Lifestyle & Culture

Between Maybes: Love and Escape in Saga

An escape from the pursuit of finding out who you are and who you aspire to be. Black Sheep Productions and Director Jason Paul Laxamana’s offering for this May, Between Maybes, might be a familiar storyline, but the film delves into the lives of two unknowing strangers in a realistic fantasy unvisited.

Ang ingay sa gitna ng katahimikan – Laxamana made this typical story so heartwarming and visually appealing for two reasons: escapism and negative spaces. The movie’s location embraces the characters’ wandering. Shot in Saga, Kyushu Island, Japan, Laxamana mentioned that he was inspired by the Japanese concept of Ma, celebrating minimalism and emptiness. He made use of Saga’s serene and still open spaces to set the character’s portrayal of loneliness and “longingness.”

The story was meant to be a rom-com movie: Isang palaos na artistang gustong makawala sa industriya at isang immigrant na hindi umuusad dahil walang kasiguraduhan sa buhay. Parehong nalilito, parehong nawawala sa paroroonan. Fate suddenly brought them together and began an open-ended story of their own.

The film moved at a good pace. Although the story was established well, it could have been longer – more time to explain the characters’ abrupt feelings towards each other – or shorter – focusing only on their mysteries until they end. Just like other romance movies, the ending could have been done without. Suddenly, it had a double open-ended ending.

Louie and Hazel, played by Gerald Anderson and Julia Barretto, made use of being an unfamiliar pair to share a sentiment of escaping what seemed so easy to assume – love teams, love stories and happy endings. Their good performance came through and Gerald’s toned down character is commendable.

Even with its mainstream formula, the independently made film was created to appreciate Saga and Laxamana’s artistry.

2.5 / 5 stars – not a must-watch for the casual moviegoer, but worth a glance for young, aspiring cinematographers.

 

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