The last good Filipino film I felt compelled to write and have written was Sakaling Maging Tayo by Jaime Habac Jr. It was unexpectedly good.
Due to the reality of so many to watch, read, and listen – doing film reviews on my blog has taken a break. I opted to write short film reviews that will fit the finite space of Twitter instead. It was my goal at the beginning of 2020.
Yet, for a film made by Filipinos for which came as a pleasant surprise when I watched it, I feel obliged to write my thoughts on it even if its “unpopularity” brims in Twitter as of my random scroll in its early days of showing.
Written by Ricardo Lee, the script is crisp and at times poetic. It does not convince an ideology. Rather, it asks life questions that may be deeply stirring our hearts and minds or may have been hidden in the recesses of our subconscious. Either way, they are questions grounded in our inherent quest and pursuit for meaning.
Aside from its brilliant scriptwriting, the film’s cinematography is a sight to behold. Its choice of shots is intentional that each frame can be likened to a photographer’s portfolio or a well curated Instagram account. The film’s palette and style has a striking resemblance to Sofia Coppola’s Lost in Translation.
The artistic style of gradually unfolding the story through an intertwined panache of subtlety brought by shades to denote the past or present is commendable.
While a stress reliever is typical in most films (international or local), Shaina Magdayao’s candor works. She shines in the film. Alfred Vargas reminds me of any rich guy in most Korean series or movies where the expressions are mostly stoic. For my own taste though, he is not as dreamy as Kim Rae-won (Love Story in Harvard). I was hoping to see more of Agnes’ pain through the eyes or facial expressions of Iza Calzado who portrays her, but, it somehow hides behind her pretty face.
Director, MacArthur Alejandre’s skill in storytelling weaved a film that brought the best in the script that is cradled in the beautiful music by Von De Guzman.
Like its literal English translation, Tagpuan brings us to a place which may be pensively uncharted or commonly described as a love story for most. But, it is also a place of finding one’s identity, a pursuit of passions, where even if the journey’s consequences are far more likely to happen than the impossible dream, the chase for it will be undeterred.
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© rooks 2021
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