Cinemalaya Review: 'Kaka sa Yawan' leaves something wanting
Alpha Habon’s regional drama offers a rich story of displacement and brotherhood but falls short in its writing and performances.
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Alpha Habon’s regional drama offers a rich story of displacement and brotherhood but falls short in its writing and performances.
One of Cinemalaya’s great strengths is its ability to transport audiences beyond the familiar geography of Philippine cinema.
Alpha Habon’s Kaka sa Yawan takes that journey to Mindoro, where Niko, a boy from Manila, forms an unlikely friendship with Ayan, a Tadyawan-Mangyan boy. Years later, an adult Niko (Beaver Magtalas) returns to the place where their friendship began, and the film uses his return as a passage into memory, displacement and the lasting imprint of childhood companionship.
The film offers a valuable glimpse into two radically different childhoods and into Mangyan life and traditions. Its central device — the adult Niko’s return and the subsequent flashbacks — gradually reveals a boy struggling with sudden displacement and the overwhelming experience of being introduced to his biological mother. The film also generates sympathy for the mother, played by Nikki Valdez, while presenting a recognizable family reality: children often lack the language to articulate pain, discomfort or confusion, and escape can become their only means of coping.
Ayan functions almost as a messianic figure in Niko’s childhood, offering companionship and a sense of belonging precisely when Niko needs it most. Their friendship becomes another kind of family, which gives the title its significance: kaka means brother. The film understands that some people may enter our lives only temporarily yet leave an enormous imprint, particularly when their presence arrives at the moment we need it most.
The screenplay’s incorporation of Mangyan beliefs, folklore and mysticism adds another layer to the coming-of-age narrative. Yet the writing can also be overly plain and prosaic. The dialogue is ostensibly that of children, but the banter and playful teasing rarely register as genuinely amusing or charming. The humor is subjective, of course, and some audience members clearly found these exchanges funny, but the comedy never quite landed for me.
The same plainness affects the film’s overall rhythm. Kaka sa Yawan has good intentions and worthwhile material, but its screenplay could use further refinement. The pacing, fortunately, often rescues the film from becoming more sluggish than it already is.
There is also a question of performance, particularly in the portrayal of Ayan. The young actor brings an important presence to the film, but the performance could have benefited from more acting workshop, especially in scenes that require greater nuance.
Still, Kaka sa Yawan is worth noting for its attempt to bring regional stories and Mangyan life into view, as well as for its exploration of displacement, family and childhood brotherhood. Its central idea has merit: some people enter our lives only briefly yet leave a lasting imprint, particularly when their presence arrives at a moment of profound need. But the film’s prosaic writing, uneven performances and occasionally dragging rhythm keep that premise from reaching its full potential.
Cinemalaya 22 runs until 18 August at Red Carpet Cinemas in Shangri-La Plaza, Gateway Cineplex 18 and select Ayala Malls Cinemas.
