Broadening Horizons: Seeing Further Than What Meets The Eye by Fatima Villar
This year's Cinemalaya featured 10 short films by young and outstanding film makers. Despite the news that only ten short films and some international independent films were to be featured this year, this did not hinder to pique the interest of people who have long been looking forward to watch Cinemalaya every year or first timers discovering the Philippine's most well-known independent film festival. Fortunate enough, I got the opportunity to watch both Short A and B and generally saying, they are films that are worth the time to watch.
Through the Cinemalaya Campus 2015’s forum themed: Paano Manood ng Pelikula? it helped in
somehow what are films and what are movies. Movies are for the people while
film is for the soul. Film is art while movies are products. Those are just
some of the difference between film and movies. These short films truly lived
to their category as films. Through the medium of the camera and modern technology,
the young filmmakers of this year’s Cinemalaya made the most of their artistry
and creativity with the help of their production team evident in their works.
May it be just an amazing idea that just lighted up their lightbulbs or
something personal and close to their hearts, they have executed their goal
with the best that they can do.
The first movie in the Shorts A category is entitled Apasol which was
about two male lovers who wanted to have and endless day in fear of saying
goodbye. It showed how from their wish to be together for a long time, bounded
by the magic or hope that their love would be as strong as the wishing tree of
other lovers, and their fear to be lost from each other’s arms. Ryanne Murcia,
the director and actor in the movie, showed the feeling of the warm afternoon
that both lovers were making the most of together by photographic sceneries of
the sunset and coast. The boat that speeds from one side to another that El
keeps on looking at his own seems to symbolize his departure from the place
that he and Mark have shared. The last shot wherein a silhouette of both of
them were sitting by the tree, looking at the sunset, watching a boat pass by
showed how Mark and El seem to finally accept that the departure was inevitable
just as the sun sets ending another day. Ryanne Murcia showed simple and
realistic scenes between a farewell of lovers yet he film’s message pulls the
heartstrings of many.
Gatilyo ng Baril was the shortest film in this category. It tells
about the investigation of Ms. Estrella about the case of Carlito Dimahilig who
attempted to end Imelda Marcos. The film was color graded in monochrome which
highlighted the period when the investigation was done. A man who knew the
suspect narrates the last moments he had seen Dimahilig. The lighting showed
the suspense and serious feel that reflects the dark times of after Martial
Law. Since the film is only composed of shots between Ms. Estrella and the
witness and some stock footage during those times, the film’s story was not
that appreciated because the background knowledge of some audiences about the assassination
attempt on Imelda Marcos is not greatly known.
Kenneth Dagatan’s Sanctissima was one of the best yet intriguingly
disturbing short films in this year’s Cinemalaya. Its story revolves around the
everyday life of Marisa who aborts children for a living and the dark secret
that she's keeping after getting rid of the unborn children. The scenes showed
such an eerie feeling and showed realistic bloody and quite morbid scenes. Even
though for some it is hard to watch such scenes, the way each scene is
composed: from the set, framing, cinematography, and acting of the actors,
overall it is a film that shows great artistry. Sanctissima possesses great production design that should be given recognition for.
The short film Kyel was a short film that is quite hard to understand. Majority of the film shows a man who seems to be dealing with issues that are unclear whether it was of heartache or other problems. Despite the story itself unclear maybe because of untrained eyes or lack of understanding the artistic way of Arvin Belarmino in making his film, the feeling that he wants to convey in the film is no doubt spot on. Belarmino highlights the subject through a centered lighting of the man therefore leaving the rest of the room dark and only giving hints that he is inside his small home. The loneliness of the man relevantly showed through his lack of house necessities. Only a couch where he sits majority of the film and some highlights of other basic home necessities. He talks to Rona asking different things: from saying how he loves Rona to just blatantly cursing the other person on the line. The man does what he think would let him forget about his troubles from smoking drugs to even inhaling a crushed katol which is normally used as a mosquito repellent. The ending gives an even more confusing thought to what really is going on for the man who was thought of as Kyel was actually the a different man. Even though the acting and lighting was good, this film is just confusing leading to many theories of what the director wants to say. Like a piece of art, there are pieces that needs to be explained.
Milo Tolentino, who also directed Andong, created once again a warm short film entitled Nenok. Here he shows his style of being comical and shots that seem to follow the lead as if the audience walk with him. Once again uses a child actor as a lead which is actually a heartwarming end to the Shorts A category. Nenok is an orphaned child that sleeps in the compound of the Barasoain Church. He just wanders off around the church like it is his playround and a playful “catch me if you can” with the groundskeeper of the parish, Mang Johnny. No lines were really thrown by the actors but their acting is enough to see the comic, heart aching and heart-warming moments of the little boy. Tolentino’s use of speech bubbles in letting the audience know what the statues or figures at the church feel as mischievous Nenok goes around the church makes the film look warm and comical which seems to reflect how the audience also feel.
The Shorts B category as opened by the film Lisyun Qng Geografia
(Geography Lessons) which is a personal favorite. Petersen Vargas features in
his 20 minute film the friendship of the two once closest friends Tib and Tric.
As Tib stumbles upon an old map, he walks down the memory lane of his past
friendship with his closest friend. Tib reminisces at the places and things
they have done remembering once again the bittersweet memories. The flashbacks of
their younger self make the film more relatable because everyone would have
that person they have lost. Vargas features his mother tongue which makes helps
in saying that there is more to the Filipino language other than Tagalog: like
it says to return to where you came from. The shots in the film look like it
came from a professional photography collection book with shots dramatizing the
scene. The way the actors are framed and the simple gestures which seem to
speak louder than words itself makes Petersen Vargas’ Lisyun Qng Geografia a film
to be a watched by Filipino millennials.
Angelie Mae Macalanda’s Wawa shows the stages that people undergo
when they encounter with a loss of someone. The setting where it was taken is
noticeably challenging since they have to shoot at a river bank and the
mountains. The shots were generally good, specially were they establish the
area, although some let to a bit of confusion as to wear to focus when it came
to scenes with people in them. The factors showed good emotions showing the
loss that they feel. Sadly, the editing of the ending was confusing because it
seemed to be out of place and seem to belong in the middle.
Mater was one curiously intriguing short films. A silent film
featuring a mother and daughter, the no dialogue seems to add to the constraint
of their relationship. As a mother devotes herself to her religion, she has
abandoned her love for her daughter therefore leading to the self-destruction
of the daughter by her resulting to vices. It showed good cinematography and
symbolisms like the space between the mother and daughter at the living room. As
the daughter sits on the left side, the mother walks to the far right towards
her altar making a quick prayer before leaving the house without even
acknowledging her daughter. The snake at the bottom part of the frame seems to
signify the evil that slowly creeps in the heart of the daughter leading to
destruction.
Love knows no boundaries. This is what Pusong Bato by Martika
Ramire Escobar sends through her film. Cinta Dela Cruz, a faded actress from
the 70’s, gets hit by a heart-shaped rock during an earthquake. From then on
she slowly grows an attraction to the rock. The heart-shaped rock seems to
signify more than just what it is. It seems that it is her love as a movie actress that she can never seem to let go because her home is filled with VHS tapes of the old days. The script is witty and entertaining and the amazing acting Mailes Kanapi adds to the wholeness of the film. This film's lighting and production design was also spot on.
Despite it shortness in length, in 5 minutes and 44 seconds, Darwin Novicio surely delivered an impact in his film Papetir. In just a short span of time, he was able to tell the story of a ventriloquist who performs in a children's party but then is being haunted by his past through his puppet. The conflict within him between his life and his work clashes during his performance slowly eating him up because of his guilty conscience. Novicio's casting a real ventriloquist, Ruther Urquia, adds to the authenticity of the film in showing the life on a ventriloquist. The film's realistic portrayal and shots gives off that what the audience see is not some fictional story but reality.
Approaching on how to truly watch a film or movie has gone from simply watching to attentively seeing every element each film possesses. Such elements add meaning to the message of the director or writer. But also, one must know to be critical for there are also some things that are not meant to be put meaning to by the director but the audience beg to differ according to their interpretation. Through years of enhancing such lessons, one could grow to a more critical and appreciative audience of film. As the theme of this year's Cinemalaya goes: "Broadening Horizons", let each see further what only meets the eye but see deeper to the elements of film itself from culture, to feeling, and beyond.
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