Don’t
want to take responsibility for your crummy life? Blame the Diwata, the
creatures of Philippine legend that literally write the fates of every human
being. An American tourist is convinced she knows where to find the seat of
their mystical domain. There might be considerable treasure there as well. To
be honest, she is not too sure about that point, but it doesn’t stop a gang of
bandits from following her rag-tag party in Randal Kamradt’s Faraway (trailer here), which releases on
VOD today, from Devolver Digital.
Audrey
Felidor does not have much of a plan, but she seems to generally know where she
is going. She acts All-American and does not speak Tagalog or other local
lingo, despite claiming to be half-Filipino. Needing an English speaking guide,
she somehow convinces Nick, the expatriate screenwriter staying in her boarding
house to help her traverse three hundred miles to her destination island. He is
a far cry from Indiana Jones, but at least their landlady’s rebellious daughter
Hazel and her forbidden boyfriend Rey have a set of wheels. Unfortunately,
their drunken chatter attracts the attention of a band of cutthroats that will
be hard to shake.
To
his credit, Kamradt staked out a mythical race that has not been spoiled by Twilight or another paranormal YA
franchise. In fact, the opening introduction to the Diwata and their Diwataism is
quite intriguing and grabby. The subsequent ride will have its bumpy patches,
but there is something appealingly scrappy about the film, nonetheless.
To
be honest, Faraway is a dashed
difficult sort of film to review. If you only see one film in a week or a
month, you are likely to be disappointed by its rough edges, but if you see ten
or fifteen a week, you will give it credit for its eccentricities and stylishly
turned scenes (particularly the expository puppet show and the rave in the
jungle). Kamradt’s screenplay takes a surreal twist down the stretch that might
not work so well, but it certainly is not the third act audiences will be
expecting. For what it’s worth, the one-sheet is also totally cool.
In
a case of aesthetic consistency, Dana Jamison brings the strangest screen
presence to the film as Felidor. It is not that she is bad. In fact, her performance
is rather effective given the full dramatic context, but it still feels a
little odd. Over time, Nick Medina somewhat grows on the audience as his
namesake screenwriter. First time screen-thesp Genelyka Castin is a total
natural right from the start as Hazel, but Leonard Olaer’s Rey sort of wilts
amongst the bedlam.
