'Sunshine' aims to spark dialogue on society's 'cruelty' towards women

After making rounds at festival circuits such as at last year's Toronto International Film Festival and the Berlin International Film Festival (nicknamed Berlinale) last January, Antoinette Jadaone and Maris Racal's “Sunshine” has arrived home in the Philippines exclusively at SM Cinemas, making its wide release last July 23.

- By JANUAR JUNIOR AGUJA

While it may have won the Crystal Bear for Best Film at the Berlinale, the film's biggest flex is not an award, but rather a testimony from Filipino film critic Philbert Dy, who compared Jadaone's writing and direction to that of the late filmmaker Lino Brocka - known for his portrayal of the harsh realities Filipinos faced, as depicted in “Insiang,” “Bona,” and “Manila in the Claws of Light.”

“Here we are, at the claws of light, a sliver of sunshine cutting through the darkness. Sunshine makes a lot of bad decisions, but that's all she has. This is a nation of bad decisions, especially when it comes to the plight of young women,” Dy wrote in his review on the online social cataloging platform Letterboxd, which made rounds on Filipino film circles on social media. “And she has to weave through these apathetic streets to find the kindness that exists in spite of the cruelty.”

When asked by The FREEMAN how she felt being compared to the influential filmmaker, Jadaone reacted with a laugh, “Hala! I think it's a reach.”