FEATURE|ANINAW FILM FESTIVAL: A Deep Dive Review

ANINAW FILM FESTIVAL: A Deep Dive Review

Jasmine Bernadette Bembo

Say It Closer

of Kanti Kanti Production

Produced by RJ Loresco

Directed by Angelia Amor Quiming

Screenplay by Jasmine Bernadette Bembo

Genre: Romance

Starring: RJ Loresco as Steven Nel Arcelona as Anthony Vangie Marzan as Anna

Say It Closer is about what it means to be loved and love someone. The story revolves around Steven, who kept his romantic feelings hidden towards Anthony, his best friend who only sees him as a brother and a friend. Despite Steven’s feelings being unrequited, he still cares deeply about Anthony and would support him with everything.

Accountability is what Steven is experiencing towards Anthony, Steven does love and care about him but Steven evolves these feelings into a set of responsibilities he should have. Maybe he was desperate to have Anthony depend on him and make him feel that he is wanted by the person he loves the most. Steven is a tragic character, he only wants to be loved so he did everything for Anthony, and it's affecting Steven a lot. Anthony is the same as him, he wants to be reassured that people can love him and he knows Steven cared for him but it’s not enough, he wants to be loved romantically and even though he sets his eye on Anna, the person that he has been courting for a year, he will never see the efforts that Steven had put towards taking care of Anthony.

Keeping your feelings bottled up can be hard, and it sometimes hurts at some point. We often think that we should have said something, that we should have felt comfortable saying it but Steven is scared, he is scared that Anthony would hate him, and that his best friend would shun him so he kept his feelings to himself. He accepted that he would never be with Anthony as a lover.

So when Steven decides to choose himself for once, Anthony realizes and regrets his actions. Maybe things would be different if Anthony had opened his eyes and realized Steven’s feelings, he would be understanding because Steven is important to him but that didn’t happen. Anthony will regret his actions because he hurt someone important to him, Anthony might overthink all the what-ifs but he will never regret meeting Steven and becoming friends with him.

‘Di Palulupig

of LualuProduction

Produced by James Gasmen

Directed by Ezhra Ferreria

Script Supervised by Johanne Mae Calma

Genre: Political

Starring: Erickson Sevilla as Jefferson James Gasmen as Leo Ezhra Ferreria as Lucy

‘Di Palulupig is about taking a stand among the sea of oppressors. It is a political story but the short film of Lualu Production greatly emphasizes the fighting spirit of people who longed to deliver justice to the tormentors. Jefferson, a person who is blinded by glory and pride by his choice of political candidate was tested by fate, would he succumb to being a slave to an administration that doesn’t think about its people or would he be devastated and forced his eyes to focus on the torment that his leader makes towards his beloved country? Enter Leo, who is angry at those who take advantage of the weak, and Lucy who hates liars, they would help Jefferson see what the present administration really is.

‘Di Palulupig is all about not being neutral for what you stand for, you need to take a side for the tormentors to stop oppressing their victim. This film doesn’t dictate who to choose your political figure is but guides your own decision towards making a safe country that cares for its people, where you wouldn't worry about the price of your food going higher every month, or be afraid of the dark corners of the street, fearing for your safety, or even let the history repeat itself.

Take a stand, that is the message of ‘Di Palulupig, do not be silent, do not be neutral, because once you stop yelling, your voice will not be heard anymore.

Perdona

of Aningao Production

Produced by Jhenyca Gadiana

Directed by Maica Joy Eslao

Screenplay by Joshua Biagtan

Genre: Thriller

Starring: Julia Ursua as Sonya Romeo Rabot as Samuel Zedrick Delos Santos as Danilo

Perdona is a thriller-based film that explores the life of Sonya, a ‘mangkukulam’ who stopped practicing, and Samuel, an ‘albularyo’ helping others with an illness that can’t be explained. But it’s not a simple story where the protagonist has something against an antagonist, Perdona surprised watchers with the storyline, where love, loss, hatred, and redemptions are present.

Movie-watchers were shocked and some nearly teared up at how Sonya did such a thing to the one she loves, she can do anything for the one she loves but her actions have consequences. Sonya loves Danilo, Samuel’s brother. She loved, cared, and she would risk anything just to keep Danilo safe. After years of keeping Danilo under her spell, she knew it was not going to last, her actions had consequences and so, she released him, which also led to another consequence.

Sonya can be swayed by her feelings for Danilo and she knows that she’s wrong, keeping Danilo with her would hurt both of them, however, she just wants to feel loved, to feel accepted. Because of what she and her family are, they were shunned and were the gossip of the town. Sonya wants to feel normal and when she starts liking Danilo since their school days, that was the first time she ever felt normal, she no longer felt like a witch but a normal human being. Despite these, she still uses her skills as a mangkukulam to bewitch Danilo and love her back, she wants to keep what makes her normal closer to her.

Sonya is the most humane person in Perdona. She makes actions that have consequences, she is often misunderstood because of what her family is, she wants to feel loved by the person she loves, and she wants to live a simple and normal life without being the talk of the town. Sonya is very human.

We can be surprised at how many choices have consequences, but that is what life is all about, all our choices and mistakes we make along the way continue to define and teach us life lessons. We often let our feelings sway us and make us reckless at choosing decisions, but that is what makes us, us. We feel, think, and decide, and that is what makes us human.