4 DAYS

Philippines, 2016, 75 minutes, Colour.

Sebastian Castro, Mikoy Morales, Stephanie Sol..

Directed by Adolfo Alix, Jr.

The four days of the title include Valentine’s Day, four days in a relationship between two friends at a university campus.

The theme of this story is relationships, relationship between two men, two friends, one with a string of girlfriends, the other a musician, but indicating a gay attraction with his friend.

Many significant Filipino directors have taken on gay themes in their films, often quite explicit. This film is exactly the opposite. And, the filmmakers, a collaboration between the director and the actor portraying the friend, Mikoy Morales, have opted for what one might call a more contemplative of approach.

For their aesthetic, many of the takes are for a very long, the camera staying on the characters, individuals, the couple, and background shots of the campus, overhead shots, rooms with computers… Audience who prefer things to be moving, they may find these long shots irritating or, perhaps, intolerabley long, even superfluous.

The film introduces the two characters and their situation. One of the friends has a girlfriend, declaring that this is the real thing and the other demanding that it be a full commitment because of his friendship with the young woman. He composes a song for Valentine’s Day, sings it.

However, the seemingly straight young man is shown then in a very long shot, lying on his bed, weeping. Then the approach of his friend and the suggestion of some activity but, the opposite of the older films, the camera cutting away, leaving the implications of behaviour suggested.

There is some movement and speed towards the end with the confrontation between the two, the gay man becoming more and more desperate, wanting some kind of acknowledgement, the other man wanting more time.

And that is it, for the audience to reflect rather than to see, to ponder the issue more than to be emotionally involved.