Ode to Nothing

"Siguro mabuting bigla na lang akong maglaho, kaysa yung nandito ka nga, pero parang wala ka rin." who needs taxi driver when you have oda sa wala? tonya was literally me, i felt her desperation and stress throughout my entire body. brilliant performance! absolutely loved the use of “frame within a frame” shots, it gives the viewer the sense that we are voyeurs to these peoples lives— simply from the outside looking in. the intentional silence throughout the scenes didnt dull the film or make it boring, in fact i believe it made it all the more compelling! the mundanity of sonyas life— waking up, working, getting your money taken, doing it all again tomorrow. the true dialogue starts when the old lady is dropped off at their business. as a daughter myself, i couldnt help but view this film in a mother/daughter perspective (which is the way im hoping its meant to be viewed). sonya relying so heavily on the old lady to provide, to bring luck, but once there is a bump in the road— sonyas gratefulness becomes resentment, instead of understanding she turns to counting her sacrifices. grief is such an odd emotion, its hard to process such things on top of moments of hardship. its confusing but in its on way beautiful— the fact that you could love someone to the point of your own destruction is one of lifes cruelest ideas. that is why its so important to let go, which is something sonya and her father had such a hard time doing. overall, depressing and horrifying watch! finished this with the heaviest heart. brilliant 10/10 would recommend to everyone interested in filipino film. also im finally back home after being on the road for what felt like forever! back to my lovely lovely laptop and wifi :).