New Breed Full-Length: Ang Nawawala (What Isn’t There)
directed by
Marrieta Jamora
Plot
Gibson, being fetched by his elder sister at the airport,
returns to Manila after staying in abroad for ten (10) years. He still could not speak after the long
time. He would travel a lot just to be
away from that house but there was nothing he could do for it is his real
home. Gibson’s mother never changed from
the moment they last saw each other for she was still strict to Promise, his
younger sister, to concentrate on her studies.
His father still fronts the delight in him even though a conflict
between him and his wife continues to arouse.
From all the stress in the family, Gibson’s childhood friend, Teddy,
came to the rescue. They went to an art
exhibit where Teddy made his moves to this girl that soon will be moved by
Gibson’s life and love for music. Enid
was the girl that Gibson surprisingly liked because when she was told that he
cannot talk, she did not say a word and Gibson was overwhelmed. In between these scenes, Gibson’s childhood
was shown running in the field with his twin brother that he usually has
dialogues with through having a soothing feel.
As Gibson and Enid get closer to each other, I can say that they have a mutual
feeling for they enjoy each other’s company, their taste in music is the same,
and in short they make each other happy.
Gibson shared the videos that he made to Enid that he only kept for
himself. Gibson bought Enid a gift and
in return, Enid made a website especially for Gibson’s videos to be recognized. Love was given and received. Gibson’s childhood continues to reminisce as
the twins enjoy the moment.
Enid, who just gotten from a break up, has feelings for Gibson but
there was something left in her that wanted to give her ex a second
chance. After a number of years, Gibson
finally talked and said “I kinda love you” to Enid and it struck her but he had
nothing to stop her. Gibson visits his
twin and came with the realizations and what ifs for everything that happened.
It was New Year’s Eve where chit chats, laughter, fireworks were
present except for Gibson’s mother.
Gibson went to fetch his mother in her room and just by looking at her,
he cried. Gibson’s mother asked who was,
and that was the only moment that Gibson answered her after the accident that
caused his twin brother’s death.
Gibson, who was
portrayed by Dominic Roco, was not able to talk since he was ten (10) years old
because his twin brother Jamie died in front of him and he thinks that he is
the reason behind it. He also ponders
that he should have died since Jamie was the favorite one. Even though Gibson is the main character in
the movie, I also liked how Jamie, portrayed by Felix Roco, exposed the
relationship between him and his twin.
The film is not focused
on the love story but more on the problem within the family and Gibson trying
to accept the fact that he was the reason behind all of these. The movie was very touching especially the
last part where Gibson’s mother was awaken by Gibson’s reply to her.
Director Showcase: Bwakaw
directed by Jun Robles Lana
Bwakaw is such a
heartwarming movie for it displays the affection and relationship of friends;
best friends. Rene is an old man who is
ready to die and leave everything that he has to his friends. All of his relatives are in other countries
that is why he is alone and very thankful for Bwakaw. Bwakaw is the stray dog that Rene found and
loved so well. But when he found out
that Bwakaw has an illness, there he realized how important his pet to
him.
Through the help
of Sol, the tricycle driver who at first despised Rene and his dog in riding
his tricycle, Bwakaw was able to be checked by different veterinarians and
these were the moment where Rene starts to develop his feelings for him. Momentarily, they became close where it came
to the point that Sol visits Rene’s house by fixing some appliances and when
Rene pecked the drunken Sol, that was where their friendship ended for all the
awkwardness.
After some time,
Bwakaw was not able to hold on anymore and died by his mentor’s side. It is understandable why Rene is known for
his grumpiness because he did not really have a family by his side and living
alone is such a lonesome experience.
In camera
overview, the part where Bwakaw stayed at the veterinarian’s clinic to be
checked and Rene walked and went home alone.
The view of the camera was tilted down just like the view of Bwakaw,
being left behind. The sadness on that
part was coming from the mentor and the reason behind it, which is missing
Bwakaw. Another part was the last scene
where Rene fixed his house to look live a livable and normal one. A long shot was taken when he was walking
down a long road and it slowly zooms out.
The lighting and
color of the film was mostly light and used available light. Rene and Bwakaw were always together that is
why their shadows were composed side by side.
Some mise en scenes were used also in the movie. The house where Rene lives is parallel to his
own lifestyle. He was ready to die that
was why his house was almost empty and everything was packed already but when
Bwakaw died and he came to the realization that he is still alive, he fixed and
unpacked his belongings and made his house a livable and welcoming one. Another mise en scene was the Santo Entierro that is placed on Rene’s bed, lying beside him every night. This Santo was told to be get bigger and bigger as the time goes by and its meaning is also to heal those who are in deep faith.
We should not
waste our lives on waiting for something to happen, what we must do is to just
cherish the moment that we have at the moment and live in it because it will
never come again just for us to relish it once again.
- Alex Tan, ABMC 202A
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