With the “honeymoon phase” far behind them, middle-aged couple Jimmy and Issey Tolentino face the breaking point of their 25-year marriage, as each of them face conflicts in both their personal and professional lives.
Both writers and longtime professors at the University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman, this film tackles the doubt and fear upon spending a lifetime within one’s comfort zone. Jimmy (Nonie Buencamino) falls deeper into a decades-long research project while memory of an old love Issey, (Eula Valdez) becomes fascinated by her student and young writer named Gab (Martin Del Rosario).
As each storyline unravels, the characters’ evolution and growth are palpable on-screen. Jimmy, who begins as an eccentric researcher on the verge of breakthrough, becomes a sullen and withdrawn individual, and later transforms into a husband intent on making things right. On the other hand, Issey, whose introduction within the film paints her out to be a composed, respectable figure within the academe with well-concealed emotional turmoil, first becomes a dedicated cynic into a woman who learns to move forward.
Buencaamino and Valdez’s acting was simply superb as they portrayed people who were barely holding it together inside, while attempting to understand both each other. For his part as Gab, however, Del Rosario perfectly played the awkward yet brilliant young man at the crossroads between two life chapters.
Storytelling via aftermath
First premiered at the 2014 Cinemalaya independent film festival, “Dagitab” was directed and written by Filipino director, Giancarlo Abrahan. The film takes an interesting route with its visual storytelling. Set against the lush greenery of the UP Diliman campus, Abrahan combines the atmospheres of slice of life and dramatic aftermath scenes to bring Dagitab to life on the screen.
The film’s atmosphere is heavy all throughout, with dramatic cinematography and a consistently muted palette of colors and elements. This is by no means a morose film, however. There are witty lines, comedic scenes, and light-hearted banter, interwoven between sections of heavy conversations among the characters.
Moreover, Abrahan’s “Dagitab” has won multiple awards such as “Best Performance” by Male or Female, Adult or Child, Individual or Ensemble in Leading or Supporting Role, “Best Achievement in Cinematography” and “Visual Design and Best First Feature” at the 2015 Young Critics Circle, Philippines.
A different kind of love story
Unlike most films about love today, which focus on young love and wild, burning passion, Dagitab centers on love after decades together. Buencamino and Valdez capture a natural domestic dynamic—with interactions the usual romance films would shy away from—where Issey is on the toilet, as she converses with Jimmy who is eating breakfast in the next room. There are no grand romantic gestures; nobody gets swept off their feet.
Abrahan shows the aftermath of climactic events, as opposed to just the events themselves, allowing the audience to piece together and process emotions alongside the characters—such as the post-scandal interactions between Issey and Gab, as well as Jimmy’s existential crisis as he nears the completion of a lifetime of study.
Dagitab’s overall storyline and storytelling are equally complex. However, the film did tend to feel dragging and heavy, with much being implied and left for viewers to piece together, such as how a supernatural encounter led Jimmy to find an ancient sword; and what exactly transpired between Issey and Gab.
There is the companionship between two people who have chosen to stay together after life and love have both grown mundane. With the overwhelming concern of a love that has matured, Dagitab attempts to understand what it has become as the film ends on a quiet note.
From August 28 to September 2, Cinema One Originals is streaming Dagitab for free. Watch it through this link here.
