July 27, 2023
Lola Edna (Ai-Ai De las Alas) had been left by her relatives at the home for the aged called Tahanan ng Kalinga. She was already suffering from the symptoms of dementia, both intellectually and behaviorally. Easily irritated, she frequently quarreled with her caregivers and fellow residents, especially Lola Camilla (Liza Lorena). However, there was one cheerful man Lolo Charles (Bodjie Pascua) who tried to befriend her, to no avail.
Whenever she talked with someone, Edna will ask for any photographs of any person, even complete strangers which she collected and posted on the wall beside her bed. She kept on holding on to the hope that one day she would see the photograph of her daughter and grand-daughter, whom she has not seen for a long time. One day, she had a feisty new caregiver named Angel (Quinn Carillo) with whom she seemed to get along better than any other.
This drama opened with a scene which may already turn off many viewers. It showed Lola Edna loudly bawling for help as she had been locked in the supply shed when she went in to find rope. The noise level of this contrived scene was sheer cacophony. Ai-ai de las Alas's caterwauling sound was irritatingly artificial and painful to the ears. To be completely honest, it was only the price I paid for admission kept me in my seat.
Edna's cantankerous attitude in the home did not make it any easier to watch. I understand that this was about her dementia, but Edna's was not consistent. There were scenes when it seemed she was in complete command of her senses, yet she still behaved very badly on purpose. The worst instance was when her caregiver Janette (Weam Ronquillo Ahmed) was flunked for her OJT because Edna willfully lied that the poor girl strangled and pinched her, which really did not happen.
The storytelling by director Louie Ignacio from the screenplay by Ralston Jover here felt disorganized, which worked against its climactic dramatic reveal. The scenes did not flow smoothly one after the other, with some scenes not quite related to the one before it. There was even an extraneous scene of a woman (Lui Manansala) left by her daughter (Cristine Saquing) at the gate of the home, but we never see her again for the rest of the film.
I believe this could have been an effective drama had Ai-ai de las Alas' attack on her role been more restrained. However, Ignacio chose to have de las Alas perform in a big, flashy manner. Anyhow, Ignacio had guided de las Alas to her Best Actress awards before in indie film like "Area" (2016) and "School Service" (2018), so I guess he knows what he's doing.
It was good to see Quinn Carillo out of Vivamax for a meatier role, and she did well to keep up with de las Alas, even with the dreadful costumes they made her Angel wear. Ara Mina played Divina, a 35 year-old street food vendor with a headstrong daughter, whose exact role only becomes apparent in the final act. Bodjie Pascua was very charming as Lolo Charles, which ultimately turned out to be a thankless role. 4 /10
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