Gasping for air is an incredible film which centralizes on the dark and disturbing realities of the Philippines’ Child and Sex Trafficking movement.
It recalls the story of a young boy named Luis (Carlos Dala), who left his island in search of his younger sister Lulu (Barbara Miguel) in the city. With the impression that Lulu is working as an aspiring singer, he never thought that he would find her in an illegal sex trade organization. This depressing experience is viewed from the perspective of Luis, yet narrated by Lulu. The violence and abuse depicted in the film embodies the realistic encounters that vulnerable victims had to go through from the outskirts of Manila.
To start, let us first give a quick analysis on the film’s title.
Notice how in the first scene of the movie, the camera catches Luis swimming underwater without the need to rise up and gasp for air, presuming that he doesn’t need to.
It is a brilliant touch of the director’s vision to introduce the film’s title on a more literal sense, and how it manifests the situation on whether they are comfortable enough that they do not need to release from breathlessness. However, as we go further into the movie, we realize that the term “Gasping for air” doesn’t just portray the suffocation of the character’s physical body but rather it renders the suffocation of their mental well-being, most specifically the oppressing environment they got caught into when they moved to the city. Exposed to a toxic and vulgar domain, this strangled the life out of the victims making them turn into willing sex slaves as they lose their sense of self and identity.
Aside from these malignant societal problems, we could also get a glimpse of another concept revolving around passion and how the lack of support from the family can affect the fate of a dreamer. By following Lulu’s journey, we could see that this young girl aspires to become a singer, which she can as she possess great potential. However, even though she won the hearts and support of her own local islanders, especially her brother Luis, she still cannot grow within her artistic area since her own parents refuses to support her in her passion, much less beat her up with her brother for disobeying. The abusive parenting had taken a toll on Lulu’s mindset and it drove her into believing that her new life in the city is better than her life in the island. This notion can be seen from the film.
As an act to deepen the movie’s dramatic ambience, the writer incorporated sibling relationship as a symbolism for innocence, rather than the typical romantic genre. This is a move to create a more heart wrenching approach on the audience.
The film focused on Luis’ persistence and unconditional support for Lulu, and this goes to show the amount of love a brother can express for his younger sister, which is quite uncommon for our local countrymen since Philippines tolerate toxic masculinity. By showcasing Luis’ feminine actions and raw emotions, the film attempts to kill off the stereotypical perspective that there is specific behavior people have to act depending on their gender.
In addition to the analysis, we could also see how the director used lighting to intensify the difference between provincial life and the city.
When displaying scenes that exhibit how islanders live their everyday routine, observe how the frame is mostly drenched in sunlight and luminance. From a narrative point of view, the presence of light signifies a radiant atmosphere.
It illustrates a sense of belonging and merriment, which is most evident throughout the scene. This captures the idea that not every under-resourced town can be used to represent a depressed community and that not every striving area can be a model for a trouble-free life, which brings me to my next point. As the plot of the film intensifies, try to mark the use of darkness in scenes that incorporates the city’s busy state. Not only does the mood of the film set changes, but it also mirrors the characters’ inner emotions.
Detect how smiles were slowly transitioning into dead stares and how laughter changes from cries of agony. This is genuinely a revelation people can relate to, that by shutting yourself up from the decent world, you are more likely prone to the torment brought by greed.
Lastly, I would like to point out the used theory for the film.
Since the movie is inspired by realistic events from our own country, there is no doubt that this film fits the category of realism. Moments included in the film were naturally done and somehow perfectly apprehended the actuality of pedophilia, abuse, poverty, and sex slavery.
This makes Gasping for Air truly fascinating. The ideas, symbols and stories perfectly merged together to create an astounding masterpiece. With every essence, Director Carlo Obispo succeeded to affirm that art was never meant to be wonderful, but rather it was meant to be raw.
