SAVING SALLY (2016)

Photo from Saving Sally Facebook page

Director: Avid Liongoren
Starring: Rhian Ramos, Enzo Marcos, and TJ Trinidad

"A very typical love story", indeed. So typical, all you might ever wonder of is whether or not Marty (Enzo Marcos) and Sally (Rhian Ramos) would end up together–or not. SPOILER ALERT: they did end up with each other, but not without one heck of a roller coaster ride along the way.

However, while the whole story is screaming of anything but new, its presentation is far from typical. In a world of all the usual, predictable, and recycled love stories, Saving Sally stands out mainly for the immense creativity of the animation displayed throughout the film. The artistry shown in Saving Sally–from the character’s personalities to the execution of every scene–brought so much life and took away whatever dull moment that may arise as expected from a “typical love story”. Furthermore, as delightful and entertaining the animation is at a glance, watching it is also a challenge for the audience to look more closely in every scene, in every setting, and in every backdrop. Or else, they might just miss half of the huge fun that is Saving Sally. (How could one ever move on from the effect of the location names like Tuk-Mall and Sandara Park? And the Baybayin script on Marty’s house façade is just priceless.)

For the effective combination of live action with the colorful animation, Saving Sally must be the first of its kind in the history of Philippine cinema. Better yet, it is a clear manifestation of the world-class talent of Filipino filmmakers and animators, and that there remains hope in our local film-making industry.

Rating: 4.5/5

P.S. Just wondering how many of you had stayed even as the end credits began rolling? Good for you, you’ll know what I mean if you did. Hehehe.