August 9, 2022
Soldier Wesley Villanueva (Gio Gahol) has just come home from his tour of duty in Marawi battling terrorists in a bloody armed conflict there that claimed a lot of lives. He first went to call on his girlfriend, motel receptionist Ritz (Kate Alejandrino). They then rode a bus to Calamba City to pay a surprise visit to his unsuspecting parents (Soliman Cruz and Sharmaine Centerera-Buencamino) who still expected him to arrive next week.
As it was town fiesta the next day, so Wesley and Ritz went to enjoy the various rides and games at the carnival. However, when Wesley tried to win Ritz a big teddy bear at the shooting gallery, he suddenly had flashbacks of a certain violent encounter in Marawi, and unexpectedly exploded in anger at the bystanders, thinking they were laughing at him. He would be haunted with more memories in the following days.
Ever since "The Best Years of Our Lives" (1946) first dealt the topic of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (or PTSD) in soldiers coming home from the battlegrounds, since then it was tackled in films from "The Deer Hunter" (1978) to "The Hurt Locker" (2008). It is also a familiar topic in a number of Filipino films. As recent as Cinemalaya 2019, there was a short film "Gatilyo" about a soldier who survived an ambush and his tough transition to civilian life.
Both Gio Gahol and Kate Alejandrino gave remarkably restrained, nuanced and convincing lead performances. Easy Ferrer had strong impact in her single scene as anti-yellow, FB fake-news believer Tita Chona. When Wesley answered back to her claim about soldier's salaries, the audience erupted in applause. A new actor who goes by the single name AIR, who played Wesley's injured fellow soldier Gerry, showed dramatic promise.
"Bula sa Langit" is also about PTSD in soldiers, but with a different style of storytelling by writer Andrian Legaspi and director Sheenly Gener. The difficult ethical calls made by the soldiers on the ground, the collateral damage incurred during their missions, the reasons why soldiers choose to become soldiers, the irony of family members feeling pride vs. their fears, the constant lure of working abroad vs. patriotic service -- were all touched on in the film.
Gener frequently intercut scenes from the present with scenes in Marawi to let us see what was going in Wesley's mind. She channeled Wong Kar Wai in that scene of Ritz resting her head on Wesley's back while riding a motorcycle, reminiscent of "Fallen Angels" (1995). Just when you thought you knew how this film will end, Gener gave us an unconventional ending which viewers are bound to ponder on and talk about on their way out. 7/10.
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