A Beautiful Friendship in a Sleepless City

I'm not a hater of Philippine cinema. I understand in a certain sense how the industry works, and I have never lost hope in the potential of our auteurs to produce films we can be proud of. But to be frank, it is rare for me to find a trailer for a local movie that I would want to spend my money on. Sleepless is different. From the first time I saw the trailer for this movie, I've always wanted to see this film, and I finally did.

     Sleepless is a story about two kindred spirits: Gem, played by Glaiza de Castro and Barry, played by Dominic Roco. The two met when the latter was hired in the call center agency where Gem works. And unlike other romantic comedies, there was no "kilig moment", no pick up lines or cheesy dialogue. They were introduced to each other casually. Just like that. But despite that, you can feel their chemistry even with just the non verbal way they communicated.

     Aside from working at the same dead-end job, and living in the same apartment building (what are chances, right?), the two has some other thing in common. They are sleepless. They both lie in bed until daybreak, staring at the ceiling, waiting to fall asleep, but they couldn't. Insomniacs, that's what they are. And from there, their connection began to blossom.

An Urban Painting

     The film is too beautiful for me to summarize the plot here, so I'll just give a review and few points of what you can expect from this movie, then let you watch and enjoy it on your own once it pops up again in some film festival or exhibit, which I'm sure it will. Despite being the first full feature outing by director Prime Cruz, the movie is a masterpiece on its own. From the cinematography, to the lighting, to production design, and the music, most especially the music; everything is a true work of art.
     Manila lends itself as a supporting character in this movie. Tey Clamor, the director of photography, captures the loneliness and isolation brought by the city with its breathtaking pictures of the Manila skyline. I just found myself mesmerized by the beautiful shots of the Ortigas landscape, the crowded trains of MRT, and the busy interiors of call-center offices.

Effortless Chemistry

     The actors's performance brings to life relatable characters that you seldom see in a movie that labels itself as a romantic-comedy. (As a matter of fact, I would not to call this movie a rom-com, or a romantic movie for that matter. Something to address later.)

     Glaiza de Castro and Dominic Roco are perfect for their roles. I was surprised with Roco's performance who managed to bring out a wide spectrum of emotions even on scenes where he doesn't utter a single word. And of course, Glaiza de Castro, one of my favorite actresses of today, never fails to bring out her best. From the very first scene, her face conveys so many unspoken problems, so many hidden frustrations, that even though she doesn't speak about any of those, you can certainly feel that they're there, waiting to burst out.
     One of the unforgettable scenes in the movie was during the third act when the source of Gem's ever present heartache is revealed, and she explains her side; on why she chooses to stick in a loveless, pointless relationship with Vince, played by TJ Trinidad. The sadness in her eyes as she keeps herself from crying melted me on my seat. During that scene, as Barry tells her how beautiful she is, Charles Bukowsky's words came to my mind, "we accept the love we think we deserve", and I understood why she is where she is.

Electronic Ambience

     Any emotion brought by the cinematography and the actors' performance is then amplified by the electronic pop-inspired musical score. Being an indie production, I'm not expecting them to bring in mainstream music to carry their scenes but what they got as an alternative was perfect. At the end of the movie, as I was delighted to hear a new set of music that I've never heard before. As a matter of fact, I immediately downloaded B.P. Valenzuela's album from iTunes, in which two songs appear in the movie, Early/Late and Steady.

Subverting Romance

     I know I will be having a hard time describing this movie to my friends. It's easy to call it a romantic film, but it's not. It's a story of friendship, of connections, of bond. Sleepless is about intimacy without treading the cliche of romance. The movie proves that anyone can form a bond with someone without being lovers. During the final act, while they are hanging out at a Mini Stop store, instead of sharing a final kiss as we are expect to see, they share something else, something greater, something deeper, which I'm sure audiences will be talking about after watching the film.

A Must See

Overall, this for me is one of the best local movies for 2015. It belongs up there with Heneral Luna and Honor Thy Father. This shows that movies don't need an expensive cast or a big budget to touch people's hearts. It just needs a heart of its own.

You can watch the trailer here:

And visit its Facebook page at facebook.com/filmsleepless. Sleepless will be featured next on DLSU's Freedom Film Festival on February 6.

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Perfect Love Story

This is my perfect love story.

