Director Remton Siega Zuasola made his name on a particular brand of filmmaking. His lauded short To Siomai Love and his excellent first feature Ang Damgo ni Eleuteria were both used just one long take to tell the entire story. He returns to the technique in Swap, this time applying the same single take aesthetics to a non-linear story. It’s a really interesting experiment that features some impressive filmmaking, but its dedication to the technique ends up hindering the storytelling.
The film is set in 1985 in Cebu, and is inspired by true events. Tonyo (Matt Daclan) is a driver for an affluent Chinese family. He and his girlfriend Insiang (Dionne Monsanto) live a simple but happy life with their son Tonton, living pretty well off the help of Tonyo’s boss. But then one day, amid the chaos of a political rally, his son Tonton is kidnap. The perpetrators tell him that in order to get his son back, he has to kidnap his boss’ son.
There are a lot of fascinating films going on in this film. The technique is genuinely impressive. The camera navigates a limited space that represents at least four separate settings. It goes forwards and backwards in time without the benefit of editing. But unlike Zuasola’s previous efforts, the technique doesn’t seem to contribute to the theme. And it just doesn’t help the storytelling. By having a single floating camera and limiting the angles, the film isn’t able to take full use of the grammar of film language. It also slows down the film considerably, the narrative at times having to wait while the camera catches up with the scene.
It seems to add extra challenges as well to the production: challenges that aren’t entirely overcome. It seems as though the audio isn’t always in sync. There is a sequence that is supposed to be repeated, but the film doesn’t get it quite right. The story is still really compelling, the film using it as a launching pad for an examination of class boundaries in a very tense time in our history. But the one-shot technique draws attention to itself and weakens the story.
The film does benefit from strong central performances. Matt Daclan makes for a compelling everyman. Even under these extreme circumstances, the actor manages to keep his composure and hang on to every bit of drama with which his character is confronted. Dionne Monsanto holds her own as well, holding on to reality even as the film approaches melodramatic notes. Mon Confiado is pretty great as the policeman tasked with dealing with Tonyo’s case. He never makes it clear if he’s actually on Tonyo’s side, and that tension gives the film its narrative fuel.
Swap is really impressive. That much is certain. There are segments that one simply has to acknowledge for their ingenuity. Zuasola should be commended for just being able to conceive ways to bridge time and space within his camera. But it is the technique that one remembers when all is said and done. The story falls to the wayside, the tension of the narrative rarely making its way through the haze of technical admiration.
My Rating:
