Sana Dati by Jerrold Tarog is officially out in theaters, and I encourage ALL OF YOU to go watch it!

Seriously.

I first knew about Sana Dati a couple of months ago, when I took a class under Sir Tarog. He was filming Sana Dati at that time and I was one of the lucky people who got to play as extra in the film. Though I knew the premise of Sana Dati, I was still so heavily moved and surprised by the turn of events when I first saw the film. It turns out Sana Dati is so much more than I originally thought it would be. If you're looking for something new in Philippine Cinema, then this is the film for you. If you're looking for a different kind of love story, then Sana Dati is your best bet.

It also won numerous awards at Cinemalaya last August: Best Film, Best Director, Best Sound Design, Best Original Score, Best Editing, Best Production Design, Best Cinematography and Best Supporting Actor for TJ Trinidad.

If that isn't reason enough for you to watch it, here is my review!

The Review:
It does not take a very experienced person to understand the pain Andrea (Lovi Poe) is going through. The film flawlessly showcases how love can make a person so vulnerable, that sometimes it becomes so difficult to move on even if you have to. The story was very whole, and I loved how they played around with the timeline, showing how scenes from the past and present become interwoven. The cinematography was impeccable, and kudos to the strong writing and directing. My favorite scene would have to be the part where Andrea steps up on the railing, with her hair flying in the wind, her eyes closed, her arms stretched out - she looked so at peace, even if it was for just a moment. I also especially LOVED the ending; there is no better way to end this film. It was realistic, sentimental, sad, and moving. It was unpredictable, yet inevitable. It symbolized the final closure Andrea needed. Oh, and props to the beautiful musical score!

Go catch Sana Dati in theaters. You won't regret it.

Have you ever just  inhaled a book as if your life depended on it? And I'm not talking about how people love inhaling the fresh, crisp smell of books (I'm not the only one who does that, right?). I'm talking about how a book could just literally take control over you, the way there's nothing else you can do until you just finish that book. You can't put it down, even to pee or eat or sleep, because it's just too fucking good. And once you've finished it, it feels like just a split second has passed, because it was such a great experience that reading it felt like inhaling the book in one single breath.

Before I start this post, let me just say that I am a big Miley Cyrus fan. However, I am writing this post not as a fan, but as someone who is sick of living in a society that tolerates classic slut shaming and the double standards that perpetuate inside it.



First of all, the We Can't Stop - Blurred Lines performance at the VMAs: The performance was quite over the top with all the twerking, the foam finger and the excessive tongue action, but why did no one notice how Miley completely reversed the expected gender roles in society? In Thicke's video, he is surrounded by a bunch of naked girls who look like mere props as he sings "I know you want it" full with sexual innuendo. The song itself can be considered "rapey" in which blurred lines reference to "does no really mean no?" In the same sense, the lyrics remind people that women's role in sexual acts is simply as an object or a prop, and that a woman should be contented with being submissive to the man's demands. In Miley's performance with Robin, however, she completely inverted this misogynistic notion by making Robin look like the prop. During the whole performance, Robin appeared to be the back-up, and seemed so powerless as Miley danced around him, even using the foam finger to grope him. She was the one singing the lines to Robin about "trying to domesticate you", showing how women can also be the dominant one. Though the performance went too far and was over the top, Miley deserves to be lauded for being brave enough to express her sexuality and completely reverse a chauvinistic song.