Written and directed by Auraeus Solito (who won as best director) of “Maximo Oliveros” and “Pisay”, “Busong (Palawan Fate)” is obviously made with foreign audiences in mind. It’ll click with the art house circuit, particularly those culture vultures fond of things ethnic, tribal and mystical. No wonder it was accepted at the Cannes Filmfest. But locally, it’ll cater to a very limited market. Culled from indigenous Palawan myths about death, healing and rebirth, it’s a trilogy that is held together by the story of Punay (Alessandra de Rossi), a woman born with wounds on her feet and body (representing Palawan itself) and is carried by her brother Angkarang (Rodrigo Santikan) on a hammock to look for a healer. Along the way, they meet Ninita (Bonivie Budao) whose husband (Walter Arenio) died after cutting a tree with a chainsaw. Then there’s a fisherman (Dax Alejandro) whose boat is taken by a white man (symbolizing U.S. colonialism) and loses his son at sea. The last one is Aris (Clifford Banagale), a balikbayan searching for his roots, who becomes Punay’s healer that turns her wounds into butterflies. A treasure trove for anthropologists, it offers superb visuals and the pristine beauty of Palawan perfectly captured by cinematographer Louie Quirino for the big screen. But the narrative moves so slowly and is generally cumbersome. How we wish some scenes were better structured so they won’t drag and the pacing will be quicker.