We meet while I am having a summer vacation in Puerto Princesa. Or maybe Boracay. Or Pagudpud. Or Baler. You are visiting your family. Or maybe you are taking a break with your friends. Or colleagues. We are in a restaurant, a cafe, and I am ordering a drink or a meal, and you are doing the same. We catch a glimpse at each other, and at that instantaneous moment, we both know. We are meant to be.

The world stops spinning. But only in our heads, because everyone around us continue moving. Yet, we don't care. Time stands still, and all I see is you. I smile, and you catch yourself smiling back. You break your stare and blush. Time starts moving again.

From that moment on, I couldn't stop looking your way. Yet you keep avoiding my eyes. Of course you will. You are a proud woman, you're not cheap, you're not easy to get. You stand up and excuse yourself. You say you are not feeling well and you start walking back to your cottage. I stand up and walk behind you.

I catch your arm as you are walking. Or maybe I call you out. You look behind and you see me, and you feel butterflies in your stomach. But of course you hide it with a poker face. I greet at you, you greet me back. I ask for your name, and you ask why. I tell you that you are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen, and I ask if is it OK for you that we become friends. You blush and you turn away.

And then you turn back again. You face me, and you tell me your name. Cristina. Katherine. Or is it Christine? Or maybe Catherine with a 'C'. Or Kathryn. You say, sure, we can be friends. I smile again, with the happiest grin I can conjure.

We spend the rest of the weekend hanging out. At the beach. At the marina. We would buy fruits from a vendor. And some souvenirs. You tell me you work for a TelCo back in Makati. Or BGC. You're in I.T., I tell you I am too. We share stories about our line of work. About our frustrations with our bosses. About our dreams, our goals. You tell me you want to work abroad, I tell you I want to study further. Or maybe teach. We both say we don't know what the future holds, but whatever that is, we will welcome it with open arms.

We exchange numbers. Or Facebook accounts. Or Twitter. We promise each other we keep in touch when we return to Manila. You say goodbye, I say see you soon. We part ways.

And then I text you once I get back. Or send you a private message. I ask you how are you doing, you say fine. I ask you out for  dinner. You say you'll look into it. I insist. You say yes.

Then we start dating. And after a few weeks, or maybe a month, maybe two months, I tell you the words I've been meaning to say since the day we met. The words I kept to myself because I know you wouldn't believe me. I know I have to prove myself to you. I know that action should come first before the words, and now that I've done my part, I am ready to tell you what I feel.

I say I love you. You say you love me too.

This is my perfect love story.

But it's not true. It's fantasy.

The real love story is less romantic.

We worked together in an I.T. company. I came from a five-year hiatus on love, and you were in a rocky relationship. You would always cry and rant about your ass-hole of a boyfriend, and I would always listen. One, because we are friends; and two, because I like you more than as a friend. I asked you out for a couple of drinks, you agreed. We went to a bar somewhere in Burgos, and you drank your problems away.

We didn't know what we were doing. Or maybe we did. Maybe I did, and I manipulated you into it. Or maybe it was you who manipulated me. I really don't know. But one thing's for sure, we shared a moment of sin that night afterwards, and our relationship was never the same again.

You grew afraid. Of course you did. You told me you love your boyfriend, that it was him you wanted to spend the rest of your life with. But you cheated on him. With me. I told you you don't deserve him. That you should pick me. I told you I love you. You said you don't know what you feel about me. You said we should stop seeing each other.

But we never did.

We kept on it. We were enjoying it. Every time, we promised ourselves that would be the last. And every time we saw each other again we break that promise. But no secret lives forever. Eventually your boyfriend found out, he dumped you and I got a black-eye and a broken nose.

And so begun us.

What I thought to be love, turned out to be something else. What we thought was happy, turned out to be misery. You turned to hate me. You would rant about every little thing I do, and I would be jealous with every man you hang out with. Why wouldn't I? You cheated with your previous boyfriend, how can I be sure you wouldn't do the same with me?

But we grew dependent. No matter how much we loathe one another, how much I hated your voice, or how much you hated my cooking, we learned to tolerate each other. We were so different, how could I not see that before. You hate the things I love and I hate the things you enjoy. We would talk about something, and that talk will turn into an argument, and that argument will turn to shouting, to cursing, and to tossing our phones onto the walls.

We should have ended it. I knew I should have, you knew you should have. But you were afraid you would never find someone who could tolerate you, and I was afraid of being alone. So we ignore all our friend's advice. And now here we are.

