The National Film festival 2013 opened last
September 11, 2013. The country’s best 12 directors showcase their 10 films
available to the public at SM Cinemas Nationwide. Among the 12 was director
Jose Javier Reyes, who directed the entry, Ano
ang Kulay ng Nakalimutang Pangarap, which is a family drama. The question,
“where do old things go?” was impeccably tackled by the film. The film starred
Ryan Agoncillo, Jackie Lou Blanco, Bobby Andrews and Rustica Carpio. The film
shows the story of Teresa (Carpio) who has served a family since she was
seventeen, sacrificing her own happiness and dreams to help her family in the
province. Now that Mercy (Teresa’s sen͂orita) has passed away, her three
children must decide on the matters of her property and the fate of their own
nanny.
The
director did a great job of prolonging the crisis of the story, which was the
fate of Teresa. In the film, it was shown that the properties were settled,
there were already buyers for the land and properties their mother owned. But
the question of Teresa’s fate was the most important of all. It was what the
audience (myself included) was waiting resolution for. What would happen to
dear old Yaya Teresa after the old house has been sold? Would she be taken by
her relatives, or would she be taken by one of the three children she used to care
for like she truly believes? As the story unfolded, the crisis of Teresa’s
situation was given much more depth. No longer was she just an old nanny. She
was a beautiful woman who sacrificed her own happiness and dreams because she
loves the family she serves and she likes them because they treat her like
family. The director offered many options as to where Teresa might end up,
making his characters compromise with the situation, much like we do when we
bargain for the things we want or want to get rid of.
The
dialogue was truly Direk Joey style: Poignant, true and real. The lines
delivered by Teresa were brimming with touching sadness,“Tama ka nga naman, luma na. Aanhin pa nga ninyo yun.”. The line is
simple yet meant so much and described humans so effectively. And still, the
writers of the film didn’t stop there. The line, “Mabait sila sayo kasi napapakinabanggan ka.” hit straight home. The
lines were perfect, seamless and real. Much like the script was the transition
from scene to scene, especially for the flashbacks. The setting seamlessly
connects the present from the past and the ingenious character positioning
helped in creating the atmosphere of reminiscing.
Stella
(Jackie Lou) portrays the eldest among the three and displays the stereotypical
personality of an eldest who was quite the only child for some time. Vincent
(Bobby Andrews) was the second of the three and like the middle child, is sort
of noticed just in passing. Andre (Ryan Agoncillo) being the youngest and most
loved by both his mother and Teresa displays the loving, sweet and thoughtful
persona of the youngest child. Their characters helped in giving the options
for Teresa’s fate.
Rustica
Carpio was amazing in her role. Her acting of the deep belief that her character would be taken by one
of the three children was just heartbreakingly sad. She was assured, countless
times by the siblings that she would be well cared for and this she believed
whole heartedly. In her mind she thinks that it was only natural that they
wouldn’t leave her hanging – after all was she not the one who cared for them
and their mother all her life? Did she not treat them like her own children and
their mother, her dearest friend? For
her it wasn’t utang na loob. It was
natural as caring for your own mother. She felt that she was treated like
family and so she believes that she would be taken care of like family.
The movie implies the nature of
humans too. Do we not throw old things or give them to other people after we
have finished with them because they have become too old or take up too much
space? This film is truly brilliant, a film that spears the heart and chews on
the conscience.  |
| Posing with Mall of Asia's poster of the National Film Festival |
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