the process of mending, still reeling from shockwaves that shook it to its core.  Emotional or physical distance manifests itself as awkward, pregnant silences, meaningful stares and finally, tears. There is also an exploration of identity; in that it asks us, when a family is formed, how does our identity and our individuality change?

The film's craftsmanship is masterful, weaving characters in and out of the frame through clever blocking and camerawork. Its centerpiece is a sequence near the end, where emotions are at their most volatile. In this sequence, we see Liza's family struggling to reconcile anger and love, and offset to the side, we see Liza, isolated and trying to reconnect, slowly being pushed out of the frame. It's buoyed by a terrific ensemble cast; Teri Malvar in particular proves that she is one of her generation's standouts.

Ultimately, love endures, an overriding emotion that lingers despite it all. Liza finds herself perpetually being forgiven by her husband, whose love is stubborn, unshakeable. Love also lingers in Liza's children, both yearning for a return to normalcy amidst dysfunction. The ending feels like a truce - and although true healing will take time, time bridges even the farthest of distances. Character study, family drama and kind-of-romance all in one, Distance maps out the emotional zenith and nadir of a family fractured, trying to be whole once more.

Some may think that Cinemalaya films (or independent films) concern themselves solely with misery, but that is hardly the case; there is a place for gentleness, for light beyond the darkness. So it's kind of refreshing to have Pan De Salawal as the last competition film I saw for this year's Cinemalaya.

The film follows Sal (Bodjie Pascua), a baker whose kidney problem haunts him every day. He then meets Aguy, a spunky child with a strange power: she inflicts pain and heals the sick in return. Aguy follows Sal around and forms a bond with him, healing people along the way. However, for some reason her powers don't work on Sal, and she is uncertain why.

Pan De Salawal is populated by a bunch of quirky and colorful characters with their own hopes and dreams, each with a set of problems that prevents them from attaining that dream. It makes for some seriously cute scenes when needed, and manages to create some genuinely emotionally affecting scenes too.

With such a simple premise and narrative flow, it's fairly lightweight entertainment, full of cheese and schmaltz that it can feel downright mawkish, but Pan De Salawal ends up being so guileless and well-meaning that it really doesn't matter. It's the right amount of detox for a cinematic landscape often filled with misery and toxicity.

***

That ends this year's Cinemalaya competition film coverage, but the film festival isn't over yet. Later, films from the international and exhibition programs of the festival. Stay Tuned.