Grit and honesty

Film review: Donsol
By the time you read this review, your problem may be finding a theater that’s still showing this "labor of love" of writer/director Adolfo Alix Jr. – his Bicycle Films’ feature presentation, Donsol. Hailed at the last Cinemalaya, and having made waves at Marine Film Festivals abroad, the film, now distributed by Star Cinema, seamlessly takes the plight of these whale sharks (the butanding), and uses these marine animals as take-off point for an intimate, frank portrait of human relationships, the lives of the community members of Donsol, and the people who come to visit. It is the fate of films steeped in social reality such as Donsol to be overshadowed at the box-office by the more popular escapist fare our major studios regularly churn out.

And yes, Donsol is a "small" film but it’s precisely this quality and the strength of the honest story-telling that make it such a gem of a film. It’s about relationships and belonging, unrequited love, coping with loss and seeking identity, and it’s about the Holy Grail of fulfillment and destiny, all set against the backdrop of a sleepy provincial town. We are given a fascinating cast of characters, all ordinary people, but never less than sympathetic. There is a sense of melancholy tempered by the hope of renewal in the face of love, death and promise. Photography and location shoots are lush, and take your breath away. Angel Aquino and Sid Lucero play the main protagonists, more than ably supported by the likes of Cherie Gil, Bembol Rocco, Simon Ibarra, and Jaclyn Jose.

Special mention must be made of Angel’s role as the woman (Teresa) who suffered a double whammy. Diagnosed with breast cancer and having undergone an operation that has left her "maimed," Donsol is also the place where she lost her lover/husband from a diving accident the previous year. Hoping to find closure to her agony, Teresa returns to Donsol.

Angel has always been a luminous screen presence. In this film, the stoic acceptance of what life has bitterly thrown Teresa’s way and the yearning to still find some kind of love are beautifully etched in her portrayal. Sid Lucero also turns in a very credible performance; a man conflicted over the woman who left him, his responsibilities to his mother and younger brother, and the need to maintain a veneer of machismo as found in the fraternity of butanding guides. If you can’t find a theater still showing this film, look out for the DVD release. A film such as this makes Philippine filmmaking a genuine avenue for gritty, honest storytelling.