Puwang (Shorts B)

Rating:	★★★★
Category:	Movies
Genre:	Independent

ENVY


Puwang is a short flick which reflects one of the most common family problems associated with man – envy. Written and directed by Anna Isabelle Matutina, her approach of showing the practical side of the story enables the audiences to actually relate with her creation without difficulty.

It is a story of a sister’s (Roence Santos) enviousness towards her sibling and her father’s (Elmo Redrico) negligence of somehow acknowledging her efforts as his daughter. For since the beginning, the father’s favoritism fills up the spaces between the family, which he favors his son (Bon Reyes), who eventually became prodigal but was still loved by the father.

The story was simple, but it moved the viewers. A point of realization was observed at the end part, where the daughter still failed, after years and years of trying, to let her father know that she deserved his attention. It was really a heartbreaking moment when the son suddenly showed up on the hospital once again, and while the daughter was in absence for she was having a nap, the son was the last person the father saw before his last breath. Her efforts of taking care of their worn out father became useless because she was not able to comfort her father up to the last minute that he was living. The desperation within her of fulfilling that punched a realization to the audience, and it was a turn point where one can actually really relate to her condition. The attack was effective enough.

Editing was smooth, plus the fact that its shots also indicated clarity. The transition and sequence of events were properly executed that it enabled easy understanding. On the other hand, the musical score was also fit through out the flick. Each scene has a distinct sound which further emphasized its portrayed emotion.

The whole package was eye-friendly, realistic, and has a sense of simplicity with a crisp. Puwang deliberately tackled the issue of envy effectively, not only as a common family problem, but as a part of the seven deadly sins as well.