FOR WEEKS now, Star Cinema’s massive and all-pervasive promotions machine has been drumming up the attention for and excitement over its latest potential blockbuster, “In My Life,” a film by Olivia Lamasan.
Since the movie is one of Vilma Santos’ rare starrers, it fully deserves the big buildup. After a while, however, the endless plugs get to be wearying and repetitious. We find ourselves yearning for respite and silence, the better for us to relate to the film as film, quite apart from the incessant hue and cry.
Last September 16, the movie finally started its run and we could finally appreciate it for itself. So, what’s the verdict?
The movie has an ungainly and overly loud and hectic start, as it introduces its protagonist, Shirley (Vilma), a hardworking and strict school librarian who dominates her children. No wonder, they are all eager to live their lives away from her abroad, after they convince her to sell their house and lot. She refuses, and leaves in a huff to join her son Mark in the States.
Mark (Luis Manzano) is openly gay and lives with his lover, Noel (John Lloyd Cruz). When Shirley moves in with them, three quickly becomes a crowd. Still, the situation is generally bearable – until Mark doesn’t tell his mother about a serious problem, and she mistakenly blames Noel for leaving her in the dark. Things come to a head with a shocking plot twist, and Shirley and Noel are forced to come to terms with many complex emotions.
Striking depiction
After its shaky start, the storytelling regains its focus and rewards us with a striking depiction of its protagonist, Shirley. Vilma’s portrayal is nothing less than stunning, because she dares to make Shirley someone you can love and hate at the same time.
Both John Lloyd and Luis do their best to keep up with Vilma, but it must be said that the iconic actress sometimes leaves them far behind as she explores more complex and even contradictory facets to her character.
Unfortunately, some other elements distract – and detract – from the excellence of her portrayal. For one, the movie is too tourist-y, frittering away a lot of screen time with scenic bite after bite of the Big Apple.
All that time could have more purposefully been put to use beefing up the character of Mark and Noel, so that their interactions with Shirley could have been more a piece.
In addition, the leads’ portrayals are framed by too many barkada characters. Instead of all that fuss and bother, the movie could have more productively added to the reality of the story’s key gay factor, which it sometimes glosses over, rendering it “sweet” and “safe” instead of thematically challenging.
If the movie’s gay element had been handled with the radical coverage and readiness to disturb as Shirley’s ornery character was depicted, the film could have had a stronger and more integral impact. By stopping short of that, for all of its avowed daring, “In My Life” admits its mainstream limitations.
Be that as it may, “In My Life” is still the most empathetic mainstream production we’ve seen this year, thanks to its leads’ sensitive portrayals and the relative fluidity and topicality of Lamasan’s storytelling.
Finally, the film is a personal triumph for Vilma Santos, whose feisty and committed performance proves that, in her mid-50s, she’s at the peak of her artistry. At a time when teleserye overacting has compromised the work of many veteran stars, Vilma shows the way back to passionate, principled excellence.
