Let’s
look back to the hazy mid-1980s in the Philippines. It maybe makes some of us
nostalgic, either for the idealism of the People Power Revolution or the stable
business climate his administration provided. Either or both seem preferable to
the current Duterte chaos, but such matters are far beyond 8-year-old Yael’s
scope. Her world is largely confined to her home, her school, and a few random
images gleaned from television. Nevertheless, the young latch-key kid will try
to make sense of her life as best she can in Shireen Seno’s Nervous Translation (trailer here), which screens
during this year’s New Directors/New Films.
Little
girls need their fathers, but Yael’s dad has been working in Saudi for several
years straight. For some reason, it seems like only his twin brother Tino ever
visits home, leaving Yael yearning for her fatherly love and her mother Val
craving the attentions of a husband. As a result, the relationship between mother
and daughter has grown strained. Frankly, it looks like it is all Val’s fault,
but we are only seeing the story from Yael’s vantage point. Generally, that
gives the film a very “child-like” perspective, but there are also brief interludes,
based on some of the more outlandish images Yael sees on TV, which approximate
surreal daydreams.
Jana
Agoncillo is extraordinarily expressive, but also remarkably disciplined as Yael.
It is a scrupulously natural and restrained performance, but it also hits the viewer
directly on an emotional level. Yet, in a way, it often feels like Seno is
cheating. Agoncillo and the circumstances surrounding her character are so
compelling, it is almost impossible to resist investing in her. Yet, it is
highly debatable just how much value Seno adds.
Obviously
for the sake of irony, Val works in shoe-cobbling sweatshop, but Milo Suegeco already
mined the Imelda-shoe vein quite fully in Mariquina.
Angge Santos portrays Val quite forgivingly, making her distance and impatience
feel acutely human, but it is still hard to fathom how easily she abrogates her
parental duties.
Agonocillo’s
innocence is truly heartbreaking, but the film never invites us inside or kicks
it up to the next level. Instead, we just contemplate how hard Yael has had it,
as the film unfolds in a slow yet uneven manner. Still, the delicacy of Seno’s
directorial hand and the evocative work of her battery of cinematographers is
certainly impressive. We just wish there was more to love. Inspiring highly
mixed reactions (so you might just save yourself the heartache), Nervous Translation screens tomorrow
(4/7) at MoMA and Sunday (4/8) at the Walter Reade, as part of ND/NF 2018.
