Love in the time of Turumba

The Turumba is a Marian religious festival that venerates the Nuestra Senora de los Dolores de Turumba. It is a commemoration and celebration of the finding of the image of Our Lady of Sorrows of Turumba, an homage to the Virgin Mary. The word “turumba” comes from the Tagalog phrase, “natumba sa laki ng tuwa,” which translates to “trembled in great joy.” The phrase evolved into a ritualistic dance performed during the procession.

The Turumba, the procession of Our Lady of Sorrows, and more are in Lemuel Lorca’s Paquil, written by Archie del Mundo. This is the first motion picture offering from Resiko Entertainment Productions and is currently screening in cinemas nationwide.

The biggest attraction of the movie, without a doubt, is the bucolic and rustic charm of Paquil, captured perfectly by the lens of its cinematographer Marvin Reyes. Expect postcard-perfect frames, illumination that triggers feels and nostalgia, shots that catch the splendor of the frescos and all its religious icons and heavenly beings.

Two less lonely people

Another movie attraction is the two troubled souls — Christina (Beauty Gonzales) and Paolo (JM de Guzman) who meet in Paquil. Christina is a former actress whose career has nosedived and, adding more complication, the truth that the Grim Reaper is already knocking on her door.

Paolo, a recovering alcoholic and musician, goes to Paquil for refuge, to conquer his demons and find peace in this crazy planet.

How love blossoms during the time of the Turumba, adds to the movie’s appeal. Kudos to Beauty and JM for bringing onscreen a truly adult kind of romance. Their dialogues and the amount of emotional truth they give their respective characters, neither saccharine nor predictable, make them worth watching.

The conversations between Christina and Paolo about life, love and the many in betweens in their respective lives, remind me of Jesse and Celine, the iconic characters of Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy in the Before Sunrise, Before Sunset and Before Midnight trilogy. Contemplative, sensitive and honest, that as how good Beauty and JM were in being Christina and Paolo.

The camera loveds the two leads and shows that, indeed, “less is more” when it comes to acting.

Clever and cultural

The narrative of the Lorca movie is at its most clever because it allows the whole of Paquil to speak volumes. The place, its clean and quiet roads, the magnificence of its church, the greenery, the butakas for sale in the plaza and the revival of the komedya, a Filipino theater form and tradition (a subplot) are showcased well.

Christina, being so gorgeous still despite her terminal illness, shows that Paquil indeed has miraculous powers and magic in it.

The wonderful, surprising events and things that the movie wants us to witness, the wishes of the respective characters that these miracles not only manifest but become realities to them — because it was repeated too often and became tiring at some point, this part of the narrative made me uncomfortable. Matters of faith, fate, religion and miracles are personal, and making a cinematic spectacle of it all is not for everyone.

Kudos to the actors like Yayo Aguila, Arnold Reyes, VJ Mendoza, Kych Minemoto, Iyah Minah and Argel Saycon. These “small actors” made their “small roles” bigger and quite impactful during their limited screen time, thanks to their stellar presence and acting abilities.

With its actors who gave honesty and vulnerability to their respective roles, a narrative that showcased how an adult and romantic love blossomeS during the time of the Turumba, and the postcard-perfect photography, Lem Lorca’s Paquil deserves the audiences’ time, hard-earned money, love and support.