1."Imahe by" Kristofer Ted S. Navarro
My first pick goes to "Imahe" which tells the story of Mang Ben, a Father who works hard being the breadwinner of his family, selling suman for a living. In the commencing part of the story, he was shown cooking a single egg for breakfast yet prepared three plates on the table. He also prepared his son's school uniform and hanged them by the stairs. He then left and finally started his day selling Suman. He was later shown buying flowers as he was heading to the cemetery. Initially, I thought he was about to visit his deceased wife together with his children as she was never seen in the story. But I was surprised when his children beside him suddenly disappeared.
A realization then hit me when I noticed a color blue and pink tomb behind him, which I think might be his childrens'. It turned out that he's been living alone in his house because when he went home, the plates were untouched and the uniform was still in its place. It was later revealed that his son died of illness and her daughter died upon giving birth, leaving him empty and all alone.
The story later made sense to me, realizing that the title "Imahe" depicts how the father has been creating images in his head to cope up with his grief and loneliness. He created such images to ease the pain of failing to protect his children, which was a promise he made to his wife. The cinematography and shots on the other hand are cinema-worthy to me. The sounds and camera movements matched the mood so I could say it's a well-produced film. It has this realistic approach about family and poverty as how parents can fail to protect their children due to lack of privileges.
2. "An Agreement Over Dinner" by Colin James Naranjo
This film is about an old couple named Susan and David who's making an agreement to end their life just so they won't be a burden to their children anymore. David was starting to have memory loss whilst Susan is getting more fond of their grandchildren as they already feel being unwanted by their children. They then eat their dinner while reminiscing the happiest moments of their life. The film has nice cinematography and shows off a feeling of nostalgia. I also like how the actors played their roles because I can say they really did well.
Growing up with a Grandmother by my side, this film is really painful to me. I just don't understand how people can make an old family member feel irrelevant. Just come to think of it, the moment we were born, none of us are capable of standing, eating, nor walking alone. Those old folks are the ones who made us who we are today and thinking of them as less relevant just because they don't function like they used to anymore is just so damn stupid. They may lose their memory and they may lose their sight but the love they once gave to raise and nurture us is something we could never repay. Those moments we once shared with them are eternal. Life is fleeting after all. Rather than making them feel like a burden, which they never deserved, we must instead make them feel loved and treasured while they are still alive.
3. "Trio" by Christopher Cruz
The story is about an old man who reminisces his fun memories with his childhood friends. They were three male friends who promised to be together until they die and even wanted to be buried beside each other. The film gives off a feeling of nostalgia as I also got to reminisce my fun childhood memories. I even remembered the song "Kanlungan" by Noel Cabangon while watching the movie.
The movie is like a breath of fresh air as it gives reassurance that we are never alone as the memories we once shared with our loved ones are forever alive in our hearts. The movie just showed a perfect example of genuine friendship, a friendship whose bond strengthens through the passing of times.
The story just depicted how fleeting our life can be, thus we should only seek happiness and enjoy life only with the people that matter. It's also comforting to know that the loved ones we once bid farewell with might be waiting at the end of the tunnel when it's finally our time. We may not know what's on the other side but we should not waste this present moment just always worrying about it. Because at the end of the day, it's the memories we can only bring to our grave, not the material things.
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