Few films have never been as visually enthralling as Lawrence Fajardo’s latest. Everything from camera angles to scene transitions exudes longing. Sugapa (Viva Films, 2023) is an ill-fated romance, and that desirous mood grows until it overwhelms. It's a film about yearning and dependence, which later translates to love, both of which is attainable and unfeasible for lead characters Ben (Aljur Abrenica) and Ana (AJ Raval). The somewhat languid nature of their romance is never stale, nothing seems forced or exaggerated. Sugapa has Fajardo at his most restrained narrative-wise, yet that doesn’t affect the prowess of his directorial abilities nor the thematic expansiveness of the story at hand. Most cinematic romances tell us what to think, having characters state what they feel early on or inviting us to share lustful gazes. Fajardo does it the hard way, building up a complex psychological relationship in which sexual desire feels like an emergent characteristic rather than a starting point. When Ben and Anna focus on one another, the result seems so specific, so intense, as to be incompatible with any other aspect of life. It is also the kind of relationship which can make other people – including the audience – feel shut out, even rejected. The tension between the two extends like a taut wire that sits burdened under the weight of miscommunication, but also threatens to snap at the peak of their vulnerability. A shift in the second half recontextualizes aspects of the first half, but in this shift, Ana's story is more heightened. Over the course of Sugapa, Fajardo continuously elevates what we're watching and the film is never too much to handle.
There’s a complexity to the storytelling that’s effective and memorable, as Fajardo and writer John Bedia create detailed characters that are intriguing and inscrutable with half-truths shared between them. They seem at times to be observers of their own story, wryly conscious of the familiar roles they inhabit: Ben's best friend, Mando (Lander Vera Perez), Ana's lover Sarge Teodoro (Art Acuña) and her mother Rita (Ana Abad Santos).
Sugapa never takes off in a fully erotic direction. When it homes in on the enigmatic connection between Ben and Ana, the film is as alluring as it is provocative. How does a romance survive between two people whose only hope for a future together depends upon them leaving the past unresolved? Fajardo explores the risks of longing, his take on the genre is like an overpowering attraction that refuses to be ignored. The only relief comes from indulging it. Sugapa is only able to stir up such unexpectedly immense emotions during its final moments because of the complications that Fajardo creates for his characters along the way. The small, pliable details of everyday lives and the enduring awkwardness of enforced small talk. Fajardo builds a world where alliances are constantly shifting and nearly every moment is cause for reconsideration. With very strong supporting performances by Gwen Garci, Tanya Gomez, Archi Adamos, Lou Veloso, Jarius Aquino, Mark Dionisio, Neil Tolentino and Rene Durian - Sugapa never burns, it sizzles and smolders, opting to enhance passion and sorrow to the detriment of thrills and violence. Although more formal and less furious, Fajardo refuses to adhere to conventionality. The clarity in filmmaking, dealing with multiple layers and complex temporal shifts in the story, he meets his goal with an incredible eye for detail. If Sugapa initially seems to be examining how their feelings for each other can survive despite being unresolved, a different picture emerges - one that suggests there's no other way for Ben to stay alive. Love can last a lifetime, but longing never dies.
Directed By: Lawrence Fajardo
Screenplay: John Bedia
Director of Photography: Joshua Reyles
Production Designers: Ian Traifalgar, Law Fajardo
Musical Scorers: Peter Legaste, Joaquin Santos
Editor: Lawrence Fajardo
Sound Design: Russel Gabayeron
