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[tacosonasunday]

A LEAP OF FAITH

Relapse Review DEBOSYON

After a decade I get to blog this review.

Debosyon 2013 Cinemalaya Film Fest Entry starring Mara Lopez as Saling mystical creature (diwata) and Paulo Avelino Mando a farmer who is a devotee of the Virgin of Peňafrancia

This is my least favorite movie of Paulo Avelino not because I don't like it I actually like it so much but because this is one of his movies na "niyayanig ang prinsipyo ko" in a surface this is just a Fantasy Movie. A farmer got into an accident while foraging thru the forest and gathering orchids, a mysterious woman helped him and nursed him back to health. They fell in love but Mando learned the true nature of Saling. Very "folklorish" right?

Paulo Avelino's acting never fails, him speaking and singing in Bikolano totally rad, the subtleness but compelling portrayal especially the moment when he learned the true nature of the woman he loves that she's from the otherlyworld, very layered from sobbing to weeping and bawling you can feel the turmoil and the hard realizations. Frightened but love prevailed he went back to Saling with a faith healer in tow To cut the story short Mando being a devotee of Peñafrancia followed the advice of the faith healer: pray to free Saling from the curse and so Mando went like traslacion esque and then goes back to Saling hoping for a good outcome but it did not change Saling. She's still a diwata. He accepted the truth and I really don't know how to interpret the ending (leave it to the viewers to give their own interpretation) what I know is; it shaken my faith to the core when our prayers went unanswered and we fall back to earth and then take a leap of faith again, hope against all hopes like what Mando did in the movie. Give it all for love. The film gives out a unique perspective on Love and Faith. Faith, hope and love indeed are intertwined.

What I love about this movie is the profoundness. It weaved the elements of Romance, spirituality and Filipino folklore. Very thought provoking. I love the silences. Sometimes silence is the best expression of love. The lushness of its cinematography. Visually stunning. It gives out an ethereal and earthly feels. This is not just your usual fantasy movie but a love story and a love letter to nature. The movie is so filipino and because this is a Paulo Avelino film it can never go wrong.