Note: This review contains minor spoilers from the film

It’s been a week since the Cinemalaya Film Festival 2023. However, the impact of this year’s film roster still lingers up to this day. 

After watching almost all films from the line-up, I can say that the best film, Iti Mapukpukaw (The Missing) is well-deserved of the award. With a powerful storyline, brilliant execution, and the creative animation — the film needs to be seen by more people.

A feat for Philippine animators

Cinemalaya is not new to animation entries, especially in the Short Film category. However, Iti Mapukpukaw is the first full-length entry to ever grace the premier independent film fest. That’s a huge win for Filipino animators. 

Over 90 local animators worked on the film’s animation, which took around six months to complete. Iti Mapukpukaw features two art styles: rotoscope and traditional 2D hand drawing. Each one was used to narrate different but interconnected stories of the film.

As someone who uses Photoshop at work, it’s impressive how the filmmakers included graphic design elements in telling the story. It features Eric, a mouthless graphic designer in Makati whose past and present begin to unfold with the arrival of a “familiar alien.” 

The film used several Photoshop references, which I think a lot of creatives will appreciate.

Powerful storyline

Iti Mapukpukaw is a visual feast for the audience. But the story is also well-written and rightfully weaved into the animation.

The first parts of the film give off a sci-fi vibe — with some fictional elements like alien, spaceship, planets and the like. As the film progressed, I was impressed with how everything is stitched together to tell a more complicated and powerful narrative. 

It’s a story about losing parts of yourself after experiencing a traumatic phenomenon. It’s also about the hard, yet important process to eventually claiming those parts back.

Despite the difficult subject matter, Iti Mapukpukaw is told in a gentle, loving way without trying too hard. 

A friend also commended how the film touched the LGBTQA+ topic very subtly, and without forcing it. In the first part of the film, Rosalinda (Eric’s mom, portrayed by Dolly de Leon) teased her son about Carlo (portrayed by Gio Gahol) as his potential suitor. As a member of the community, my friend says she appreciates this progressive portrayal of LGBTQA+ relationships in a Filipino film — that they are normal and accepted, no other explanations needed.

Brilliant actors

Iti Mapukpukaw cast is, hands-down, a brilliant ensemble.

Carlo Aquino, despite having no mouth (plus ears and eyes, eventually) in the film, portrayed Eric’s character so, so well. I was so intrigued of his back story even before it unfolded. He tells his story so well even without any lines (almost!) throughout the film.

Gio Gahol’s character, I believe, is the kind of person we all need, and we hope to become. He plays Carlo, Eric’s patient and lovable officemate who listens, stays, and tries to understand even through the toughest of times. 

He is a huge contribution to the film’s charm, in my opinion. We all deserve a Carlo in our lives. Not to mention, Gio Gahol is a really great actor. I have seen him act in theatre plays as well, and he is very convincing every single time.

And of course, Golden Globe Nominee and Academy member Dolly de Leon’s role as Eric’s mom is such a delight. Her fun antics in the film proved she’s a natural. That’s why she won the Best Supporting Actress award for this film.

Golden Globe Nominee and Academy member Dolly de Leon with yours truly

During Dolly de Leon and Gio Gahol’s guesting in one episode of Ang Walang Podcast, one of the film’s producer Antoinette Jadaone mentioned that the actors were especially handpicked by Iti Mapukpukaw director Carl Joseph Papa to portray the three leading stars in the film. 

According to them, it is rare to get your first choice because of multiple reasons like scheduling conflicts. Somehow, the universe aligned to cast them all together. It was meant to be.

Apart from the brilliant acting, it’s refreshing to watch an animated film with the actors using local languages: Ilocano and Tagalog.

A testament to Filipino values

Perhaps one of the overlooked elements of Iti Mapukpukaw that proves its charm is how Filipino it is —  from the subtle gestures during the scenes to the big life problems in the story. It doesn’t try to follow any Western style. Instead, it is deeply grounded in Filipino roots and values which makes it more relatable to the Filipino audience.

As someone who has Ilocano roots myself, I believe more Ilocanos would be delighted to hear the language in the big screen.

Iti Mapukpukaw is overall an excellent film that deserves to be shown nationwide, and we hope it would be released in mainstream (especially regional) cinemas soon.