YR 47 Issue 1 2011
Faces
Cinemalaya 2011
(New Breed Category)
(New Breed Category)
By KRISTINE ELIZABETH B. DIHIANSAN
Ang sayaw ng dalawang kaliwang paa
Weaving dance, music, and poetry in seamless transition
THE BEAUTY of poetry titillates not only the intellect but also the physical senses. More than any other form of art, poetry has the capability to effectively bridge the gap among other forms such as dance and music, in order to showcase a better interplay of artistic elements that may transcend the universal and the common.
Intersecting between written and performance art while showcasing clear lines between feminism and homosexuality, Ang Sayaw ng Dalawang Kaliwang Paa (The Dance of Two Left Feet) diverges from the overrated gay-themed romance plots and focuses on how poems, as a form of art with its ambiguous defi nitions, foster human relations From director-writer Alvin Yapan and executi ve producer Alemberg Ang, this cutti ng-edge fi lm transports the viewers from a local phenomenon scene to an imperfectly bizarre form of reality. Starring Jean Garcia (Karen), Paulo Avelino (Marlon), and Rocco Nacino (Dennis), the triumvirate got
their fair share of the spotlight as they depicted the role of a modern independent feminist, laid-back college guy, and ti mid unprofessed gay in the movie, respectively.
In the movie, Marlon has a crush on his Literature professor, Karen. But his poor performance in class makes him feel inferior and unworthy for her. He soon fi nds out that Karen works part-ti me as a choreographer. To make up for his poor performance in class and as well as to impress her, he hired his classmate, Dennis, who works under Karen as assistant choreographer, to teach him how to dance before he formally enrols in her class. As the story progresses, Marlon begins to appreciate the poems taught in their class as they proved to play signifi cant roles in their lives.
Selected poems by renowned feminist poets Rebecca Annonuevo, Benilda Santos, Merlinda Bobis, Joi Barrios, Ruth Elynia Mabanglo, and Ophelia Dimalanta were introduced at random sequence. Few were included in conversati ons; others were incorporated into ethnic and modern music, while some were performed into epic, classical, and modern dances. Certain verses transcended literary text and were channelled into human emoti ons. An example is when Dennis was dancing to a slow beat of Joi Barrios’ poem adapted along with the musical score Paglisan, when his longing for Marlon’s att enti on remained unreciprocated.
Weaving literature, music, and dance altogether, the movie created a reality that reaches to the present generation and speaks about volumes of love and admirati on in hushed tones, whoever the giver and the receiver may be. As preceded by the poems, the relentless talk of departure is also one of the main ideas of the movie. Here, Karen is depicted as a woman who always leaves something back to her students despite the pain brought by the fl eeti ng nature of her profession.
Good cinematography and soothing soundtrack caused the fi lm to arouse poignancy among viewers, with the latter suddenly getting entrenched in the world of art. Meanwhile, the character’s exchange of witty remarks and body language serve as icebreakers to the already deep and sublime storyline brought by the bulk of poeti c materials incorporated in the fi lm. Even if there is a subtle love story in the film, obscene acts were kept at bay. The fi lm manifests the true beauty of the odd, unconventi onal, and rare with a storyline that perfectly weaves the three diff erent art forms in a seamless and smooth transiti on.
However, its downside comes with the complicated plot it possesses. Some parts of the movie are dragging, with viewers tending to shut their eyes off in some dancing scenes. Certain scenes also confuse the viewers as they leave the audience in doubt about the real score behind the fi lm. An open-ended fi nale also adds up to the mystery, giving viewers a chance to speculate on their own on how the story will progress.
The movie is a perfect manifestati on of poetry in moti on. However, poems evoke multi ple meanings to people with opposing views.
With these things, Ang Sayaw ng Dalawang Kaliwang Paa is successful in putti ng its best foot forward, showing that the language of the body and mind transcends through the soul to nurture itself.
i-Libings
Connecting the living and the dead through modern technology
WITH the age of digital communication, bridging families across the diff erent parts of the globe is made possible. Rommel Sales’ I-Libings gives a concrete manifestation on how the absence of family members in times of bereavement has always been accounted for while focusing the spotlight on the person who died. In this movie, the ones responsible for documenting such events were a group of people who records a slice of life in the midst of a death event. This light-hearted comedy film shows that there is fortune gained out of loss, humour in sorrow, and realizati ons about one’s own life in the midst of these circumstances.
Starring Glaiza de Castro (Isabel Fabros), the movie shows strong family ti es and unity among its members in facing death. As shown in the movie, this value is manifested through technology that transcends demographic boundaries.
