Toronto

If I Knew What You Said

 (Philippines)

By JOHN ANDERSON

A Cinemalaya presentation of an Echo & Mirage production. (International sales: Ignatius Films Canada, Mississauga, Ontario.) Produced, directed, written by Mike Sandejas.
 
With: Zoe Sandejas, Romalito, Mallari, Robert Sena, Mica Torre.
(Tagalog, English dialogue)
 

The parallels between deafness and adolescence in Filipino helmer Mike Sandejas' "If I Knew What You Said" will tickle the parents of teenagers who seem to hear nothing at all -- but kids themselves will likely respond more to Sandejas' raggedly plotted but sometimes startling drama about how a supposed handicap can provide a route to self expression. Nevertheless, the pic feels too slick for the arthouse and likely too exotic for mainstream auds, though it does manage to lessen the chore of reading subtitles by opting for so much eloquent silence.

Pic's biggest asset is the director's daughter, Zoe Sandejas, whose performance as the troubled, pouting Nina could springboard the actress across the Pacific.

Departing from the high-speed, handheld-camera aesthetic associated with so much Filipino cinema, "If I Knew What You Said" has a polished quality that occasionally backfires -- the opening scenes in the dance club, where Nina's band is playing while a group of deaf kids led by Kiko (Romalito Mallari) is bullied into a brawl, could have used a more kinetic treatment. Sandejas' style works far better after Nina, in trouble again, is sent to work at a deaf school outside Manila, and learn "how lucky she is." There, as if by magic, she's reunited with Kiko, and her cultivated sullenness is eroded by exposure to a community in which she is the minority, and has to earn her acceptance.

While a Filipino pic about deaf kids is not exactly the kind of film that will have auds lining up around the block, Sandejas' way with the deaf world can be intoxicating. A scene in which several deaf kids get into the sign-language equivalent of a shouting match is charming and engaging, and a welcome into what for most auds will be an unknown world. Dance is a key activity at the school led by the dedicated Dr. Rafael Mendosa (Robert Sena), and the dance sequences, featuring Kiko, are joyous.

The storytelling stumbles a bit: Nina is a drinker and carries a flask containing God knows what, nipping at it during moments of stress. But is she troubled because she drinks or is it the other way around? Her family life is clearly unhappy -- the face of her father, who's a brute, is shown only once, in a reflected surface. But she also experiences episodes of terrifying disequilibrium; the cause might be stress or vertigo -- or the headphones under which she constantly buries herself. Still, the charismatic young Sandejas is a big factor in keeping "If Knew What You Said" on its feet.

Production values are good, particularly Ronald de Asis and Mark Locsin's sound work, and the music direction of Francis Brew Reyes.

Camera (color, DigiBeta), Albert Banzon; editor, Mik Pestano; music, Francis Brew Reyes; production designer, Roland Rubenecia; sound, Ronald de Asis, Mark Locsin. Reviewed at Toronto Film Festival (Contemporary World Cinema), Sept. 12, 2009. Running time: 88 MIN.