I look at you as you walk down the aisle. You are crying, I can see that beneath the veil. I am close to tears too. We both don't want to do this, but we already told each other we have no choice. This is a mistake, but we both agreed to commit to it. Not because we love each other, but because there is nothing more we can do.

This is not a perfect love story. Those kind are rare, and most only happen in the pages of a romantic novel or a chick-flick. This is not a perfect love story, this is not even a love story. We resigned ourselves to whatever this is we're doing, because we'd rather be miserable with each other, than be miserable by ourselves.

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You and I

My job is to fix things. Your job is to find the problem in everything.

Your heart is broken, waiting for someone
    My heart is jaded, waiting for no one.

You were lonely and looking for company
    I was bored searching for somebody.

You looked at me and found a friend
    I looked at you and found something more.

I wanted to be there until the end
    You have nothing for me in store.

You were someone who needed so much love
    I was someone with too much love to give.

I was willing to give everything I have
    You only want yourself to receive.

You reach out looking for someone who will care
    I reached to you telling you I'll be there.

I opened my heart out, expecting you would see
    You closed yours and left me nothing but a memory.

I asked, you didn't answer. 
I demanded explanation, you gave nothing but a cold shoulder.

All I wanted was to understand
    All you wanted was to be left on your own.

All I did was to give you a hand
    All you did was leave me alone.

Now you are gone and I am here dying.
    You are out there happy and I am done trying.

You allowed yourself to be selfish
    I allowed myself to be selfless.

I thought I was someone you would cherish
    You thought you were someone I wouldn't miss.

Now everything makes sense we're no longer blinded.

You used me to feel wanted, I used you to feel needed.

I guess I thought you were a bug that needs fixing
    When my heart is the one that needs mending.

You see, your job is to find the problem in everything.

And my job is to fix everything.

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The Art of Baguio

I know Baguio for a lot of things, but I've never seen it's artistic side before. So, for my first travel for 2016, I was glad that I got to visit what is probably the country's coolest art museum ever.

Home of a National Artist

Located outside the busy streets of Baguio City at the town of Tuba, Benguet, the BenCab Museum is just a jeepney ride away from the summer capital's down town district. It houses a vast number of artworks, most of which from the renowned National Artist Benedicto Cabrera, better known as BenCab. Apparently, the museum is also the home of the National Artist, as well as his workshop.

Aside from BenCab's works, the museum also displays artworks from various contemporary artists from Manila and throughout the country. With an entrance fee of only 100 pesos, BenCab is the perfect place to discover modern masterpieces.

Northern Pride

Among the first artworks you can see upon entering the museum are wood crafts depicting the traditional Ifugao deities, locally called "Bulol". These are rice gods and goddesses said to bring an abundant harvest. These statues are mostly naked, and is often associated with sex symbols, like the mortar and pestle for the male and female genitalia respectively

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Not Safe For Work

On the topic of nudity, the museum also houses a number of provocative artworks worthy of a raised eyebrow. Behind a fitting cautionary warning is the Erotica Gallery, and for some obvious reasons, probably the most popular part of the whole museum. Seriously, don't even think about bringing your kids in here, or you'll going to explain a lot of things you might not be prepared to talk about yet.

The Muse

Every artist has their muse, and for BenCab, that role is filled by Sabel. Sabel was a female scavenger the artist saw when he was young. She used to walk around their house in Bambang, Tondo, wrapped in plastic, and her image recurred in most of his work.^†

The museum also has a restaurant just beside the pond that bears the name of BenCab's muse. Aptly called Cafe Sabel, they serve fresh farm vegetables and fruits, home-brewed coffee, pasta and a number of Filipino cuisine.

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A Must See

Next time you and your friends are in Baguio, dare to bring out the inner artist in you and visit this wonderful place. You will surely enjoy it. For the meantime, you can visit the museum's website at www.bencabmuseum.org

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† Business World: BenCab’s Sabel now a musical^↩

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More than Noli and Fili

It's been a while since the last time I updated this blog. I tried so many times to resurrect this, proved by the various unfinished drafts here and in my Google Docs, but to no avail. With this new year, I promised myself to update this more often, and since there's no new story ready in hand, it wouldn't be bad to start by making a list of five six contemporary Filipino books that I recommend to every bookworm out there who wants to see how our local writers fare in literature (and in case the only Filipino books you know are Noli and Fili) or, you know, you're looking for more books to read for 2016.

