Malaya (2020), a film by Connie Macatuno starring Lovi Poe and Zanjoe Marudo, tells the story of two lovers, Malaya (Poe) and Santiago (Marudo), who just don’t seem to get the perfect timing to be with each other freely.
From the start, Malaya, a Filipina immigrant, was established to be a character devoted to her family and focused on building her career up from the ground after completing a degree in Mass Communication in the Philippines. Meanwhile, Santiago, nicknamed Iago, was an Italy-born Filipino chasing a financially-stable life. Unlike Malaya, Santiago’s character seems to be “freer” from filial duties due to a strain on his and his father’s relationship.
Looking at their story in retrospect, when circumstances lead you to meet someone over and over again even after parting ways several times, you’re bound to think that maybe – just maybe – you’re destined to be together, that maybe, you’re “it” for each other. However, love doesn’t work entirely on timings. As cliché as it may sound, love works on chemistry, effort, and choices, too.
Continue reading “MALAYA: A Reflective Movie Review”
