‘SWAP’ (2015) REVIEW: A Mediocre, Single-Take Martial Law Experiment
‘SWAP’ (2015) REVIEW: A Mediocre, Single-Take Martial Law Experiment
Tonyo (Matt Daclan) and Agent Sanchez (Mon Confiado) discuss plans while conversing over a tapped phone line.
Remton Zuasola burst onto the scene 12 years ago with an uncontrollably raw, digital masterclass in his one-shot debut, Ang Huling Damgo ni Eleuteria. It’s a phenomenal piece of work that utilizes a single camera never cutting away as it travels around the tropical landscape of Olango, documenting the departure of a local bound for Germany to meet her soon-to-be-husband. The importance of this film is largely hidden outside of the Philippines, but to the seasoned cinephile, it will be an important identifier in the methods that define Remton Zuasola’s style.
SWAP enters this equation as a film where Zuasola once again employs a single take, the camera confined to a small warehouse where the crew built a few sets together and constructed the film as something akin to a stage play where it takes place over the course of several days and weeks, filming the narrative of a family driver named Tonyo whose life is put on jeopardy after his son is kidnapped and held ransom by a criminal. The film simply spends the 100-minute runtime detailing the background of this family man, the wealthy businessman whom he works for, and the process of working with the police to capture the criminals responsible for such a kidnapping.
Tonyo and Insiang (Dionne Monsanto) yearn for their missing child.
As the film progresses, we are offered brief glimpses of what occurs in the background. The film takes place in 1985, and radio noises, public protests and a scene involving soldiers at the end indicate that this is happening in tandem with the impunity of the martial law period. Considering the film is executive produced by Brillante Mendoza, it’s no surprise that these brief glimpses depict the whole situation with a cursory, yet up-close examination of bloodied victims, and the sparsely-appearing symbolism of hooded, bloodied figures depicting the ghosts of the period pointing towards where the drama truly lies.
But this is where I think most of the film’s problems emerge from. SWAP finds itself wedged between this obligation to display such details and the need to express the main narrative at hand that it ends up feeling mediocre on both ends. After the film treats its audience to some backstory behind Tonyo and how the disappearance of the child comes about, it feels so passé compared to the other half of the film which spends a lot of time detailing the goal of capturing the pictured kidnappers, of which the quality ranges from engaging to disconnecting. The camerawork that I’d normally describe as stellar feels closer to a gimmick in this case, especially with how cold and artificial the film seems all throughout.
The kidnappers (Publio Briones III, Chai Fonacier) being interviewed by the press.
There is something to be said about that production design though. Even if it’s understandably cold and artificial in comparison to Zuasola’s feature-length debut, I think it’s certainly a respectable feat that they were able to shoot the film in one, uncut take that employs jumps in time, changes in lighting, and clearly the off-scene adjustment of props and items that take a lot of time to execute well without fumbling within the take. Even if I think the overall output feels so apathetic and clean for the subject matter, “SWAP” at least establishes itself with some grace just by what’s on paper.
But really, the majority of the film’s judgment really boils down to how convincing it feels all throughout. It’s not like the film felt lackadaisical with its execution for the most part. The cast delivers just right on what’s asked of them, as does Mon Confiado who gives his efforts playing the detective helming the whole operation. Even as I find myself feeling mostly neutral about the stories, it must still be acknowledged that the couple, the rescue team, and the kidnappers don’t just phone in their performances for a film like this. The symbolism that lingers behind the film is just what really turns this away for me. It’s one of those films that just treats the story as is, and while it seems sort of unique to ride on, the film still leaves a lot to be desired in comparison to Zuasola’s previous efforts.
“SWAP” can be accessed on the FDCP Channel website via paying for the subscription plan of Php 99/month or Php 999/year.
