‘Iloilo’ brims with life, understanding and love

CEBU, Philippines - An affection that suppressed the indifference between two strangers and a story of how life evolved during the financial crisis of 1997, these are probably few of the legitimate reasons why Singaporean director Anthony Chen’s “Iloilo” received numerous awards. Behind every interaction of the characters is the force that drives the audience, unconsciously, within the realm of Jiale and Aunty Terry.

Considerably not just an ordinary film, “Iloilo” has been selected as the Singaporean entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 86th Academy Awards. It has also bagged major awards such as Grand Jury Prize during the 10th Jameson Cinefest in Miskloc, Hungary, Best Feature in the 11th Pacific Meridian Film Festival in Vladivostok, Russia, Best Picture in the 50th Golden Horse Awards in Taipei, and the coveted Camera D’or at Cannes Film Festival.

Brimming with life, understanding and love, “Iloilo” illustrates how a typical Singaporean family dwells together with their house helper. It was during the time when unemployment and suicidal rates were prevalent that Hwee Leng (Yeo Yann Yann) and Keng Teck Lim (Chen Tian Wen) hired a nanny to man their flat and look after their troublesome son, Jiale (Koh Jia Ler). This was the backdrop upon which Teresa (Angeli Bayani) or fondly called Aunty Terry by Jiale, who hailed from Iloilo, came into their lives.

At that time, despite the fall of the economy, it was common in every household in Singapore to hire a foreign helper. While their employers were working double time to make ends meet, helpers are left with looking after children and a hefty load of household chores.

The film gracefully showed the boisterous character of Jiale bullying her diligent nanny. Aunty Terry, despite the newness she felt, never remained submissive to her pubescent ward’s antics. Later on, Jiale would learn to reciprocate the care his Filipina nanny so selflessly gave. Compassion was vividly seen when Jiale approached Aunty Terry, who was seated afar from them, and gave her his shark’s fin soup during a family banquet saying “It’s very expensive but I don’t like it.”

The film pictured out each character in a manner so relatable. Keng Teck, a laid-off sales executive, showed a good amount of sympathy to Terry. Despite his good nature, he cannot seem to stand his wife’s henpecking.

Much attention was also given to Hwee Leng, a dutiful wife, who exhausts all her efforts to keep her family together. Bossy and intriguing as she is, she felt an air of jealousy towards her son’s closeness to Terry. This reflects the mutually beneficial but apprehensive relationship of working mothers and nannies which are oftentimes looked up to as a mother figure.

Aunty Terry, who has been a mother figure to Jiale, is an example of a Filipino domestic helper who fled her country in order to support the needs of her family back home. Her character shows an insight of how a helper behaves when she is in a totally different place and with the culture very unusual to her. She proved herself as a resilient addition to the family as she was able to fully influence the life of Jiale.

Indeed, it is a sugar-spice-and-everything-nice kind of film that makes characters interact without overriding each other. All roles were played well and it had in itself a real speck of what life is. It gives the audience the feeling that they too, are involved in the film.

“Iloilo,” which held a special screening last Saturday at the Ayala Center Cebu Cinema for the benefit of  The Freeman Foundation, will be shown in Philippine cinemas beginning Dec. 4. – Queennie Espere, USJ-R MassCom Intern