“PAGLIPAY” (CROSSING)
An official entry to the 2017 Pista Ng Pelikulang Pilipino from August 16 to 22 in cinemas nationwide.
“Paglipay” is the Zambal term used to describe the trek and the river crossings of the Aetas from the mountains to go to the town proper. From this phenomenon, Zig Dulay based his latest film “Paglipay” (Crossing) - an entry to the very first To Farm Film Festival.
In “Paglipay”, Atan (Garry Cabalic) is a nineteen year old Aeta arranged to be married to Ani. To fulfil the “bandi” or the dowry that Ani’s family requires, Atan has to go to town and look for work. There he meets Rain (Anna Luna) - a student doing interview on her thesis regarding cross cultural marriages (Pilaok) between aetas (kulot) and lowland people (unat). Atan is interviewed by Rain. He also became her guide in the area, introducing her to people that will be relevant to her research.
In the process, Atan falls inlove with Rain. He buys himself new clothes and skip work, making his role as a guide, an excuse to be with Rain.
A light hearted film reminiscent of Antoinette Jadaone “That thing called Tadhana”, “Paglipay” tickled the heart of its audience with its “hugot lines”.
But “Paglipay” is more than just a love story. Interwoven with grand landscape shots of the Pinatubo landscape and witty dialogue exchanges between the characters, is the life, culture and beliefs of the Aeta people as they interact with one another, with the environment, and with people other than their tribe. The effect of climate change on agriculture- the main livelihood of the Aetas, and environmental degradation brought by black sand excavations and mining operations were also presented in a way that blended perfectly well with the film’s subtlety.