A Beautiful Friendship in a Sleepless City

I'm not a hater of Philippine cinema. I understand in a certain sense how the industry works, and I have never lost hope in the potential of our auteurs to produce films we can be proud of. But to be frank, it is rare for me to find a trailer for a local movie that I would want to spend my money on. Sleepless is different. From the first time I saw the trailer for this movie, I've always wanted to see this film, and I finally did.

     Sleepless is a story about two kindred spirits: Gem, played by Glaiza de Castro and Barry, played by Dominic Roco. The two met when the latter was hired in the call center agency where Gem works. And unlike other romantic comedies, there was no "kilig moment", no pick up lines or cheesy dialogue. They were introduced to each other casually. Just like that. But despite that, you can feel their chemistry even with just the non verbal way they communicated.

     Aside from working at the same dead-end job, and living in the same apartment building (what are chances, right?), the two has some other thing in common. They are sleepless. They both lie in bed until daybreak, staring at the ceiling, waiting to fall asleep, but they couldn't. Insomniacs, that's what they are. And from there, their connection began to blossom.

An Urban Painting

     The film is too beautiful for me to summarize the plot here, so I'll just give a review and few points of what you can expect from this movie, then let you watch and enjoy it on your own once it pops up again in some film festival or exhibit, which I'm sure it will. Despite being the first full feature outing by director Prime Cruz, the movie is a masterpiece on its own. From the cinematography, to the lighting, to production design, and the music, most especially the music; everything is a true work of art.
     Manila lends itself as a supporting character in this movie. Tey Clamor, the director of photography, captures the loneliness and isolation brought by the city with its breathtaking pictures of the Manila skyline. I just found myself mesmerized by the beautiful shots of the Ortigas landscape, the crowded trains of MRT, and the busy interiors of call-center offices.

Effortless Chemistry

     The actors's performance brings to life relatable characters that you seldom see in a movie that labels itself as a romantic-comedy. (As a matter of fact, I would not to call this movie a rom-com, or a romantic movie for that matter. Something to address later.)

     Glaiza de Castro and Dominic Roco are perfect for their roles. I was surprised with Roco's performance who managed to bring out a wide spectrum of emotions even on scenes where he doesn't utter a single word. And of course, Glaiza de Castro, one of my favorite actresses of today, never fails to bring out her best. From the very first scene, her face conveys so many unspoken problems, so many hidden frustrations, that even though she doesn't speak about any of those, you can certainly feel that they're there, waiting to burst out.
     One of the unforgettable scenes in the movie was during the third act when the source of Gem's ever present heartache is revealed, and she explains her side; on why she chooses to stick in a loveless, pointless relationship with Vince, played by TJ Trinidad. The sadness in her eyes as she keeps herself from crying melted me on my seat. During that scene, as Barry tells her how beautiful she is, Charles Bukowsky's words came to my mind, "we accept the love we think we deserve", and I understood why she is where she is.

Electronic Ambience

     Any emotion brought by the cinematography and the actors' performance is then amplified by the electronic pop-inspired musical score. Being an indie production, I'm not expecting them to bring in mainstream music to carry their scenes but what they got as an alternative was perfect. At the end of the movie, as I was delighted to hear a new set of music that I've never heard before. As a matter of fact, I immediately downloaded B.P. Valenzuela's album from iTunes, in which two songs appear in the movie, Early/Late and Steady.

Subverting Romance

     I know I will be having a hard time describing this movie to my friends. It's easy to call it a romantic film, but it's not. It's a story of friendship, of connections, of bond. Sleepless is about intimacy without treading the cliche of romance. The movie proves that anyone can form a bond with someone without being lovers. During the final act, while they are hanging out at a Mini Stop store, instead of sharing a final kiss as we are expect to see, they share something else, something greater, something deeper, which I'm sure audiences will be talking about after watching the film.

A Must See

Overall, this for me is one of the best local movies for 2015. It belongs up there with Heneral Luna and Honor Thy Father. This shows that movies don't need an expensive cast or a big budget to touch people's hearts. It just needs a heart of its own.

You can watch the trailer here:

And visit its Facebook page at facebook.com/filmsleepless. Sleepless will be featured next on DLSU's Freedom Film Festival on February 6.