Alagwa

Alagwa (2012) is a gripping Filipino drama-thriller about a father (Jericho Rosales) desperately searching for his kidnapped son (Bugoy Cariño). The film starts off feeling almost like a daytime soap, but once the son goes missing in a mall, the tone shifts dramatically. Some scenes evoke the raw, gritty realism of Dante Mendoza, while others carry the emotional, dreamlike atmosphere of Wong Kar-Wai. The performances by Rosales and Cariño are exceptional, anchoring the film's emotional depth. The ending is its strongest asset-raw, heartbreaking, and guaranteed to bring tears. I know this firsthand, having watched it as a new father myself over a decade ago. However, the film's visual quality hasn't aged well, much like another Filipino digital classic, Pa-Siyam. It could've benefited from a better shooting format, as its look feels dated today. Despite these technical flaws, Alagwa remains a powerful emotional journey that resonates long after the credits roll.

"Alagwa" is a word I have never heard of before. I had no idea what this indie film is all about. However its reputation precedes it as a winner in various award-giving bodies before, both here and abroad, as a winner as Best Picture and Best Actor for star Jericho Rosales. This is definitely a must-watch film.

Robert Lim is a financially-strapped, harassed single dad to his young son Brian. When his beloved son apparently gets kidnapped in a mall one day, Robert never stopped looking for him, even if this quest led him straight to the dark sinister underbelly of Chinatown, into the lair of a child-smuggling syndicate. Will father ever get reunited with his son?

Jericho Rosales does not look a bit like a Chinese guy or mestizo as his family name would indicate, but boy, he really acts up a storm in this film as the exasperated and desperate father. As a father myself to a boys of Brian's age, I really felt everything he is feeling and definitely hit no false notes in his flawless performance. You can really feel an emotional connection with his character.

Bugoy Carino is really a very charming and natural actor as the mischievous Brian. His chemistry with Rosales was so effortless, which really made his disappearance midway in the film more painful to watch. Leo Martinez plays a police chief who vowed to help Robert but whose assistance may have done more harm that good. Smokey Manaloto plays a pimp who was Robert's entry ticket into the underworld. It was good to see the beautiful Singaporean actress Ms. Carmen Soo as the daughter of Robert's boss and Brian's godmother sympathetic to Robert's plight.

Overall, this movie is all about Jericho's performance. His acting definitely definitely rose above the script which was limited by too many convenient and contrived coincidences to be truly realistic. The seemingly meaningless scenes showing Robert roaming the streets of Hong Kong which interrupt the main story being told will gain its significance eventually. The frightfully chilling view inside that disgusting child trafficking syndicate was the visceral punch of the film, and Jericho's reaction is our reaction.