Irony of life: If you let it hurt, it will eventually get better. Who would've thought that enduring pain could make it all go away?
While looking for a movie to watch, my partner and I stumbled upon this familiar movie. I know I've heard of the title before but I can't recall back then. We started to play it without checking its synopsis.
It started with the logo of Cinemalaya and that's how I remembered the title. It was a Cinemalaya 2018 film.
Cinemalaya films are Indie films held annually at the CCP - Cultural Center of the Philippines.
Oh by the way, Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival is ongoing until October 31, 2022. If you want to know more, visit their site.
Enough said, after seeing the logo of Cinemalaya, I had high hopes for this film.
It features a single old man, with no family, in his 60s, wondering as he uttered the words - If life is short, why am I still here at sixty-eight?
And a thought popped up, indeed there are two types of people based on circumstances:
the one who thinks life is short and the one who thinks life is long. Where do you belong?
This man has kidney failure and needs dialysis but can't afford one for the fact that he's poor and can only buy a capsule of medicine a day.
Then, there's this little young wandering girl named Aguy. Her name means ouch in English. I find her name witty and fascinating. Why would a mother name her child ouch? Well, you'll know the reason if you'll watch the movie.
Aguy doesn't have any family left. She goes around town, inflicting pain on people.
Do you believe in magical healing powers?
In this film, you'll see how Aguy can cure the people in town just by hurting them physically. Based on their conditions, she slapped, punched, and pinched them one by one until they're all cured.
She met this old man as he was enduring pain while walking on the railroad. As time went by, they began to be each other's companions - a family.
Aguy believed that by physically harming the elderly man, she had already treated his illness. She was proven wrong when she witnessed him endure the agony of kidney failure.
She tried and tried to hurt him physically but for some unknown reason, the illness won't go away.
Then one night, while looking at the old man crying in pain, she had the notion that because physical suffering couldn't help the old man, she must do the one thing that will cause the most harm to him.
I don't want to spoil you so I didn't disclose what the little girl did to make it go away but one thing is for sure, it's painful and it hurts.
I took a picture of the title and the synopsis after watching it on Netflix.
It is a film of magic realism that portrays the loneliness and sorrow of living.
It talks about the reality that all of us are suffering from pain and that sometimes, what hurts us the most can't kill us physically. It’s ironic how this film depicts that we feel alive when we feel pain.
Healing involves experiencing suffering. We come to understand that there are lessons in life that can only be learned through it. Together with all the knowledge we've gained along the journey, let it come and let it go. Once we've recovered, we can face life with bravery, knowing that we can handle everything it brings to us.
The film's title is The Sweet Taste of Salted Bread and Undies (Pan De Salawal). You'll know what's behind the title after watching it. It's available on Netflix.