Isabel is a student having her 200-hour internship in a photo video company that specializes in covering funerals. For someone aspiring to be part of a movie producti on team, she was skepti cal about the job. As she was slowly completi ng her internship’s required number of hours, she was able to make friends with other people in the company. She was able to realize that covering funerals is not just about making money but a medium wherein far-fl ung relati ves can be united. She realized the need to do bett er despite the company’s lack of high-end equipment. Not only that her skills in taking videos were maximized, but also the guts to endure things she was not accustomed to like exaggerated eulogies and riding in funeral cars. As she took these all in stride, she soon found herself face-to-face with a family tragedy, to which she boldly applied what she learned and realized about life and death
The storyline of the movie is actually a refl ecti on of reality. E-burol service nowadays, originally marketed for Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) who could not make it to the funeral of their family member, is becoming a trend. It does not come by surprise that the concept of I-Libings was born out of inspirati on from this service. The role of technology is criti cal. Fostering ti es between families is one of its many good uses. This did justi ce to Isabel’s mom, Mely, (portrayed by Louella De Cordova) who benefi tt ed from it when their family faced the inevitable tragedy. Also, usually common were grieving people but Sales shunned away from the ordinary as he focused more on the undermined aspect of funerals— the eulogy, the speech utt ered as a tribute for the deceased. Unfolding before Isabel’s eyes were overrated eulogies that seem to amuse more than to praise the dead. This happens in real life. When someone dies, suddenly the name is immediately cleared of countless misdeeds on earth, to be replaced with saintly virtues the dead committ ed while he was sti ll alive. Sales did a good job in showing parodies of eulogy in the fi lm. Being a naturally cynical person, Isabel dared to contradict the phenomenon and left a lasti ng message to movie viewers, making her character stand out from the rest.
The story is unique but the way the movie runs in a gradual linear manner made it quite boring—at least in its first 30 minutes. The story has a slow start, progresses only during the middle part of the movie, and arrives at a climax just when the movie nears its end. Certain movie scenes are also not necessarily needed, making its few parts awkward to watch. However, keeping track of the movie just to witness its out-of-the-ordinary conclusion is a sweet reward viewers can indulge into. It is successful in evoking a thought in the viewers’ subconscious about the present practice of delivering eulogies in a comical yet impactful manner.
Weaving dance, music, and poetry in seamless transition
THE BEAUTY of poetry titillates not only the intellect but also the physical senses. More than any other form of art, poetry has the capability to effectively bridge the gap among other forms such as dance and music, in order to showcase a better interplay of artistic elements that may transcend the universal and the common.
Intersecting between written and performance art while showcasing clear lines between feminism and homosexuality, Ang Sayaw ng Dalawang Kaliwang Paa (The Dance of Two Left Feet) diverges from the overrated gay-themed romance plots and focuses on how poems, as a form of art with its ambiguous defi nitions, foster human relations From director-writer Alvin Yapan and executi ve producer Alemberg Ang, this cutti ng-edge fi lm transports the viewers from a local phenomenon scene to an imperfectly bizarre form of reality. Starring Jean Garcia (Karen), Paulo Avelino (Marlon), and Rocco Nacino (Dennis), the triumvirate got
their fair share of the spotlight as they depicted the role of a modern independent feminist, laid-back college guy, and ti mid unprofessed gay in the movie, respectively.
In the movie, Marlon has a crush on his Literature professor, Karen. But his poor performance in class makes him feel inferior and unworthy for her. He soon fi nds out that Karen works part-ti me as a choreographer. To make up for his poor performance in class and as well as to impress her, he hired his classmate, Dennis, who works under Karen as assistant choreographer, to teach him how to dance before he formally enrols in her class. As the story progresses, Marlon begins to appreciate the poems taught in their class as they proved to play signifi cant roles in their lives.
Selected poems by renowned feminist poets Rebecca Annonuevo, Benilda Santos, Merlinda Bobis, Joi Barrios, Ruth Elynia Mabanglo, and Ophelia Dimalanta were introduced at random sequence. Few were included in conversati ons; others were incorporated into ethnic and modern music, while some were performed into epic, classical, and modern dances. Certain verses transcended literary text and were channelled into human emoti ons. An example is when Dennis was dancing to a slow beat of Joi Barrios’ poem adapted along with the musical score Paglisan, when his longing for Marlon’s att enti on remained unreciprocated.
