A truly moving family picture

MANILA, Philippines — There is a lot to appreciate in the new Joel Lamangan film called Rainbow’s Sunset, an exceptional entry in the current Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF).

It is by far a timely family picture and a truly moving one about people in the sunset of their lives.

It is a harmless tale of families with ties that bind but as the characters look back (Eddie Garcia as former senator Ramon Estrella, Gloria Romero as his wife Sylvia and Tony Mabesa as his childhood buddy Fredo), you see where the story is coming from.

Because from way back then, that is the time of everyone’s life when some relationships are better off whispered than talked about.

But to the credit of scriptwriter Eric Ramos, the story has a normal flow that takes up the forbidden subject with candor and indeed with some amount of poignancy. It could have just another love story but the film goes farther than it should and confronts family relationships as they are seen in a typical Filipino social milieu.

Being a political clan, family members are wary of situations that can ignite family scandal.

What? A former senator leading dual life as loving and supportive husband and a childhood friend’s lover?

Truth is, the film goes beyond what is socially acceptable and what looks good in a traditional family life.

Aside from the strange relationship of the senator with childhood friend, a daughter who works in an NGO has a younger man for a lover (played very well by Albie Casiño). To make matters complicated, it looks like a granddaughter is all but programmed for a same-sex relationship.

When a heterosexual affair causes a family scandal, you see the normal weaknesses of patriarchs carried away by seemingly harmless flings.

When all is said and done, you see the utter pretentiousness that goes on in Filipino families. They are always aiming for a good image and anything that will harm is swiftly acted upon with dispatch with a diplomatic-looking seating arrangement.

This early, the first MMFF entry one will strongly recommend is Lamangan’s Rainbow’s Sunset.

By and large, it is a simple love story simply told but it’s genuinely moving from beginning to end.

Emerzon Texon’s film scoring inspires, the trio of Garcia, Romero and Mabesa was a triumphant acting coup and the script of Ramos was thoroughly insightful.

The acting ensemble of Tirso Cruz III, Aiko Melendez and Sunshine Dizon was equally commendable.

The direction is simply brilliant without calling attention to itself. The surprising thing was that even millennials in the audience were moved to tears and they were shamelessly embarrassed reacting to a love story revolving around octogenarians.

Rainbow’s Sunset could be one of the year’s best films.

Its Grade A rating from the Cinema Evaluation Board is highly deserved.

With the film getting positive unanimous audience reaction, one can smell a surprise blockbuster.

Produced by Heaven’s Best Entertainment Productions, Rainbow’s Sunset is now showing in cinemas.