“Bakit pa binigay kung mawawala din lang” – Kitchie Nadal
Did you ever have something you loved so much but lost it along the way? Then you wonder why it causes so much pain after it has been gone. Soon after, regret creeps in thinking, If only I knew, I wouldn’t want to have it. Why did this had to happen? It is even more hurtful when this thing that you lost is love. This is the central plot of the song Darkness Fell which is on the soundtrack of the recent film by Viva entitled Sid and Aya – a romantic movie, nothing unusual, nothing special but it was worth watching. The song had a tragic ending; the film had an open ended ending but both had characters wanting something but it kept eluding them.
The film had nice cinematography, good narration and commendable acting. In my opinion, Viva produces more quality films than Star Cinema. They veer away from the formulaic look and themes making it a little bit different from the rest.
This is the only time that I’ve seen a tagalog movie in a theatre after a very long time. Most Filipino movies are a give away once you’ve seen the trailer; you can predict the ending, you know what’s going to happen, there’s no surprise ending, but I must say, Sid and Aya is worth knowing HOW the story goes.
This movie made me an Anne Curtis fan. She was so beautiful that you would want to have an Anne Curtis in your life. Kudos to the well acted scenes, the simple story of Sid and Aya was made memorable.
The scene that struck me the most during the course of the film is when Sid and Aya sits inside the car and listens to Wolfgang’s “Darkness Fell”. The scene was reminiscent of Before Sunrise, where Jesse and Celine stopped by a record store and listened to some rhythm and blues. These scenes are best examples of how music can amplify the mood of the whole film. In Sid and Aya, Sid played Darkness Fell in his car while he drives Aya home; it was so simple but it rocked. The Juans rendition was mellow and it fitted perfectly to the sequence since the lyrics were somehow mirroring what was taking place between Sid and Aya.
Darkness Fell is a lyrical genius. It tells a story of a King who saw the girl of her dreams in a very melodic and bewitching scenario.Notice how the enchanting lyrics of Darkness Fell reflected the characters of Sid and Aya:
And so she woke up from a dream
That was beautiful and starry and oh so wild
It was all still clear in her eyes
And though her mind was foggy and blank
she wondered why her life couldn’t be as lovely
it was time…
Aya had dream of someday lifting her parents to a better life situation. She was incessantly working day and night for her living to be able to have enough money and go to Japan to be able to support her mother. She is so fixed on reaching her goal that having a relationship was probably the last thing on her mind. She was playful and happy go lucky during the first parts of the film but it was later revealed that she was set to be with her mom in Japan all along.
There was this king he had no castle or throne, oh no
But his horse was great and white
He rode alone and liked it that way
But when he met her, he swore
He would never leave her side…
Sid on the other hand was king nothing. He was a hot shot but he was empty inside. He is on the brink of discovering that material things could not satisfy a man’s life. The only thing that he had was riding on his bloated ego. Meeting Aya however, softened him and she was the only reason for his smile. Indeed, who wouldn’t be under the spell of a cigar smoking Anne Curtis. Sid’s life was shaken. He had thoughts of feeding his infatuation of being with this woman. And he did. In fact he even paid Aya so that she would accompany him while his girlfriend is away.
They rode across the land
Two lovers hand in hand
And no danger could come near
And when something made her cry
She’d look at him teary eyed
And he would make her feel better
Oh so much better
So much better than before
Both of them overstayed their welcome and decided to continue meeting each other. Though Aya seemed to be accompanying Sid only because he was giving her money for giving him attention, it was later revealed that Aya already has the money to go to Japan and thus implying that she was developing feelings for Sid. They were enjoying each others company and made a world of their own. They were out of reality and it was satisfying. Sid even got to the point where he sees Aya crying in the café she is working because of her family problems, and he came to her rescue by inviting her over for some smoke. A good cigar session is probably what a lot of people need for comfort.
And now this forest was their home
It was a night time and the right time for love in the dark
She placed her hand upon his chest
And then all the rest just flowed
Makin’ love down under an ancient far away night
When Aya was invited over Sid’s condo here’s when things get a little naughty. They’re alone, they’re vulnerable, they’re drinking and they made this place their home. It was definitely the right time to explore each other intimately. All the repressed libido flowed like opening a dam filled with water. The morning after was even sweeter as Aya whispered “I love you” at the sleeping Sid beside her.
Oh tell me a story of magic
And spiralling ships and stars in the night
Just whisper in my ears
Make it soft but make it clear
I want to hear every breath you’d say
Sid and Aya loved to hear each other’s stories. That’s probably what made them feel something for each other – their conversations. Sid even shared a story about this black swan. That in life, sometimes all you can think about are white swans and then you see a black swan and your perspective changes. And little did Sid knew that all it took was a Black Swan in the form of Aya to make him see things.
It was so grand
Just holdin’ someone’s hand
And now safety came naturally, oh yeah
It was so clear
that she would never ever have to fear
Nevertheless, Sid was insensitive enough to be break Aya’s heart. He intended to propose to his then girlfriend who’s now back in Manila. Sid and Aya had their chance of being with each other while his beau was away. At the evening of their love making, Aya decided to leave for Japan with Sid’s ring that is intended to be given to his fiancé. But Sid’s fate was meant to be with Aya when he had a business trip in Japan and accidentally they bumped into each other. Now you see a more mature Aya who’s now supporting her mother and still working relentlessly. More over, it seemed that they have rekindled their fire and now that they’ve grown, it was clearer that Sid would want to have a life with Aya beside him. It was assuring that Sid and Aya had finally made up their minds, or so they thought they did.
But she woke up from the land
Tears falling in her hands
As she looked up asking why
She laid back in her bed
Thoughts raising in her head
“Why can’t my life be beautiful?”, she said
As she closed her eyes again
Just prayin’ he’d return
But only darkness fell upon her
In contrast, the song ends in tragedy as the King never returned from a possible lethal encounter, but the film end on a lighter note which is more realistic. It was the best possible outcome for Sid and Aya. They simply let destiny takes its course. They didn’t force the issue, and let the quote “kung kayo, kayo talaga” happen. They needed to grow more and focus on the things at hand which would eventually lead to their self improvement. Darkness Fell had regrets on losing their love but Sid and Aya lost theirs but are hopeful for the future. The film had different takes on how we can control the course of our lives. It’s either we sulk in regret or simply just go with the flow like what Sid and Aya did. Sabi nga sa kasabihan “kung may gusto kung isang bagay huwag mong hawakan ng mahigpit para di ka mapagod”.