Weaving literature, music, and dance altogether, the movie created a reality that reaches to the present generation and speaks about volumes of love and admirati on in hushed tones, whoever the giver and the receiver may be. As preceded by the poems, the relentless talk of departure is also one of the main ideas of the movie. Here, Karen is depicted as a woman who always leaves something back to her students despite the pain brought by the fl eeti ng nature of her profession.
Good cinematography and soothing soundtrack caused the fi lm to arouse poignancy among viewers, with the latter suddenly getting entrenched in the world of art. Meanwhile, the character’s exchange of witty remarks and body language serve as icebreakers to the already deep and sublime storyline brought by the bulk of poeti c materials incorporated in the fi lm. Even if there is a subtle love story in the film, obscene acts were kept at bay. The fi lm manifests the true beauty of the odd, unconventi onal, and rare with a storyline that perfectly weaves the three diff erent art forms in a seamless and smooth transiti on.
However, its downside comes with the complicated plot it possesses. Some parts of the movie are dragging, with viewers tending to shut their eyes off in some dancing scenes. Certain scenes also confuse the viewers as they leave the audience in doubt about the real score behind the fi lm. An open-ended fi nale also adds up to the mystery, giving viewers a chance to speculate on their own on how the story will progress.
The movie is a perfect manifestati on of poetry in moti on. However, poems evoke multi ple meanings to people with opposing views.
With these things, Ang Sayaw ng Dalawang Kaliwang Paa is successful in putti ng its best foot forward, showing that the language of the body and mind transcends through the soul to nurture itself.
i-Libings
Connecting the living and the dead through modern technology
WITH the age of digital communication, bridging families across the diff erent parts of the globe is made possible. Rommel Sales’ I-Libings gives a concrete manifestation on how the absence of family members in times of bereavement has always been accounted for while focusing the spotlight on the person who died. In this movie, the ones responsible for documenting such events were a group of people who records a slice of life in the midst of a death event. This light-hearted comedy film shows that there is fortune gained out of loss, humour in sorrow, and realizati ons about one’s own life in the midst of these circumstances.
Starring Glaiza de Castro (Isabel Fabros), the movie shows strong family ti es and unity among its members in facing death. As shown in the movie, this value is manifested through technology that transcends demographic boundaries.
Isabel is a student having her 200-hour internship in a photo video company that specializes in covering funerals. For someone aspiring to be part of a movie producti on team, she was skepti cal about the job. As she was slowly completi ng her internship’s required number of hours, she was able to make friends with other people in the company. She was able to realize that covering funerals is not just about making money but a medium wherein far-fl ung relati ves can be united. She realized the need to do bett er despite the company’s lack of high-end equipment. Not only that her skills in taking videos were maximized, but also the guts to endure things she was not accustomed to like exaggerated eulogies and riding in funeral cars. As she took these all in stride, she soon found herself face-to-face with a family tragedy, to which she boldly applied what she learned and realized about life and death
The storyline of the movie is actually a refl ecti on of reality. E-burol service nowadays, originally marketed for Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) who could not make it to the funeral of their family member, is becoming a trend. It does not come by surprise that the concept of I-Libings was born out of inspirati on from this service. The role of technology is criti cal. Fostering ti es between families is one of its many good uses. This did justi ce to Isabel’s mom, Mely, (portrayed by Louella De Cordova) who benefi tt ed from it when their family faced the inevitable tragedy. Also, usually common were grieving people but Sales shunned away from the ordinary as he focused more on the undermined aspect of funerals— the eulogy, the speech utt ered as a tribute for the deceased. Unfolding before Isabel’s eyes were overrated eulogies that seem to amuse more than to praise the dead. This happens in real life. When someone dies, suddenly the name is immediately cleared of countless misdeeds on earth, to be replaced with saintly virtues the dead committ ed while he was sti ll alive. Sales did a good job in showing parodies of eulogy in the fi lm. Being a naturally cynical person, Isabel dared to contradict the phenomenon and left a lasti ng message to movie viewers, making her character stand out from the rest.
The story is unique but the way the movie runs in a gradual linear manner made it quite boring—at least in its first 30 minutes. The story has a slow start, progresses only during the middle part of the movie, and arrives at a climax just when the movie nears its end. Certain movie scenes are also not necessarily needed, making its few parts awkward to watch. However, keeping track of the movie just to witness its out-of-the-ordinary conclusion is a sweet reward viewers can indulge into. It is successful in evoking a thought in the viewers’ subconscious about the present practice of delivering eulogies in a comical yet impactful manner.
Year 47 | Issue 1 | 2011
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