Camiling Story: a film buff makes a movie.
Judging from the title, one would think that Erwin Romulo’s Camiling Story is about, well, Camiling, a town in Tarlac. It starts off with a shot of Earl (Diego Mapa) aboard a mini-bus/coaster, en route to visit his mother’s hometown. One instantly wonders why he is riding such a vehicle, typical of what is used by tourists and company outings and not, say, a provincial bus. Then, he is welcomed by his Lola Stella, (Ermie Conception) his maternal grandmother, to their ancestral home. Thus begins Earl’s soul-searching; his journey to his past in order to understand the present.
On the surface, Camiling has this cool, hip and almost geeky look and feel to it: the sci-fi element to the story, the comics radio voice-over, and the funky music (a mix of rock and electronica) that at times is too overpowering and distracting. But stripped to its very minimum, the film actually is a simple, syrupy teenage romance; the type of genre that seems to be making money at the box-office these days. (Think of Let the Love Begin or Can this be Love?, only better made) Also, it is quite reminiscent of Mike de Leon’s 1977 film Kung Mangarap Ka’t Magagising, which is not at all surprising considering Erwin’s admiration for the master filmmaker.
I was actually hoping to see and learn more about the town of Camiling but it appears that it served more as an accessory than an actual backdrop. It would have been interesting to see the town—it’s history for example—alongside the brewing love story. I would have also loved to learn more about Earl’s family, specially during his moments of introspection.
Another glaring observation are the cameos of Lav Diaz, Cesar Hernando and Roxlee, well-known filmmakers all. A few folks may recognize them, but for those who do, it may appear that Erwin is either seeking for approval or wants to give his work a certain level of respect.
In the end, while I was expecting more from Camiling Story, it is nevertheless an earnest and honest effort. One can easily see that the filmmaker put his heart and soul into project, what with the hurdles he had to overcome along the way. He his still young, with room for maturity, and with a long and still bright future ahead of him.
