- Release date: August 5, 2023 (Cinemalaya)
- Director: Carl Joseph Papa
- Starring: Carlo Aquino, Gio Gahol, Dolly de Leon
- Genre: Sci-fi, Animation
Memory is an abstract thought that possesses two contrasting qualities: static and dynamic. Though some may come and go like sand to the wind, others remained emblazoned in the mind and soul like scars from a branding iron to the skin.
Yet, how much credence can you give a memory, especially the sinister kind?
Reminiscing is easy.
Believing is hard.
A moment in time becomes a grain of fact when morphed and painted by our own terms, and how we recall our truths forms the foundation for Carl Joseph Papa’s Iti Mapukpukaw (The Missing).
In his fourth directorial effort, Papa’s latest is a rare gem in terms of its artistic form, its place in the local industry, and the themes it chose to deal with.
While the Philippine cinematic scene continues to flourish in its burgeoning creativity, animation is a medium rarely ventured and afforded. Recent years, however, have been kind to local animators, with the likes of Hayop Ka!, Trese, RPG: Metanoia, and Saving Sally, among others, garnering decent fanfare. Continuing this upward trend, The Missing pushes further with the use of a unique style: the rotoscope technique, and the effect is fascinating. Through tracing and embellishing real-life footage, Papa depicts a kaleidoscopic world where fiction and reality merge and the borders between them blur.
But, the stylistic choice serves more than a flex of creativity. In fact, it elevates the medium to something meta. The most misunderstood aspect of animation is how audiences perceive it as an art form geared to the youth. However, when art liberates itself from the confines of corporate demography, it becomes a tool that allows creators to express themselves and their stories in ways that traditional, live-action filmmaking cannot execute.
The Missing is no exception. Here, Papa explores the roots of childhood trauma, the way it persists in everyday life, and how it manifests in the most peculiar ways, all encompassed in the tale of Eric, played by Carlo Aquino, whose quiet yet rich expressions highlight his character’s underlying anguish.
You will notice this in the depictions of flashbacks and the present through contrasts of young and adult drawing styles.
You will see this in the breakdown of layers and designs when the protagonist’s trauma creeps in.
But most strikingly, you will witness this in the revelation of the memory that led to the unfolding events. Not only does it stand out for being morbidly petrifying, but it depicts the moment implicitly, neither direct nor overt yet brings the truth to light with compassionate sensitivity.
But, despairing as its story may be, Papa doesn’t conclude his film on a bitter note. Refreshingly, the film departs from the post-modern pessimism of other contemporary works and offers a glimmer of hope in the face of adversary, brought about by the tenderness of Gio Gahol’s and Dolly de Leon’s portrayals of their respective characters.
By the end of its 90-minute runtime, one might realize that what Eric lost was not missing. It was stolen, a larceny of one’s voice and, consequently, the self, and once it was found, it brought a needed catharsis to him and the audience that may share the experience.