
Life has its unpredictable ways and it may instruct one with its teachings in the most unexpected times. For instance, the direct quote from the pivotal actors of the movie Under Parallel Skies can be summarized as “Life is in those little transitions”.
The viewers will remember how the dynamic and overwhelming environment of Hong Kong transforms into the calming and slower lifestyle of the fictional island, Peng Chau. Win Metawin’s character Parin, a Thai man, narrates his tale. First, we meet him on the beach of Peng Chau in search of another character, Thea (Janella Salvador). The only difference is the overbite: the other mysterious character bears a striking resemblance to his lost ex-lover, Iris, who abandoned him.
The movie can be regarded as cliché in some instances and therefore it sure is dispelled that it is clichéd. When Bridgerton is said to be too overdone, as romantic stories go, it is high time that Under Parallel Skies comes to recapture the optimism attached to even the most daft and overused love tales. Most critics fail to realize the point of romantic stories that such stories are not only about love but also about the many complexities that exist within relationships. Romance is likely to be much better than what Iris and Parin have and one can only hope so, for this is how the majority of people tend to judge these relationships. In contrast to the rest of the romantic comedies that I have seen recently, Sigrid Andrea Bernardo’s Under Parallel Skies is more linear, straightforward, and down to Earth.
Iris works as a hotel receptionist, who has to look after a drunk customer called Bhuritparin. Most of the time, simply due to her height and fragility, she gets to pull him by the legs into his suit. Right from the start of the movie, the interaction between the two lead characters is established and then developed from being strangers to “best friends” and next to being romantically involved. The core objective of Parin’s trip to Hong Kong is to get a hold of his mother who left them because of being unbearable. In fact, after getting to know her, he understands the value of keeping everlasting joy when he gets it from his mother.
However, as the various advices go, life may not be what it is cut out to be sometimes, and we have to understand the situation and take the good and the bad, and at times it is best to put emotions away so as not to go off at the slightest touch. It’s here that Janella Salvador and Win Metawin both are capable of showing what is, in some senses, an unadorned but forcible tenderness. So as the first question under Parallel Skies’s very interesting first scene appears to hint, in an uproarious fashion: Do we really want our loved ones to see us in pain? Do we really want them to experience us at our worst? If it is a resounding yes, then would we rather want them to witness our pain and suffer in order to save them from us because we are Ill?
More of such questions arise: Wouldn’t that affect their autonomy? Is it right to refuse to tell the truth while knowing the truth that there is not much difference to pretending and knowing that the person has a choice to stay or walk out rather than keep them guessing? In this movie, the truth is a two edged sword. If you have been dumped by their partners while they were ill, they may think that it’s better to be the first to make the move, like an injured cat that hides from its owners.
Although this outlook most likely carries some negativity with it, it is also true that some people would sometimes rather cheat on a partner than have to be sincere when asked about the problems they have in a relationship. It is also worthwhile to mention that these concepts are difficult to deal with in real life caring for someone in a relationship is hard and even more so if the pair have been together for a long period and this issue has not affected the relationship. The long and short of it, whether good or bad for the couple, is there should be no place for remorse because it only contributes to more pain and suffering.
Under Parallel Skies refrains from exploring this dark outlook. The film touches upon a love story between Iris and Parin that is mixed with a mild sense of regret. Their relationship develops at a moderate pace and soon shifts to the quick phase but there is still hope as their love remains one of a kind and interesting with a marriage like a flower that has grown epiphyllum, it opens for a very brief while but the love endures for ever.
Watching the film, there are episodes that made me consider how one of the personalities could act in such a manner is it such a self centered thing to choose for another person to behave in that manner? It seemed to me this is some level of an excessive altruism, however what does it matter in the end? We all have to die sometime , and just as easily as leaving a footprint in the sand which is washed away by the sea, and the footprints will be meaningful only for those who knew you.
CONCLUDING REMARKS
Under Parallel Skies is a feature film that runs for 110 minutes, which is the perfect duration. It is not too short that it feels like a movie is missing a few minutes and it does not exceed too much so that it gets dragged. Coming from a Filipino living in Thailand for almost five years, the film felt quite nice. There are some scenes where Janella Salvador is supposed to weep more than her character would want her to, and in my opinion, she nails that role. However, in order for us to emotionally connect with the toil of his character, it is nice that Win Metawin has a pleasant face, a smile, and mild narration of his hostile fingers. Sigrid Andrea Bernardo works so well with the cross cultural elements as she tells a Filipino and a Thai narrative within a concrete jungle which is completely different from the Thais’ ‘sabai-sabai’ or the Filipinos ‘mañana’ attitudes. Enjoyable nonetheless, if I could calmly assume, that was a romantic comedy that I would watch, and the plot, well, it moved differently.
Fil[ipino] artists have done good collaborative work from a cross country perspective and it is gratifying to see the fruits of their labor being enjoyed in so many places. What I found intriguing about the film, was its ability to promote the commonplace without an overpatterned message. 5 out of 5.
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