By Christa Escudero and Leo Balante | Photo courtesy of Cinemalaya
The Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival is an annual event that showcases the best of independent films—in full-length or short film categories—in the Philippines. Now on its 14th year run, Cinemalaya continues to provide independent film creators an avenue to harness their craft and connect to what the festival has built with in its now-wider audience.
Among the ten full-length entries that competed in its week-long run, from August 3 to 12, is Distance (directed by Perci Intalan), a film that, in great lengths, talked about a family’s plight to self-discovery and reflection.
Distance opens with an obscure frame, which is revealed to be the beach where lead character Liza (Iza Calzado) enters. It is followed by a quiet montage of the central character’s seemingly mundane daily activities in her solitary life—walking along an empty beachside, buying groceries, or reading a book—which is then revealed to be coping mechanisms for a terrible loss.
There would be a lot to reveal after that. Five years after Liza left her family for a life outside the country, her husband Anton (Nonie Buencamino) convinces her to go back to the Philippines and reunite with him and their two children Karla (Therese Malvar) and Therese (Alessandra Malonzo). She obliges, and with that begins the unearthing of untold secrets and repressed emotions.
Distance, aptly put, is a well-crafted montage of long-buried secrets. Intalan’s feature slowly exposes these revelations, taking its time with its vignettes from the past and present-day scenarios that seamlessly transition into each other. As it gradually narrates the struggles of every character affected by the conflict, it pieces out the reasons that lead to the present state of the family, branching from Liza’s departure in the first place—which serves as a reminder of the humanness of every decision anyone can make in his life. This was expertly put together and built-up, with the film’s culmination delivered by an emotional climax–one character exposing a can of worms that no one dared open, leading to an all-too real end–an open, unhealed wound.
What is also notable in the film are the performances of the ensemble. Calzado, as the film’s axis, is as impressive as her previous acts–effectively portraying the film’s central character, imperfect in her choices, and is burdened by guilt. Her partnership with seasoned actor Buencamino is formidable, with the latter showing an all-too familiar and somber portrayal of a man crippled by his almost illogical admiration for the love of his life. Malvar stands out the most in the film as spiteful teenage daughter.
Distance offers a story of a family that reels on emotional baggage. In its quiesence, there’s richness of human emotions told through its subdued and revelatory storytelling but it is this reserve that allows audiences to reflect on its message.
CAST
Iza Calzado, Nonie Buencamino, Therese Malvar, Alessandra Malonzo, Adrianna So, Max Eigenmann, Lhian Khey Gimeno, Elia Maria Norelle Ilano, Erlinda Villalobos, Billy Seño, Tanya Gomez, Cherry Malvar, Myla Monido, Mailes Kanapi, Matt Daclan & Timothy Castillo
PRODUCTION
Director: Perci Intalan
Story & Screenplay: Keavy Eunice Vicente
Producers: Jun Robles Lana & Ferdinand Lapuz
Line Producer: Angie Castrence
Associate Producer: Jowan Laygo Madamba
Assistant Director: Shirley Fabella
Director of Photography: Mackie Galvez
Editor: Tara Illenberger
Musical Scoring: Emerzon Texon
Sound Design: Promovi Studios, Inc., Immanuel Verona & Armand De Guzman
Production Design: Jhon Paul Sapitula
