Thy Womb tells a
very slight story about a woman’s devotion to her husband, the movie ending
just as it sits on the brink of getting really interesting. The drama never
quite rises to the heights one would expect from such an emotionally loaded
premise. But its slightness doesn’t detract too much from the overall quality
of the picture. Graceful filmmaking combines with a terrific performance from
the much-missed Nora Aunor to produce something quietly moving.
Shaleha and Bangas-An (Nora Aunor and Bembol Roco) are a
married Badjao couple living in Tawi-Tawi. Shaleha is also a midwife, but is
unable to bear children herself. Wanting to have a child around the house, she
consents to Bangas-An taking a second wife. The movie follows Shaleha as she
seeks out potential wives for her husband, setting up meetings and negotiating
dowries with all the families around town with available daughters.
There’s little urgency in the plot. The film is happy to
linger in the details of the couple’s life, and build up the world around them.
When Shaleha isn’t looking for a bride for her husband, she is weaving a mat,
or catching fish, or hanging them up to dry. They attend a wedding, and watch
the happy young couple dance. Occasionally, a burst of gunfire serves as a
reminder of the violence that persists in the region. But it’s hardly ever more
than a reminder. Their life continues. The movie doesn’t chase down the
violence, and simply accepts it as a part of life in this setting.
The film finds its core in its graceful depiction of
ritual. It presents people entangled in a system of rituals suffused with the
tension that exists in the intersection of faith and personal need. The movie,
in its own, quiet way, asks what it means to love in a society where marriage
is a negotiation. The answer it provides is surprisingly nuanced. The film
makes no judgments, and instead portrays an idea of love that is colorful and
complex. The film only falters near the end, as the story cuts out before the
dramatic meat of the story can come to fruition.
But the movie has other strong points. Strong lensing from
Odyssey Flores makes great use of Tawi-Tawi’s unique backgrounds. Performances
are excellent. There is probably no doubt in any Filipino’s mind that Nora
Aunor is one the finest actresses to ever appear on our screens. But should
there be a trace of it, her performance here should wipe that all out. Aunor
remains radiant on screen, playing her character with heartbreaking grace. At
her side, Bembol Roco plays his character just as smartly, the unspoken gratitude always on his face, the growing conflict
just creeping in from the corners of his mouth.
Thy Womb
might leave people wanting more, the film ending on too ambiguous a note.
Ambiguity can be a very good in cinema, but in this case, it feels as if the
movie didn’t really know where to go. There’s plenty of drama left over to
explore, and it’s a bit of a cheat to not to go there. Having said all that,
the film is still quite worthy of an audience’s attention. It is well crafted
and beautifully acted, and even in its slightness, it possesses a sense of
grace absent from so many of our films. (PHILBERT ORTIZ DY, ClicktheCity.com)
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