1. ABNKKBSNPLAko? by Bong Ong

  A staple favorite of teenagers and young adults, this book touches on the life a typical Filipino student. Reading it now is like life pressing all the nostalgia buttons. I was in High School when I first saw this, and this is the first Filipino book I've read that is not written by Rizal and is not a romance novel. (technically, I've read Ang Paboritong Libro Ni Hudas first but I'm trying to make a point; and yes, I've read romance novels when I was younger) It was the first book I've seen that had the appeal for the younger audiences, it's filled with humor and is not buried in archaic words that no modern Filipino could understand. At a time when the only Filipino authors I knew aside from Rizal were N.V.M. Gonzales, F. Sionil Jose and Nick Joaquin, it was pleasant to know that there is a contemporary writer out there who thinks like me, speaks like me, and writes like me.

2. Para Kay B by Ricky Lee

  This book came to my attention when I was at the lowest point of my, uhm.. how should I put this... "romantic life". I just came from a break-up and I felt horribly, horribly, depressed, and so what book is better to read that you empathize with? Starting off with a statistics that says for ever 5 person who falls in love, only one ends up happy, Para Kay B is Ricky Lee's first novel. A veteran of screen-writing, helming a number of award-winning films, Lee, through the voice of Lucas, tells the story of five individuals who finds love in different places. In the end, only one of them will be happy, thus proving the point of the made-up statistic. Similar to Aba, Para Kay B is written in Filipino, sprinkled with English phrases, and gives a modern "Pinoy" voice to the universal theme of love.

3. Smaller and Smaller Circles by F.H. Batacan

  There are no serial killers in the Philippines. That's what I observed among the myriad of crimes I've read about in the local papers. But in this book, Batacan tells the story about what is probably the first Filipino serial killer in fiction. A Palanca winning piece, Circles follows Catholic Priest Augusto "Gus" Saenz and his protégé, Father Jerome Lucero as they solve a string of murders happening at the slums of Payatas dumpsite. This book is also the first Filipino mystery novel I've read, a brilliant contemporary piece that sheds light to the inefficiency of our local police enforcement and the NBI. The two priests, with the help of a journalist, risks their lives as they take matters into their own hands in solving the mystery and in bringing justice to the families of the murder victims.

4. Trese: Book of Murders by Budjette Tan (art by Kajo Baldisimo)

  I'm not a fan of the supernatural and the occult, whether in real life or in fiction. But with this book, I made an exception. Trese: Book of Murders is a compilation of all 13 issues of the award-winning comic series Trese. The series features the eponymous Alexandra Trese, a private detective that deals with solving crimes that involve creatures from the underworld. Together with her sidekicks-slash-bodyguards, the Kambals (literally twins), they hunt down otherworldly beings and unfold mysteries that brings to life various urban legends every Filipino are familiar with. Being a comicbook geek, I regret not knowing about this series very early on, but catching up is not a hard time to do. Also, I'd commend the wonderful artwork by Baldisimo that fuses traditional Filipino "komiks" art with Japanese style manga.

5. A Time for Dragons: An Anthology of Philippine Draconic Fiction edited by Vincent Michael Simbulan.

  This is one of the most surprising books I've read so far. I found this one by accident during the National Book Store sale. A Time for Dragons is an anthology, containing various stories about dragons, written by various contemporary writers. Simbulan is part of the same team that brings the annual Philippine Speculative Fiction anthologies, and this one is no different. But it's the topic at hand that got me really interested, being a huge geek when it comes to dragons in fiction. Aside from the stories it contains, this book also brings to light creative name, some of which I've only heard for the first time, and successfully providing their needed exposure.

6. Naermyth by Karen Franciso

  If a Filipino mystery novel took me by surprise, imagine my reaction when I first saw this book. Naermyth is a young adult novel set in a post-apocalyptic Philippines. Years after the world succumbed to various creatures from legends and mythologies, Athena "Aegis" Dizon, is one of the survivors hiding out in Manila, but not as a fearful damsel in distress, but a brave and independent warrior. Littered with a dark and mysterious past, she meets a kindred soul in the form of Dorian, and together they cross the country from the ruined flyovers of EDSA to the fortresses of Baguio as they find answers and help end the raging tyranny of the Naermyths.

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