The extended family reunion

Film review: Ang Tag-Araw Ni Twinkle

MANILA, Philippines - As one of the films slated to be exhibited during the week-long Sineng Pambansa  which is sponsored by the Film Development Council of the Philippines  the Gil Portes-directed Ang Tag-Araw Ni Twinkle is a coming-of-age film that seriously looks at issues such as family relationships, disaffected youth and substance abuse. It also takes a swipe at our recent history in the context of ideological differences, and how they can be reduced to the coincidence of being on different sides of the fence; but in fact, there are shared hopes, dreams and disappointments.

The screenplay from Eric Ramos may have elements of a teleserye and uncanny coincidences, but it probes and dissects with acute sensitivity, aiming for a broader message and lesson than we normally get on TV.

In 1995, a military encounter in the mountains with the NPA sees one Ka Ruben (Arnold Reyes) being wounded and separated from his fatally shot wife and weeks-old baby. Heading the military excursion is then officer Cenon Payawan (Cris Villanueva) who proceeds to take the infant home and raise her as his own, along with his barren wife, Romina (Rina Reyes). We flash-forward 18 years and the said girl, who was named Twinkle (Ellen Adarna), is now a problem teenager — a coke fiend and hard-partying girl, mired in a family dynamic that’s strongly dysfunctional. It’s now that Ka Ruben resurfaces, dying from colon cancer and wanting to “know” the daughter he lost. He confronts Cenon, who opted for early retirement as Brigadier General, due to his distaste for a desk job, and disgust over the corruption he saw at that level.

As is evident, the premise is rife with possibilities and scenarios that the film then explores. This is heightened by the fact that after finally meeting her bio-dad, Twinkle is whisked away to the retired general’s farm to privately undergo rehab. There, she seeks Ka Ruben to join them and aid her in coming to terms with turning a new leaf in life. The cast is firmly put through their paces by direk Portes. Villanueva plays stoic military man who reveals a sensitivity, while Reyes is pitch perfect as a general’s wife with her airs and deep-rooted resentments. As Ka Ruben, Reyes shines in an Everyman manner, fully sympathetic and arousing our compassion. While somewhat rough around the edges, acting-wise, Adarna charms in the title role!

The film is an earnest one, sensitive to revelations and how new understandings and compromises are forged. The shafts of humor are a saving grace, keeping the film from entering straight melodrama territory. Coming on the heels of Portes’ Cinemalaya entry, his treatment of Little League cheating, it’s good to see him in such an active mode.