TV & Film
In Filipino culture, the word aswang, even to the most conyo of millennials, still dredges up gruesome images of mythological monsters in Philippine folklore—the very creatures your parents and yayas warned you about. The fear of these mythical beings is certainly a far cry from the very real problems that Filipinos deal with today: Poverty, extrajudicial killings, and the drug war.
However, in director Kip Oebanda’s film, Nay, the juvenile horrors of childhood past and the more weighty issues of adult life present are juxtaposed. Together, they become the key in unlocking the story.
Nay centers on sheltered Martin Koa (Enchong Dee) and his yaya Luisa (Sylvia Sanchez), who has cared for him all his life in the stead of his absentee parents. “Nay,” as he affectionately calls her, is more than just his mother and father—she is one of the only people whom he loves. It’s the two of them against the world, until one terrible day when Martin finds out that he doesn’t have much time left with her. In saving his life, Nay passes on her curse of immortality by transferring her secret powers to him. Now, Martin has no choice but to live out the rest of his days as an aswang.
This is not your typical horror story. Successfully woven into the supernatural landscape is a political tale truer than life. As Martin struggles with his love for Nay and his revulsion with himself, Nay teaches him how to hunt the poor for food. It’s a pointed narrative, emphasizing how the poor, when murdered, are never served justice—making them easy prey for Martin’s new bloodthirsty self. And just in case the connection wasn’t clear enough, several scenes intentionally recreate viral photos of the victims of extrajudicial killings—dead ringers for the everyday situation of the poor.
Enchong Dee shines in his role as Martin—the bumbling, all-around good guy who discovers not only his darker side, but also his obliviousness to the horrors of the real world. The visuals of the film are simple yet striking as a whole, with the late-night roads and hazy neon lights providing a bleak backdrop for Martin’s ever-changing character. But it’s Sylvia Sanchez’s performance as the monstrous yet loving Nay that steals the show. In certain scenes, she can be so terrifyingly murderous, yet so tenderly caring towards Martin—making the audience both fear and root for her at the same time.
Perhaps the only trouble with this film was its overabundance of issues. While the political angle was none-too-subtle, it was just enough to impact its audience and remind them of the horrors of the law, but not turn them off. However, Nay tries to tackle every problem in the book, only to come up short. From family problems to politics, to murder and modern society, it seems that there’s not a single matter that Nay doesn’t try to delve in. The result is a film as sticky and messy as the resulting bloodbath of an aswang’s hunting: Although it went in for the kill and left its marks, it was still a pain to clean up and make sense of.
All in all, Nay serves up a unique twist to the aswang stories of one’s childhood by adding a fresh political spin. Despite the plethora of social and moral issues at its core, Nay still does a good job at exploring them. In the end, it’s a refreshing (not to mention eye-opening) take on life as a whole—and how the amateur fears that once shaped our childhood can still hit close to home.
Rating: 3.5/5
Featured photo retrieved from Nazamel Tabares.
