(spoiler free)
In November 2013 the Philippines experienced one of the worst ever tropical cyclones. Typhoon Haiyan, also known as Super Typhoon Yolanda in the Philippines, was the most intense tropical cyclone of that year and tragically claimed thousands of lives, while devastating the homes of many more. It’s in the destructive wake of this natural disaster that Filipino-Chinese-Canadian director Seán Devlin sets his new docu-drama, Asog.
Devlin’s film follows a non-binary teacher and drag star, Jaya, as they travel across the Philippines to compete in a pageant. They’re not travelling alone though, as coincidentally one of their students, Arnel, is heading in the same direction in search of his father who left home a year earlier. The pair join forces and set off together meeting many affected by Yolanda along the way. It’s not quite as straightforward as this though, as Jaya, Arnel and all the other people featured in Asog are not characters, they’re real people. Herein lies the film’s more unique blend of narrative and documentary filmmaking, aiming to have the people who actually experienced Yolanda tell their stories.
While this is an interesting concept in principle, in practice it only serves to create a conflict of narrative and tone that consistently holds the film back. Without the use of real actors there’s an amateurish quality to most of the performances and the scenes of scripted drama struggle to become convincing. This is most noticeable during the film’s awkward attempts at comedy, which mostly fail to provide any laughs. The addition of some, admittedly playful animated elements, further contributes to the film’s experimental feel, but it’s one that continues to inhibit the storytelling. The fact that Asog takes a whole forty minutes before the film’s main road trip premise even gets underway is another problem, preventing it from adopting any momentum, which unfortunately, it’s in dire need of.
Thankfully Asog does become more compelling when Jaya and Arnel meet those affected by Yolanda in the film’s documentary moments. Whether it’s a group of women walking to the next village for drinking water as their wells are now contaminated with salt, or coconut farmers discussing how all of their trees have been destroyed, there’s real power in hearing these true stories, told by the people directly affected. Alongside these moving accounts the film offers some especially striking visuals, featuring both the natural beauty of the Philippines, but also the widespread destruction caused by the cyclone. When these two elements are married together the film’s voice and message is at its strongest.
However, with Asog continually reverting back to its less accomplished scenes of drama it diminishes the positive effect that these stronger documentary sections boast. Caught in this constant, frustrating struggle, and not quite knowing when to end, this hybrid film remains admirable in its intentions, but doesn’t quite find the delicate balance of mediums it needs in order to fully succeed.
Written by Hamish Calvert
★★
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