THE FILMSOC REVIEWS: DEBOSYON (Alvin Yapan, 2013)

Written and Directed by Alvin Yapan

85 mins

Reviewed by: MACKY MACARAYAN

Rating: 5 out of 5 FILM REELS

You cannot walk into a screening of an Alvin Yapan film without at least a basic knowledge of Philippine literature and/or folklore. I may not fully understand every element or idea in his films, but I know I enjoyed the experience of guessing and sitting back, observing what is not said. With his latest film DEBOSYON, Yapan traverses the line where religion and folklore intersect, and tells his story as if in a dreamlike manner.

Mando (Paulo Avelino), a devotee of the Virgin of Penafrancia travels to the mountains to gather orchids to sell in town. He falls off a tree and is knocked unconscious, waking up later surrounded by bright flames, bidding him to encounter a mysterious woman in the middle of the night. He is again knocked unconscious. Moments later, he awakes to find himself nursed back to health by Saling (Mara Lopez), the same woman he saw earlier. She accepts her at her home for the time being, where Mando slowly and surely falls under Saling's charm and enigma. 

He beckons Saling to come down to town for the festivities of the Penafrancia feast, but Saling says an ancient curse prevents her from leaving the mountains. This confuses and riddles Mando.

Like Yapan's previous work ANG SAYAW NG DALAWANG KALIWANG PAA, DEBOSYON is rich with literary elements and the words, especially when employed into song makes for a lullaby, hushing us into a dream in a secluded forest where time seems absent. Complemented with the beautiful cinematography by Dexter Dela Pena and a smooth editing by Chuck Gutierrez, the film takes its time within frames to allow us to examine the minutest detail: the color of leaves, the silence in the background, and the increasing tension between Mando and Saling. In its brief running time, Yapan was able to convey his message across- that perhaps religion and folklore are no different from each other, on the basis that both relies heavily on faith, and that our need to believe fuels the reality of what is, or what appears to be.

The backdrop is particularly majestic, especially when images of the famous Mount Mayon are flashed onscreen and juxtaposed with Saling manifesting into Mando's dreams. In fact, DEBOSYON is one of those films where the meatiest parts are those where there is silence. 

From the title itself, this is a film about faith, about beliefs, about devotion, and from what I just saw, where Alvin Yapan took us is a hell of a beautiful journey- a journey not without peril but heavy on mystery, uncertainty and stunning imagery.