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| Rhian Ramos as Sally with Enzo Marcos as Marty. (Screengrab from Youtube) |
Imagine what love can do to someone as dedicated and passionate like director Avid Liongoren. Well, he just proved that sometimes, with a little bit of faith, patience and hard work. great things... impossible things can actually happen. And his film Saving Sally is here to show that to us. His film, an animated scifi romantic fantasy film, is the first of it's kind here in the Philippines. It blends live action with 2D animation to an amazing effect. Imagine the films Scott Pilgrim vs. the World or Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, but with Rhian Ramos as a nerdy girl who is the love interest of the main protagonist. Robots, monsters, and all sorts of things pop up everywhere in this beautiful mix of romance and animation.
Saving Sally follows Marty, played my Enzo Marcos, who is secretly in love with his best friend Sally, played by Rhian Ramos. Marty is a comic book fan. Hew also loves making comic books of his own. He is the typical geeky guy in movies and television series. At the same time, he also sees the world differently. He sees bad people as monsters, walking among us everyday and everywhere. Sally, an artist, inventor, and self-proclaimed mercenary, has a very strict parents. Played perfectly by Archie Adamos and Shamaine Buencamino, her parents who are also portrayed in the film (and in Marty's eyes) as monsters, are very abusive to her. They often lock her up in their house and even hurt her. Probably it's because they're just her adoptive parents. Or they're just crazy. Whatever. But in addition to this, she is also in love with the wrong guy- Nick the Dick, played by TJ Trinidad. And yes, Nick is literally and figuratively a dick as he is a bad influence to her and is putting her more into trouble. So instead of telling Sally his real feelings for her, he decided to just save her from her jerk boyfriend and her abusive parents.
As we all have been made aware of, it took ten years to complete Saving Sally. That's why it has been one of the most talked-about films in this year's Metro Manila Film Festival. People have been wondering, how come this film took 10 freaking years to make? Well, it's the same problem that every other indie film director had to deal with in this industry. Lack of budget and support.
Principal photography for the film under the helm of Liongoren began as early as 2005 but it came to a halt due to financial constraint. After two to three years, French film producer Alain de la Mata, decided to help Liongoren after the former was impressed with the idea behind the film. The producer remarked that the film's sounds and special effects were poor, and asked if they can reshoot the film. The film originally involved 3D elements, devised puppets, and members of the cast wearing costumes as monsters but these were later scrapped and they all decided to focus on 2D animation instead. Production resumed in 2010 and everything had to be done from scratch. Green screen were used for the film which was later superimposed with 2D animated elements. Artists from Rocket Sheep were responsible for the creation of the futuristic Manila background, as well as the 2D animated monsters. At this time, the original actress to play Sally was no longer available so they also had to find a replacement. This is when Rhian Ramos was able to grab the role. Although they received a grant from the French government, this was not enough to finish the material. That is the reason why they had to put up a website where they asked people who are interested to give donations in terms of monetary assistance in finishing the film. Alas, after a long and painful ten-year journey, Saving Sally was completed. And after seeing the final product, I couldn't help but be amazed with what director Avid Liongoren and his team has achieved here.
Saving Sally is one of the most gorgeous Filipino films I have seen in a very long time. I never imagined that I would experience something as beautiful as this film. I've read somewhere online that people were not so impressed with it. They kept on comparing this gem to other animated movies like Disney's Frozen. What these people don't understand is that Saving Sally is an independently produced film which relied on a very small budget. It relied on grants, donations and it almost took all of it's director's savings. Disney has a whole company of animators who create there films using state-of-the-art technology. This film was made by a group of people (five, if I'm not mistaken) who painstakingly drew each frame of the film in a little house in Teacher's Village, Quezon City for a duration of ten years. Imagine the hard work and dedication that they put into this project. Comparing it with Disney's other animation is just downright stupid and offensive.
Although the project was originally conceived to be seen by people online for free, the film turned out as something worth seeing in a theater. The 2D animations beautifully come to life in the big screen, taking you and the viewers to it's imaginative world. Honestly, I can't help but savor every detail of each frame of the film. It's as if you were watching a beautiful painting coming to life right before your eyes. The colors were so vibrant. The lines and shades were so slick. Every animated character brings a smile in my face. It's like watching those 2D animated films from Japan, but this time, they're speaking in English and Filipino and with real actors in the foreground. It is one of the most immersive movie experience I have felt while watching a Filipino film. The story is very formulaic, I admit. But when the film is as gorgeous as this, sometimes you forget those technicalities and focus more on just enjoying and falling in love with the astounding visuals that you see moving right before your eyes.
Aside from the 2D animations, another great aspect of this film is that it is perfectly cast. Rhian Ramos is just the right girl to play Sally. I know she was a bit young when she took over this role since this was filmed like a decade ago but she already has the acting skills to bring her character to life. Enzo Marcos was also good as Marty. He's not the usual handsome leading man type of protagonist that we see in every other film. But he perfectly embodies that shy type geeky guy that is hiding in each one of us. He is adorable as Marty, and that's enough. I guess that's also the same reason why he and Rhian Ramos has a pretty good chemistry on screen. TJ Trinidad looks like he is having lots of fun playing Nick the Dick, the jerk boyfriend of Sally. The character don't require too much emotions from him as his character is usually depicted in 2D animation but he is able to give the character some menace when needed. I must say that Archie Adamos and Shamaine Buencamino somehow steal the show during their scenes as Sally's menacing parents. Though their roles were very small, they were able to make a lot out of it.
Some may find the film a bit cheesy, others may think it's overrated. But admit it or not, it is undeniable that this film is one hell of a masterpiece. A product of love and dedication of a filmmaker. A moving work of art. It's a proof that something impossible can be achieved if you put enough (or lots) of faith, dedication and passion for it. Aside from making history in the recent Metro Manila Film Festival, Avid Liongoren's Saving Sally is sure to contribute a big part in our country's cinema. I'm pretty sure that the film will serve as catalysts for other filmmakers to push the boundaries of film animation in the country. And soon, it will be noticed by the international film community too. And for that alone, I couldn't be more grateful.
Rating: ✰✰✰✰ out of 5
Saving Sally (2016)
Starring Rhian Ramos, Enzo Marcos and TJ Trinidad
Written by Charlene Sawit-Esguerra, directed by Avid Liongoren
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