Web of Life

Astig is a Filipino indie film directed by Giuseppe Bede Sampedro. It stars Sid Lucero, Arnold Reyes, Edgar Allan Guzman, Dennis Trillo and many more. Set in Manila, this is a story of many different lives but all connected in some way due to certain events. The plot starts with Ariel (Dennis Trillo) who is a swindler or conman. He fakes documents for a living and also use women for money. Eventually, he met a girl named Elgine (Glaiza de Castro). He then faked his identity again and started dating her. After one sexual encounter he left her with STD and never sho2wed himself again. Unfortunately for Ariel, he is caught cornered by Elgine’s brother Baste and then jailed. On the same day, another character named Boy (Edgar Allan Guzman) bailed his mother out of the jailhouse. Boy is a very industrious young guy who happened to impregnate a very young girl. Very low in finances, he tries to do everything he can to earn money but always neglecting the bad ways. One day, his mother was caught for shoplifting, forcing him to break his piggy bank which was supposed to be for his girlfriend’s delivery. When the time came that he needed money for the delivery he had nothing. With all his desperation he ended up lending money and doing a dirty job with an old hag. In the end, he got his family out of the hospital and went to live in the province. On that day, Ronald Chua (Arnold Reyes) was on his way to sell their single property in Manila. He was not after the money he will get from the property but he was really running after his father’s other children. He so wanted to meet his brother but failed. The property was eventually sold to a rich man who happened to be gay, and took advantage of Ronald. Unfortunately, before going home to his mother in Zamboanga he went first to have sex with a prostitute who got all the money by stealing from him. In the end he was caught by the police for walking naked in the streets. On that same night, Baste (Sid Lucero) was on his way home. He is a very strict brother, a student, and works at a petshop. When he found out about his sister Elgine’s problem he suddenly backs her up by giving the guy a lesson. The guy happens to be Ariel the conman.

The flow of the sotry with all the characters related to each other is a cliché in Filipino film and TV. I always observe that in every teleserye or movie characters are a family, a lost brother, a friend and the like. But the difference in this movie is that somehow they’re all connected but not in a personal way. The timeline is good enough but not very impressing if a viewer is used to that kind of style and watched better films than this. I also noted the indie film trademark on shots and camera movements which are mostly unsteady and fast moving, fast zoom in and zoom out, and often juxtaposed. That gives the movie a pump effect but if overused it makes watchers dizzy. I also observed the flaws in dubbing which is very common to Filipino movies. On the other hand the introduction part is good; the music is groovy and the editing of the juxtaposed shots is excellently done.

Some symbols I observed were the removal of Ariel’s necklace. It is a symbol of losing and starting to pay back for all his wrongdoings, or in short it’s his karma. Second, is the breaking of Boy’s piggy bank. It is also the breaking of his dreams to have a hassle free delivery for his girlfriend and to all he had aimed for in the beginning. There’s also a sound metaphor during Boy’s encounter with the old hag. The sound in the background is a crying lady. It’s like a symbol of his crying will while doing the very odd job just for money. The leitmotif was the saints which showed no help in the characters’ misfortune in life.

The movie sends a message of the reality that life is not always sweet and beautiful. There are real people with real sufferings and misfortunes. The point is that no matter what challenges are thrown at us we must still dare to stand against them. As the quote says, “Fall eight times, stand up ninth”. It also showed that everyone can be connected. The things we do may affect others without our knowing. Therefore, we must be wise enough in making our decisions in life, because we may never know the harm or benefit it can be for others.