SYPNOSIS: Sana Dati is “a love story
about a woman whose wedding is thrown into disarray when a mysterious person
arrives and reminds her of the man she really loves. It is the third part of
Tarog’s Camera Trilogy after CONFESSIONAL (Cinema One Originals 2007) and
MANGATYANAN (Cinemalaya 2009).”
PRODUCTION
DESIGN:
I liked the setting of the
movie. It was simple, yet realistic. I saw how “not-so-prepared” the wedding was.
It justified the fact how impulsive Andrea’s character was and how she wanted
to have a quiet and simple wedding. As I can remember, Robert told Dennis that
Andrea just came back and told him to convince her to marry him.
At first, I didn’t
appreciate the beauty of Andrea’s wedding gown, but after a while, I loved how
Andrea wore the gown. It was too simple, but it suited her very well. She
looked so gorgeous. Regarding the make-up, I noticed a little inconsistency
with it. There was this scene where Lovi has an eye-liner (I don’t know what
you call that), but after the next scene, the make-up was gone. Although there
was inconsistency, I really loved how they didn’t put too much make on her. She
looked pretty yet stressed and problematic.
EDITING:
Though it is an inter-crossing
flashback and fast forward story, it was still a bit confusing. Especially the
part when it flashbacked to Dennis’ preparation before going to Andrea’s
wedding. Even though it was a little confusing, the editing of the movie was
still good and didn’t make the movie not likable.
CINEMATOGRAPHY:
At the first parts of the film,
the camera was a bit shaky and made me feel a little dizzy. I think the
shakiness of the camera was unnecessary because they are in a hotel and for me,
the camera should be still and not shaky. Though there were imperfections with
it, the cinematography work of the movie was remarkable and astounding. I loved
how they thought of the camera shots and angles. It was inventively made.
SCRIPT:
Thinking of the storyline, you
would probably think that it would have a usual “too Filipino” script. I
thought it was just the same as the other Filipino lovestory movies, but I was
wrong. Their scripts made me think of what’s going to happen next. It was
really logical. I liked how they used a quotation from a book that made the
viewers search for it after watching the movie. Also, I liked how they made the
script “nakaka-kilig” though it is not too “cheesy”. The script was realistic,
not like other Filipino lovestory movies.
STORY:
The storyline was simple - "acceptance
and art of letting go", but it was executed really great. I don't know if
it was just me, but there were scenes that I didn't expect to happen. The movie
gave exceptional creativity and surprises. I expected a typical “moving on”
story, but it was really presented greatly. The story made me feel like crazy.
It played with my emotions, but I love how the story of the film lingered with
me. I was in awe for like 2 days. I really admire this film. It was such a
prodigious film. I want to watch it again.
SOUND DESIGN AND SCORING:
I liked how they put the sound and scoring. It was simple and
not disrupting. I liked how they have broken the viewers’ ears with silence in
some of the scenes. The music blended well with the scenes. It stirs emotions and
curiosity.
ACTORS:
Lovi’s acting was superb. I felt her pain and sadness.
She was able to pass what she was feeling to the audience. It was really seen
through her acting how not excited and happy she was at her own wedding day.
She successfully made the audience feel how she was hurting inside.
Paulo Avelino’s acting was so natural in portraying
his role. His acting was just subtle, but you can feel the pain he was feeling
inside. I loved how he had this “poker face” in the film. It seemed like he was
numb already but hurting deeply inside.
Benjamin Alves did a good job also. He only had few
scenes, but he was able to let the audience feel how he loved his girlfriend,
Andrea and how he wanted to live freely without restrictions because of his
illness.
