Batanes (The Movie)

Last weekend, I had the luxury of spending time by myself. Early that week, I’ve been thinking about watching a movie alone. It was a perfect timing because the indie film featuring Ken Zhu of F4 is now showing in local theaters. I’ve always needed some time for my self and I thought this could be a perfect treat for me…

I arrived just a few minutes before the film started rolling. I don’t really have any clear expectations of what the film would be, so there was no expectations at all…and that prevents me from being frustrated after watching the film.

Batanes: Ang Pag-Ibig ay Walang Hanggan opened my eyes to a woman’s grief and sorrow. Before I watched the film, I thought it would be like the usual plot where a native Filipina falls in love with a foreigner and the whole film just focuses on the whole idea of “love-knows-no-bounderies” …I thought it would just show that love can still work magic even if two people are coming from different worlds, use different languages, with different cultures and practices. Of course that was shown in the film but I was more struck with the depth of loss, grief and sorrow experienced by Pam, the character played by Iza Calzado. Indeed, a woman has her own way of coping with deep sadness, questioning and longing. The strength of a woman can endure situations which are even unimaginable to others. In the movie, Pam was not a native of Batanes but after the death of her husband, soon after their wedding, she decided to live her life in that secluded area far from the world she used to live in. The character played by Ken Zhu, my favorite F4 member, was also interesting to me since it seems very human. His was a story of pain, despair and hope. When misfortune seemed to have stormed Khao, Ken Zhu’s character, there was Pam…and even at a time when he thought nothing was left of him, he found somebody…There was a new breeze of hope coming in for him. He started to open up to the world again. He smiled, he told stories, he made plans of doing the things used to do…he lived! The movie also featured the sea in a very beautiful way. The symbolism of the sea was also very interesting. When it’s calm and serene, that means she’s smiling. But when it’s waves are rushing, she’s angry…jealous. Also, at the end of the movie, the sea holds a promise for Pam. It may have taken the man she loves before, but it also brought her another person and now, it holds a promise that someday it would bring back the man she loves…

Watching the movie was a smooth journey for me. There was a part of me that could somehow relate to the movie’s story. I realized a few things and looked back at a time in my life when I, too, said and believed that love knows no boundaries. The original soundtrack of Batanes also made a lot of impact on me. It made me think…feel once again…and reminisce that beautiful time in my life!