Kun maupay man it panahon

Whether the weather is fine is a film that focuses on immersing its audiences to the experiences of the characters, rather than the plot. At its core, this film tells the story of lost people, attempting to find direction in the midst of the chaos and the fog caused by the Typhoon Yolanda.

Something inherent in this film that can be both admirable in the perspective of a film-maker, but detrimental to the box office, is how personal the whole film feels like. It's as if we were asked to experience what these victims felt like when the typhoon hit the Philippines, and it does a tremendous job doing so.

Every frame in this scene smells stinky, and I mean that in an absolute good way. It succeeded in giving out an atmosphere that's only present in a third-world country that's been hit by a natural disaster this drastic, thanks to the cinematography that felt grounded and the direction that bodes well with its gritty visuals.

One weakness of the film can be traced back to its writing, and more specifically, the character's decisions throughout the film. It felt as if it were trying too hard to be humorous at times, which could feel unnecessary.

It's disgusting nature proved at times to be enough, and the moment it decided to go on a tonal shift, it felt too much.

For someone who experienced being hit by a chaotic disaster myself, I went inside the cinema expecting this critically-acclaimed film to be a medium to explore a story of family and drama while facing a catastrophic event that once filled all the headlines and brought in an international attention. But upon seeing the first few shots, accompanied by a very bizarre music compared to the visuals, I already felt what the film is trying to achieve.

Kun Maupay It Panahon (Whether the Weather is Fine) - a debut film of Carlo Francisco Manatad - is a tale about three people; Miguel (Daniel Padilla), Norma (Charo Santos), and Andrea (Rans Rifol); while they cruise through the ruins of Tacloban, Leyte after the devastating supertyphoon Yolanda.

The film's composition of wide shots and very detailed production design gives a sense of immersiveness to the viewers to feel with the main characters. The ambiguity of the characters while they interact with the surroundings blends well with how they slowly walk towards their own different goals. And it's very evident how the treatment of Manatad plays not with the outward interaction of the characters with their environment, but with their inner emotions and perception of their current reality. I also like the film's satirical critique of the Filipino resiliency and the subtlety of how they tried to show it.

Overall, the absurdism of the film worked really well on portraying the stories of the characters. It's a storytelling that gives a firm social voice on how things usually unfolds on casastrophes outside and within ourselves. And it's truly devastating, whether the weather is fine - or not.

From a survivor's point of view, the movie brings back so many memories of that unfaithful day. The struggles were very much reminiscent of how we Taclobanons behaved days after Super Typhoon Haiyan ravaged the city. Above all, I'm just impressed as to how they genuinely sounded like native Waray people. It amazes me to see a representation of us Warays in the big screen.

This film is uncolored, untethered to any intention of romanticization. It effectively taps into the fear of the unknown which catalyzes the actions of the Filipino people that the film aims to represent - to steal, to cut corners, to burst out into anger, but to also show empathy, dedication to family, and resilience. However, the Filipino concept of "resiliency" is not exploited nor misrepresented, and even provides commentary on films that do tackle that route by presenting restraint (through writing and direction) and then and only then when the context of the entire story has been laid out will it allow complete surrender to the situation. In all of this, the film is still capable of injecting surreal imagery within its hard truths. It expounds to a depth that touches on the nuances of seeking sanity inside and outside an eye of a storm. It is never the fault of those in peril to grasp for every ounce of stillness - stability, security; whether it may be a false sense of the matter or wishful thinking, whether the weather is fine.

The film dwells on the story of how Filipinos from a rural place struggles to survive before and after a typhoon. This may seem like it focuses more on the experiences with typhoon Yolanda back in 2013, but this could also happen in every typhoon that has passed in the Philippines especially as a 3rd world country. Not only did they tackle typhoon problems, but also personal problems as well which makes it a bit more realistic and painful.

I like how the film included traits that Filipinos would do when a typhoon hits the country. An example would be in regards with our faith or how Filipinos would manage to smile especially with the media's presence. In terms of visuals, the film seems to make poverty an aesthetic which would be fine as a film since it could capture the audience's attention and make them feel like they are part of the story. Although in reality, it should not be much glorified for the media and people must actually help these survivors instead. I was kind of sceptical with Daniel Padilla's role in the film at first since it is mostly based on real life situations and it is a heavy topic to ponder upon. His instead has this mainstream image where we only see him as an actor specifically for romantic films. However, he sort of nailed this one along with his Waray language since he did play his part as an actor of his character too.

Overall, it is a great film. This deserves more recognition especially as we live in a country filled with islands which could be greatly affected by typhoons. We must support our own country's films, even if the language being used is not our main language. Imagine it with the same situation as watching Korean series or films without truly understanding the language, but still show our support thanks to subtitles.