This month of September, 2013, in
gratitude to the 12 most accomplished and celebrated film directors in the
Philippines who showcased their latest films in this year’s Sineng Pambansa Festival (National Film Festival) 2013 dubbed All Master’s Edition, I will be writing a
series of review of the films I will be able to watch. I hope that my review
will give justice to the greatness of these maestros who for a long time have
been making quality films that catapulted a lot of our great actors to stardom,
making even some Filipino films internationally acclaimed.
First Film: Review for the film Sonata
Starring: Cherie Gil, Chino Jalandoni, Richard Gomez (in a cameo role)
Written by: Wanggo Gallaga
Produced by: Film Development Council of the Philippines, Myownmann
Directed by: Peque Gallaga and Lore Reyes
My Review:
Sonata is a heart-warming, touching and lyrical film that
slowly takes you into the world of an unlikely friendship bound by pain and the
inevitabilities in life culminating in a crescendo of hope and the will to sing
once again a song about life!
About the film
After losing her voice that once was a vehicle to fame and glory in the
world of the opera, Regina Cadena (Cherie Gil) retreated into the place where
she grew up, in a hacienda in Bacolod, drowning her pain and sorrow with
alcohol, until a boy who suffers from the pain of a broken home came to her rescue.
It is this encounter of two struggling souls that brought the drama and the
comedy of life into the screen and invite the viewers to journey with them as
they try to make sense of who they are and find the meaning of their existence.
And the result is a melodic exchange of wisdom between an innocent and curious
boy and an experienced adult punctuated by the sobering and soul-penetrating
music all throughout the film. Even the local Hiligaynon lullaby Ili, Ili Tulog Anay, finds its rightful place in the film,
captivating the audience with its simple, yet profound message of comfort by a
mother to her child (or could be a father’s, too!).
Cherie Gil, on one hand, gives the performance of her life as the
fallen opera star who tries to cope with it, battling with depression for the
fame gone and a lover she could never have. Her soul-baring performance in this
film is unforgettable, more than her contrabida role in Bituing Walang Ningning where her “copycat” line is etched forever
in our memory.
Jonjon (Chino Jalandoni), on the other hand, gives a knock-out
performance as a boy who, estranged from his father, struggles to adapt himself
to his mother’s native place as he tries to convince his friend that he is more
of an Ilonggo speaker than Tagalog. His conversation with Regina, either in
Ilonggo or Tagalog or English, sounds effortless. I see the potential of this
child as the next Joel Torre (I learned that he is Joel’s grandnephew) in the Philippine cinema, if
given the opportunity and the right project.
Regina and Jonjon have this magical presence on screen when they are
together. The scene when Regina was playing the piano and Jonjon was looking at
her through the banisters of the stairs showing some appreciation of the music
was a sight to behold! And there are more scenes that allow us to see how
special their friendship is. Jonjon’s playfulness is absolutely contrasted by
the seriousness of Regina. And I think that it is this contrast that makes
their relationship magical. It is this magic between them that enables me to
follow their story as it unfolds and ends with heart-rending performance of the
main and supporting actors. They take us slowly into their world like a
symphony, and once you are in, you lose the sense of time until that climactic
ending brings you back to where you were, only to find out afterwards that you
have actually seen with clarity that place for the first time.
The risks involved in the film
Having only a couple of known stars in a film is, indeed, a risk for
the producers and the directors given the idolizing culture of the public
viewers. It would be interesting to see how it will do in the box office. There
were only 3 of us watching this film in SM Manila around 9:00 pm last Sept. 12!
Even more risky is using a local language aside from Tagalog as a major
language, in this case, Ilonggo, because you have to have sub-titles. But it is
a risk worth-taking. Sonata is a proof of it. With a simple plot, few
known stars (with the special participation of another great actor Richard
Gomez) and more new local native speakers, and shot in a location that boasts
itself of its natural wonders in broad daylight and the deafening quiet,
star-filled sky at night, an inspiring film that for me can be a good candidate
for Best Foreign Film in Oscar is created. It actually reminded me of a
Peruvian film La Teta Asustada, one of the five finalists
in this category for 2010 (or 2011). In a broad stroke, Sonata is an Obra Maestra that looks deeply into the life of an individual who
is caught in the strong current of emotional crisis: she either has to sink or
swim against the current to reclaim the life she deserves to have. All of us
have this moment. Sonata teaches us to choose and do the latter. As Regina says
to Jonjon/Don Giovanni after losing in a baseball game: “When you lose a game,
you can play again.”
My heartfelt congratulations to Peque Gallaga and Lore Reyes, who I
believe are among our maestros in the film industry. Here, their giftedness
brightly shines through the good performance of the actors, the awesome
cinematography, the simple yet profound dealing with the theme, and the
intelligent exploration of the ability of a human being to bounce back from the
rock bottom and find triumph in friendship and love from the people around him/her.
In this film, they venture to show the viewing public that the Sonata in
life continues to play even when one stops singing, hoping that one day one’s
heart will be open to listen to it and embrace the beauty and the magic it
brings. Thanks to the great musical director Emerzon Exon and sound designer
Mike Idioma for a display of such ingenuity in music and sound that make the
film even more poetic.
Sonata
is, in my humble opinion, a cinematic surprise, and I am so proud for the
directors and actors who made the film, as its title suggests, an Opus in the Philippine cinema. I
recommend this film to all Filipinos who have been hungry for a quality film
for quite some time. Here is our chance to experience a cinematic magic that
will surely warm our heart and make us sing our own Sonata in life again and again.
My rating for this film: 4 ½ stars!
