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What do you do to a perfectly written and tender-hearted film that can pierce through real and unlegitimized issues without even trying?

You let Cinemalaya ruin it.


I loved the film, don't get me wrong, but somehow I feel the whole experience of watching an independent film is ruined by the practice of product placements and an over-eager ending demanded by the powers that be to explain what happened to audiences whom they think are as dumb as they are. Why do Cinemalaya films have an aura of commercial cinema? Akala ko ba indie?

Despite feeling concessions being made throughout the film and the director being asked to compromise a lot of creative decisions for the sake of profit, this is a beautiful film that deserves to be watched.

At the core of is a finely crafted film that knew its material well. Endo--an abbreviation for "end of contract'--is a film that delves into the problem of permanence in a workforce whose lives are dominated by temporary contracts. Lives are lived six months at a time, people are transposed into environments that can never be owned, and relationships never grow beyond what corporate penny-pinching practices steal from their menial laborers.

When all is said and done, it is still a love story.

Jason Abalos plays Leo, a young man who has run the gauntlet of menial jobs. He has the tough task of supporting his family, while trying to come to terms with his personal relationships that seem to end along with his work contracts. He finally falls in love with Tanya, played by Ina Feleo, another transient worker whose plan for permanence involves securing a high-paying job in a boat. For fear of divulging more than I should, let me just say that complications arise, and Leo and Tanya are forced to rethink whether they want their relationship to end up as another terminal contract.

The cast--from the lead characters down to the support--does an excellent job. They are outshined by Ina Feleo, who is as refreshing as she is talented. It is refreshing to see someone that pretty outshine her physical attributes by knowing her character well and essaying it without the melodramatic antics.

And kudos to director Jade Castro for holding everything together.