Gitling (2023): Separated by Nationality, Connected Through Language
Review by Mark John Barroga
“𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘬𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘶𝘢𝘨𝘦.”
In this day and age, many people use social media to communicate with each other. Before it was SMS, now it is Facebook, Messenger, Instagram, X (formerly known as Twitter), and chat-based applications such as Telegram, Viber, and WhatsApp. Aside from these, dating applications such as Tinder, Bumble, and OKCupid have also gained popularity. Most people want an instant connection or a start to bring back the spark in their lives. This was amplified during the pandemic, wherein people were isolated from the outskirts of the city, subsequently leading to feelings of loneliness and boredom.
Yearning for this connection, especially with the return to regular programming post-pandemic, can sometimes be tiring and draining. Sometimes, all we need is a little peace and to let the connection find us ourselves, even in the most unexpected ways. Enter Gitling/Hyphen, the feature directorial debut by Jopy Arnaldo and the Best Screenplay Awardee at Cinemalaya 2023, starring Gabby Padilla (Jamie) and Ken Yamamura (Makoto). This film involves a translator and a film director forming a bond through words and language, after meeting in Bacolod through a film festival and seemingly trying to escape life’s hustle and bustle.
The film is noted for its use of five languages, namely English, Filipino, Nihongo, Hiligaynon, and a made-up language by Jamie. Throughout the film, the characters code-switch, bringing up interesting discussions about life, relationships, culture, and the future. Arnaldo playfully uses the subtitles to highlight the film’s essence of communication, which, ironically, the characters perceived to have lacked during their relationships. The subtitles encourage the audience to pay attention to the context of the film, just as Makoto paid attention to learning Jamie’s made-up language.
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The description of using a hyphen is also tackled, specifically when Makoto asks Jamie questions about her made-up language. The definition, both literally and figuratively, states the hyphen as a medium that bonds words into a single idea, just as two people fuse and put their values towards each other when they enter into a relationship. By the end of the relationship, people sometimes feel empty and broken, as their ideas and values may have been altered just to please their significant other, something that the characters reflected upon (and so should we).
The film also explores Makoto’s reluctance to use subtitles for his own film’s third act, as while he wanted to let the film express itself, he did not find the right words to convey at the time he was creating the film. With the bond that he and Jamie created, he is inspired to show a new version, now presented with subtitles containing the characters’ inner thoughts. As a fitting denouement, the film restricts us from their thoughts by not providing subtitles and encourages us to interpret their conversation based on our liking. Do they end up together? Do they not see each other again? Do they go back to their old lives? Only they know. You leave the cinema hanging and contemplating, which kind of reminded me of the ending scene in the Truman Show.
Mycko David’s cinematography, Emmanuel Aguila’s music, and many more were instrumental in making this film stand out as an all-time hit. The ode to films that the characters liked, such as Wong Kar Wai and Richard Linklater’s Before Sunset, is interspersed with the film’s storyline. While some shots in Bacolod are done throughout the day, oftentimes it is deliberate to evoke Wong in the midnight, neon light setting to depict the characters’ sense of loneliness and contemplation in the quiet, peaceful nights spent in the city. Of course, some shots have the step printing effect that Wong is most popular for, showing the characters engulfed in their world. The dialogue is ala Linklater mumblecore, with some conversations done in the car, again paying homage to Before Sunset.
The music is introspective and, at the same time, intoxicating. Aguila has done well complimenting the film with his pieces, mirroring the inner thoughts that the characters can only express through subtitles and cannot convey themselves in person. To cap the film with UDD’s Young Again is just stunning and heartbreaking.
Lastly, Gabby Padilla and Ken Yamamura did an excellent job portraying two broken people with a lot of nuance and restraint, as expressed in how palpable their emotions can be felt even with them not talking. Major props to Gabby as it is a daunting task for any actor to switch between five languages and do it seamlessly.
All in all, the film was able to bridge the gap between languages and inspire us to find someone who will allow us to speak the words that are often better left unsaid.
𝐑𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆: 𝟓/𝟓
