And this piece would be about the other gem of the night: "Sana Dati". Honestly, I just went to Greenhills to re-watch "Ang Nawawala" and buying the ticket for "Sana Dati" was just an afterthought. Might as well indulge, I said to myself. Little did I know, it was a very good film.
Unlike "Ang Nawawala", the film's strength lies in its very crisp storytelling scenes. It doesn't regale you with songs and complex narratives of a past tragedy. It's a simple story. A woman who's about to get married but then there's a mysterious wedding videographer who has some ulterior motive in going to her wedding. Sounds simple right? Intersperse that with scenes from Alaminos, Pangasinan and solid acting skills shown by all performers and you're drawn in.
"Doubt is not a pleasant condition but certainty is absurd" from Voltaire and the starting epigraph of "Sana Dati"
How many times have we fallen in love (well, in my case, just once) and we've told ourselves that at this moment in time and space we're certain. But in hindsight, it's not true. Whether because of our own emotions, events or Time itself; there will always be uncertainty. There is no such thing as "I will always love you".
Lest you think I'm a cynic, when I speak of Love in this case, I'm pertaining to the rush of emotions at the sudden onset of a new love interest. Those feelings of puppy love and willingness to offer oneself to a lover; these are things that will not last. And that's the quandary of real Love: that it is not certain.
Real love is marred by compromises, by flaws and by circumstances. It is rarely fair. For instance, is it fair that the true love of the bride dies suddenly with no explanation? Fate is fickle, even in matters of love. So in an act of impulsiveness the bride settles for a man she clearly does not love and this man is aware of this fact but again, because of his love for her, he's willing to overlook this. Some may say the man is stupid but love is rarely smart.
And perhaps that's what enthralling about falling in love: the uncertainty. And a wedding certainly isn't going to make it certain. As the movie ends, with the bride and the groom already married, the bride finally says "I love you" to the groom. However, notice how she gazes along the road while the groom is driving. Yes, she has visited her true love's grave and placed all mementos on his grave-marker. She even left those blue shoes she swore she was going to wear at their wedding. But then, are we really sure her "I love you" to the groom was sincere?
So "I love you" becomes nothing more than a scream against an uncertain future. Who's to say the bride isn't going to cheat?
