
You never know when life is going to knock on your door, but one can always look to enjoy the process. If we were to use the words of the main characters of Under Parallel Skies – “life is happening in these little transitions”.
The audience will relive how life switches from the fast-paced, bustling lifestyle of Hong Kong, to the peaceful, slow pace of that fictional island Peng Chau. Parin (Win Metawin), a depressed Thai national, recounts his story. We first meet him on the beach of Peng Chau, where she looks for Parin a girl named Thea (Janella Salvador). The even more mysterious woman looks very much like his ex-lover Iris, who unceremoniously vanished, except for the overbite.
As predictable as the film is, and it can be at times, it shouldn’t have come as a surprise. In this age when romantic stories such as Bridgerton are considered too cliché and unrealistic, along comes Under Parallel Skies reminding us of the hopes inherent in good love stories, however clichéd or predictable they may be. Oftentimes critics miss the core of romantic tales that the intricacies of relationships are sought in such stories, not the reciprocity of love alone. Most of us may evaluate these relationships, and it is only wished for that romance is developed better than Iris and Parin. Sigrid Andrea Bernardo’s Under Parallel Skies is more linear, straightforward, and down to earth than most of the recent romantic comedies.
Iris is a hotel receptionist who is entrusted with babysitting an intoxicated patron by the name of Bhuritparin. Many times, just because of her stature and delicate figure, she ends up pulling him by the legs into his suite. From the very beginning of the film, the relation between the two main characters has been established and progressed from acquaintances to “best friends” to lovers. Parin’s primary mission for his travel to Hong Kong is in search of his mother who abandoned the family because of her dissatisfaction. When he does find her, he realizes the importance of preserving true happiness once he has found it in his mother.
Nevertheless, as the saying goes, life does not always go as planned, and we must accept pros and cons with respect to the situation, and sometimes emotions are best bottled up to prevent us from exploding at the slightest provocation. It is here that both Janella Salvador and Win Metawin show the necessary fragility that is both subtle and intense. Under Parallel Skies has a very interesting opening that makes you question what will unfold, almost in an uproarious tone: Do we want our beloveds to watch us in pain? Do we wish them to feel our lowest states? Would we conceal our illness from them to redeem them from the unbearable sight of anguish and suffering?
More of such questions arise: Wouldn’t that affect their autonomy? Doesn’t such an act as telling a lie while knowing the truth and letting the other person decide whether to stay or leave instead of keeping them in suspense is very wrong? In this movie, the truth is a two-edged sword. Those who have been dumped by their partners when they were unwell may think that it’s better to be the first to leave, like an injured cat hiding away from its owners.
Despite the negativity that undoubtedly comes with this mindset, some people would sometimes rather cheat a loved one than to be honest about having encountered difficulties in the relationship. It is also worth noting these ideas are hard to address in practice: taking care of someone in a partnership is tough and even better if the couple has been in a long term relationship and this problem has not disrupted the bond. Be it good or bad for the couple, the bottom line is that there should be no room for regret because it only brings more agony and anguish.
In Under Parallel Skies, this pessimistic angle is not delved into. The romantic relationship that develops between Iris and Parin is rather short-lived but passionate. Their relationship develops rapidly and soon after it fades but there is hope as it is still very unique and appealing in nature and like a flower that has encountered epiphyllum, it blooms only for a very short period of time but the love remains forever.
While watching this film, there were scenes that made me think how a character could have behaved as he did, isn’t it too selfish to make such a decision for someone else? I had thought that it was an unreasonable act of charity, but ultimately what difference does it make? Every one of us has to leave this world someday and with the same ease like a footstep on the sand that gets swept away by the waves and all the footprints will only be remembered by those who knew you.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Under Parallel Skies is a well-paced film that runs for 110 minutes. It is just long enough to be classified as a feature film but does not drag on and on. As a Filipino who has been based in Thailand for almost five years, the film came across as nostalgic. There are scenes in which Janella Salvador is required to cry harder than usual as her character suffers or sees her character suffering from a loss and she does overact that emotion wonderfully. To allow us to sympathize with his character’s sufferings, on the other hand, Win Metawin has a nice smile and subtle glances followed by gentle narration. Sigrid Andrea Bernardo is an expert in blending humanistic narratives as she integrates Filipino and Thai stories within the setting of a busy city which is an antithesis of the Thais’ ‘sabai-sabai’ or the Filipinos ‘mañana’ attitudes. The movie was enjoyable, even if I had assumed I’d be watching a romantic comedy that moved differently (or at least for me!).
It is nice to witness Filipino artists work with other nations on projects of this magnitude as well as enjoy the fruits of their labor in multiple territories. What is interesting about the film is that it is subtle yet invites the viewer to take a break and notice the mundane peculiarities of life. Five out of five stars.
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