Kun maupay man it panahon

Carlo Francisco Manatad's Kun Maupay It Panahon (Whether the Weather is Fine) revolves around the aftermath of the super-typhoon Yolanda at Tacloban, Leyte. It is told from the perspective of three people: Miguel (played by Daniel Padilla), Andrea (Rans Rifol), and Norma (Charo Santos). The film presents the struggles that Filipinos experienced in order to survive the devastating effects of the typhoon.

Right at the beginning, one can already tell that the production design is remarkable. It was able to replicate the horrendous sights; dead bodies lying on the ground, destroyed appliances and furniture scattered around, the children's innocence (personally, I felt scared for them), people fighting, praying, wailing. Combined with the wide-angle compositions, it gives off a sense of immersion for the viewers as to what it could feel like being in those places-rather, in that state. Dir. Manatad focused more on the characters' emotions and thoughts, which made it more intriguing considering that the three main characters had different goals. They also had different perspectives of the reality they are experiencing.

Generally, the film was able to showcase the various impacts of a typhoon (though this film is centered on typhoon Yolanda, it also speaks up for the other typhoons that the Philippines encounter) to people.

The film feels mesmerizing and experiencing to watch in general. The movie presents the issues of Filipino in rural areas struggling in the aftermath of natural disasters to survive. It brought into light the struggle of the people of Tacloban; you feel their pain on the screen, and it is something commonality for Filipino people when a natural disaster happens every year in areas with big typhoons or floods. I also love when they show dance scenes because Filipino would do in a situation in a natural disaster. They would deny their pain by showing something positive like a dance, joke, or smile to present a face in the media. The religious aspect of the movie is another Filipino aspect that is accurate since people in the film pray for this pain to be over. A thing that surprised me was Daniel Padilla's performance in the movie. I associate the actor's acting with his rom-com movies, but in the film, he did a good performance in the role. The best part of the film is how it is surliest or magic realism in the movie without spoiling it; both the visual and music incorporating it visualize the central theme about the aftermath.

Overall, I would really recommend this movie; it deserved more recognition and screening for Filipino people and other people interested in general. It shed topic that is close to Filipinos with a breathtaking experience.

From a survivor's point of view, the movie brings back so many memories of that unfaithful day. The struggles were very much reminiscent of how we Taclobanons behaved days after Super Typhoon Haiyan ravaged the city. Above all, I'm just impressed as to how they genuinely sounded like native Waray people. It amazes me to see a representation of us Warays in the big screen.

For someone who experienced being hit by a chaotic disaster myself, I went inside the cinema expecting this critically-acclaimed film to be a medium to explore a story of family and drama while facing a catastrophic event that once filled all the headlines and brought in an international attention. But upon seeing the first few shots, accompanied by a very bizarre music compared to the visuals, I already felt what the film is trying to achieve.

Kun Maupay It Panahon (Whether the Weather is Fine) - a debut film of Carlo Francisco Manatad - is a tale about three people; Miguel (Daniel Padilla), Norma (Charo Santos), and Andrea (Rans Rifol); while they cruise through the ruins of Tacloban, Leyte after the devastating supertyphoon Yolanda.

The film's composition of wide shots and very detailed production design gives a sense of immersiveness to the viewers to feel with the main characters. The ambiguity of the characters while they interact with the surroundings blends well with how they slowly walk towards their own different goals. And it's very evident how the treatment of Manatad plays not with the outward interaction of the characters with their environment, but with their inner emotions and perception of their current reality. I also like the film's satirical critique of the Filipino resiliency and the subtlety of how they tried to show it.

Overall, the absurdism of the film worked really well on portraying the stories of the characters. It's a storytelling that gives a firm social voice on how things usually unfolds on casastrophes outside and within ourselves. And it's truly devastating, whether the weather is fine - or not.

This film is uncolored, untethered to any intention of romanticization. It effectively taps into the fear of the unknown which catalyzes the actions of the Filipino people that the film aims to represent - to steal, to cut corners, to burst out into anger, but to also show empathy, dedication to family, and resilience. However, the Filipino concept of "resiliency" is not exploited nor misrepresented, and even provides commentary on films that do tackle that route by presenting restraint (through writing and direction) and then and only then when the context of the entire story has been laid out will it allow complete surrender to the situation. In all of this, the film is still capable of injecting surreal imagery within its hard truths. It expounds to a depth that touches on the nuances of seeking sanity inside and outside an eye of a storm. It is never the fault of those in peril to grasp for every ounce of stillness - stability, security; whether it may be a false sense of the matter or wishful thinking, whether the weather is fine.