Adorable and inspiring. These words perfectly describe Che Espiritu’s “Pan De Salawal.”
Stories like that of Salvador (Bodjie Pascua) and Aguy (Miel Espinosa) where random events bring them together, paving the way for an unlikely friendship.
Salvador is an old bachelor, inflicted with a very painful case of chronic kidney disease. He basically has no reason to be excited about life because all he feels is pain. One day, he chanced upon Aguy, a homeless little girl who has special healing powers.
One by one, Aguy heals people in the community by “hurting them.” Her method of healing requires her to hit the person.
But for some reason, she cannot alleviate Salvador’s pain.
The man’s physical pain was compensated by the joy he feels everytime he is with Aguy. But Aguy soon realizes that the only way to heal Salvador is to cause him pain unlike any other.
It’s interesting how Aguy keeps on referring to her healing ways as inflicting pain. Could that be the writer’s way of showing us that for us to truly appreciate the biggest joys, we must first endure and understand how it is to feel pain?
Because if that’s the case, then she is onto something. It’s interesting how she wove that into the narrative.
Light as it may feel, the movie actually tackles a very serious theme: dealing with afflictions that slowly kill a person.
Each person Aguy healed was going through different maladies that are eating them up from the inside. From the paralyzed old woman to the hardworking butcher, each sick person is dying a slow death not only because of their sickness but because they are losing hope. They “shine” in their eyes is slowly fading away.
Aguy represents hope. I guess making her a dirty, homeless streetkid is the perfect way to teach us about hope. It doesn’t come in a shiny package. A lot of times, it’s in the things you least expect to find.
“Pan De Salawal” is more than a feel-good movie. It is a strong reminder to keep on looking for hope wrapped in a funny, inspiring story.
I just have to say Espinosa is a charming presence on the screen. She perfectly embodies the qualities required for the role. She’s so fun to watch and she can hold her ground even when she’s in scenes with veteran actors.
Directed by: Che Espiritu
Cast: Bodjie Pascua, Miel Espinosa, Soliman Cruz, Ruby Ruiz, Madeleine Nicolas, Anna Luna, Felix Roco
