This is the final batch of my reviews of the main competition entries in this year’s Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival: Afi Africa’s action film, The Lookout; Carlo Catu’s drama about the elderly, Kung Paano Hinihintay ang Dapithapon; family drama Distance, which stars Iza Calzado; and Martial Law drama, Liway by Kip Oebanda.

IZA Calzado stars in Perci Intalan’s family drama Distance. DISTANCE

Perci Intalan’s Distance is a quiet family drama focused on unspoken pain and repressed anger. Liza (Iza Calzado), after several years of absence, returns to her husband and kids.

Her absence has left a gaping hole in the family, and we wait if the emotional distance between Liza and her family will ever be closed.

The film opens with an alone and pensive Liza in a charming, picturesque coastal town in Hampshire. When husband Anton (Nonie Buencamino) shows up to bring her back home in the Philippines, Liza agrees.

Distance keeps you wondering about the details of the family tragedy. Why did Liza leave? How long has she been gone? Why does she come back? The movie slowly reveals the answers in perfect pace and timing.

While the questions are important in gradually piecing together the mystery of Liza’s long absence, the movie is chiefly focused on capturing the aftermath of her absence. Intalan knows how to create tension, build awkward silences, evoke a sense of hesitancy and distrust smoldering underneath the family’s superficial interactions, without resorting to melodrama. The film deftly examines the oftentimes complex relationship between mother and daughter.

The characters, all silently hurting, are profoundly nuanced, rich and consistent. Keavy Eunice Vicente’s intelligent screenplay allows the mystery to slowly unfurl, further deepening our experience of each family member’s island of pain.

Buencamino delivers a stellar performance as the loving husband and father patiently waiting for time to glue back the broken pieces of their lives. Therese Malvar, as Liza’s eldest daughter, delivers a masterful performance.

JOEL Saracho in one of the scenes of Cinemalaya’s most popular entry Liway. LIWAY

Based on true events, Liway intimately chronicles a small family’s daily life in a prison camp in Iloilo City during the tail-end of Martial Law.

Glaiza de Castro stars as Day, a.k.a. Commander Liway, a young rebel mother trying her best to make life normal for her small son, Dakip (Kenken Nuyad), within the confines of Camp Delgado.

Director Kip Oebanda provides a gentle, understated drama about a young boy’s innocence in the midst of Martial Law. Like the boy, the audience is shielded from the horror and chaos of the period, so you only hear whispers of news from the outside world, effectively putting us in the perspective of a remote prisoner.

In the laidback and virtually safe camp, Day’s and husband Ric’s (Dominic Roco) only major concern is Dakip’s welfare and future. Soon, however, prison life suddenly shifts with the arrival of a new warden.

Moving at a light and unhurried pace, the film delicately captures the prison’s daily routine, with flashbacks of Liway’s life pre-camp. Oebanda also incorporates a beautifully rendered shadow animation about the “Legend of Liway,” a nice touch to the overall subtle treatment of the film.

The characters are underwritten, and there are little inconsistencies to the film’s execution, such as Dakip’s deep curiosity about the legend of Liway, yet hearing the name Liway spoken out loud in the prison does not provoke a strong reaction from the boy.

Technical flaws are also present. The setting is the 1980s, yet there are several women in the film whose hair is dyed with a light color, or wearing present-day sandals. For a period drama, the film fails to recreate the look and style of the era, and these errors jar the senses and take away some sense of realism.

Overall, Liway, despite its flaws and slight tendencies to appeal to the emotions, is a nice film, with De Castro delivering a mature and committed performance. Prepare for a cascade of powerful emotions during the end credits.

YAYO Aguila stars in a film about a gay assassin set in the midst of Operation Tokhang. THE LOOKOUT

Like a badly-made, R-18 teleserye, The Lookout tells the tale of Lester (Andres Vasquez), a deranged gun-for-hire who shoots his victims without looking. Impressive. His pleasures include watching live porn (that he orchestrates), enjoying juvenile discussions with his paid lover, Travis, and reminiscing his traumatic childhood.

Set in the midst of Operation Tokhang, the story is made more convoluted by a ridiculously tangled web of syndicates, family drama, romance, political power and corruption.

With all the soap opera-like twists and turns going on and the inability of the filmmaker to form a coherent visual narrative, the movie ends up with the characters literally explaining everything to you.

The Lookout is one major mess. The puerile, horrifyingly lewd screenplay and amateur execution torture you with frame after frame of histrionics and gratuitous sex and cartoonish displays of madness (complete with evil laughter).

And the chunk of the drama is all because of Lester’s mother, played by Yayo Aguila, who refuses to remove herself from a hellish life. Her reason for staying in said hellish life is too ludicrous to be believable.

Absurd, farcical, obscene and severely lacking in substance and entertainment value, The Lookout shocks for its presence in this year’s lineup.

PERLA Bautista, Menggie Cobarrubias and Dante Rivero deliver a masterclass in acting in Kung Paano Hinihintay ang Dapithapon. KUNG PAANO HINIHINTAY ANG DAPITHAPON

Just like the sun disappearing across the horizon, intangible things die. Like love or marriage. But there are also things that persist through the passing of time, never dissipating, steady and sure.

Carlo Calu’s Kung Paano Hinihintay ang Dapithapon explores the undercurrent in the relationship between an old woman and the two men in her life.

The film first takes us to the blissful domesticated life of elderly couple Tere (Perla Bautista) and Celso (Menggie Cobarrubias). On the eve of the loving couple’s 27th year together, Tere receives a phone call from a man from her past, Bene (Dante Rivero) and little by little, the film reveals hints of the three characters’ history and harbored thoughts and feelings.

Kung Paano Hinihintay ang Dapithapon is a wrenching tale of love and relationship in the twilight years. John Carlo Pacala’s brilliant screenplay and Calu’s confident direction bring out the beauty in the mundane and the profundity in small, gentle moments.

Sometimes funny, painful, and moving, the movie veers away from sentimentality, and instead keeps the emotions simmering with exquisite subtlety.

The film is also a masterclass in acting, with the 79-year-old Bautista delivering the most unforgettable performance in the movie; wonderfully candid and nuanced.

Kung Paano Hinihintay ang Dapithapon is a must-see in this year’s festival. Prepare to weep.

The Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival ends today, 12 August. This is the last day to catch the films in Ayala Mall cinemas for P150 a ticket. The awards night will be held tonight at 7 p.m. at the Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo (CCP Main Theater).