A broken door serves as a motif in Giancarlo Abrahan's Sila Sila, in that it signifies an inability to move on, or a refusal to confront and acknowledge closure. Its main characters leave and return like planets in orbit, passing close to each other every so often, but never truly leaving. It's perhaps one of Abrahan's most personal films, and also one of his lightest.
As a slice of life, the film is lush and feels lived in. One feels like these characters are our friends, and we're in on their conversations, privy to some of their most personal thoughts. It's a testament to the film's writing and direction - Abrahan really nails the kind of film he wants to have.
As a character study, the film is solid, even though it feels a bit light compared to his previous two films. It examines how we find comfort in familiarity, how our bonds with someone else tether us to them, and how not moving on - an old fridge left where it is, a door kept broken - is still the best answer.
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Last 2, 3, 4 is perhaps the first Filipino film I've ever seen, short or long, about intercollegiate cheerdance. It portrays the cheerdancer as a student athlete, both struggling with academics, their passion, and their everyday lives. However the conflict isn't as deeply felt as I feel it should be, and it rushes towards a standard conclusion.
Sa Among Agwat is a festival darling, and seeing it for the umpteenth time doesn't take away its emotional power.
Ang Lumunod Sa Atin tries to tie together guilt and trauma with something otherworldly, but it stumbles along the way by overstating its point, missing its cathartic moment thanks to tedium.
There's a clever metafictional technique employed by The Slums that will work on foreign audiences reliant on subtities: it, in addition to the whole film, is commentary on how "poverty porn" is constructed by filmmakers for their own needs, while neglecting to humanize the struggles of the poor they claim to serve.
Sa Gitna ng Lungsod begins with a conversation that wouldn't feel out of place on a contemporary facebook thread or political discussion, placing doubt on experiences felt by others for the sake of a political agenda. But further events, while on the nose, put a hamper on those notions, giving the terror and trauma of the Martial Law era a sense of palpability.
And finally we have Ang Gasgas na Plaka ni Lolo Bert, a sweet tale about an old man who finds companionship (and even love?) in an unlikely place. It's a cute, well-acted, sentimental piece, with just the right amounts of comedy and fuzziness.
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