I did mention in my previous blog post that I went to High School with the director (now Cine Filipino Best Director) of the award-winning (yes, I will mention "awards" and "Best [insert category]" as often as I can) Indie Film "Sakaling Hindi Makarating", so you might accuse me of being biased with this review and if that's the case, I'll have to tell you that this is easily going to be the most biased review I'm going to write because the movie was beautiful and I loved it! No need to wrestle with my conscience because I would recommend the movie in a heartbeat, without my reputation (for whatever its worth) being tarnished.
Cielo (Alessandra De Rossi) is picking up the pieces after her boyfriend of eleven years broke off their engagement, two months before the wedding. After moving in her old apartment she begins receiving hand-painted postcards of different places in the Philippines and cryptic messages addressed to a "C" from an "M". With time and money (saved from the would-be wedding in her hands) and some coaxing from her well meaning and friendly neighbor Paul (Pepe Herrera), Cielo sets out to visit the places painted in the postcards, hoping to find the mysterious "M".
While the 'heartbroken, will travel' plot is nothing new, "Sakaling Hindi Makarating" also puts the dying art of 'letter writing' and 'sending postcards' center stage. With technology making communication easy and instant, we oftentimes take silence and solitude for granted. Some kids today may not even know the anticipation of waiting for a reply from a letter you sent or at the joy of receiving something in the mail. I hope teachers still include Letter Writing in today's curriculum (Someone obviously wasn't listening in class :p) I remember doing exercises for these back in my Grade School days. I used to write letters to my cousin who lived in Parañque while I lived in Antipolo, during the summer. I really hope and pray kids today still know how to write letters, sometimes it reflects in emails I read at work or even in Press Releases I receive (and these are from "Professionals").
Please don't let it be a dying art, I will rue the day when 'jejemon spelling' becomes the norm and one letter responses (Yes, 'K' I'm looking at you; becomes acceptable).
The film gives you a bad case of Wanderlust which is not good for jaded and broke people like me T_T but I'll just look at it as an inspiration to one day, one day get to go on at least that vacation. When the film moves back to the busy bus terminals in Manila, I'm suddenly revolted with the cars, the buses, the traffic, the pollution and all the buildings, a sight which I see everyday ironically.
It's embarrassing to say that I wasn't even aware of the colorful Vinta Regata festival in Zamboanga, until I saw it in the film or that Batanes has such beautiful landscapes. The film just makes you want to pack a bag and go! No plans, no itineraries. Just get on a plane, a bus, a boat and just go. Not a bad idea with the many, many beautiful places you can visit in the Philippines.
In Cielo's travels, she learns how to swim ('We learn how to swim before we learn how to be afraid of the water'), and even how to ride a motorcycle. Along with these new set of skills, Cielo also meets a colorful cast of characters in the places she visits, each one helping her more than she realizes.
8.5 out of 10, "Sakaling Hindi Makarating" culminates in a fun and refreshing twist, solving the mystery of the postcards and with Cielo finding more than what she intended to when she first set out on her journey. It's a light and reflective piece with beautiful cinematography and impressive sweeping aerial shots, bringing justice to each paradise Cielo visited.
Congratulations to "Sakaling Hindi Makarating" for winning the following Cine Filipino Awards
2nd Best Picture
Best Director - Ice Idanan
Best Actor - Pepe Herrera
Best Cinematography - Ice Idanan
Best Musical Score - Mon Espia
Best Sound - Raffy Magsaysay
Best Editing - Hannah Espia
This is the first Inide film I wrote about and I look forward to getting to write more. It's funny how it had to take a High School batch mate of mine to direct one for me to really make time to go to the cinema, even on a hot Sunday afternoon.
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