‘Nuuk’

  • Page Views 1029
  • ‘Nuuk’ tells the story of two immigrants who came for different reasons but cross paths for a singular reason.
    Usually, if a Filipino movie is shot in a foreign country, it is to take advantage of its festive scenery and exotic romantic ambiance.
    But this one is very different. Nuuk is the capital and largest city of Greenland, an island territory of Denmark, three-fourths of which are within the Arctic Circle. This location was chosen for its seemingly perpetual bitter cold and snowy winters, which was just the perfect backdrop for this story of desolation and depression.
    Elaisa Svendsen is a middle-aged Filipina woman who lived in Nuuk. She had been a widow twice over already. She had a very testy relationship with her rebellious young adult son, Karl Kleist. She had been estranged for some time because her interference with his love affairs cost him the girl he truly loved.
    One day, while desperate for her Prozac fix, she met a visiting Filipino seaman Mark Alvarez at the pharmacy. Friendly and caring, Mark lent Elaisa a helping hand with her many problems. Just when Elaisa thought some sun was shining through in her life, it appeared that a blizzard was threatening to cause further havoc.
    Alice Dixson had the showier role as Elaisa, a lonely woman whose struggle to make a meaningful connection with her son had wreaked damage to her delicate psyche. Her vodka and her Prozac pills were her only friends in her tough times. In the final act, she had a number of intense breakdown scenes, a couple of them set outdoors in the snow which definitely raised the level of difficulty.

    For most of the film, Aga Muhlach played Mark as Elaisa’s supportive friend and potential Romeo. Initially, his performance felt rather tentative and unnatural, which was unusual knowing the caliber of actor that he is. However, by the time the final act came around, everything fell into place so well that we understand the rationale of the acting choices he made to make his character more believable.

    The third actor in this drama is Greenlander filmmaker and actor Ujarneq Fleischer in the role of Karl. This was a difficult and thankless role, playing a troubled character not easy to like or sympathize with. Based on Karl’s life, the image of life in Nuuk was not too rosy compared to living in the Philippines. Comments on the high rate of suicide among the youth and the easy morals of girls further cast Greenland in a rather unfavorable light.
    Every carefully chosen scene location emanated a sense a sinking feeling of distance, misery, and isolation. The bluish tint cast over the white outdoor scenes made the whole atmosphere feel all the more bleak.

    The pacing of the storytelling was purposely slow to build up more tension. However, there were scenes where momentum flagged (like some awkward romance scenes) or felt repetitive (like those Karl scenes at the bar).
    The first film by director Veronica Velasco that I had seen was “Through Night and Day” (2018), a rom-com which she shot in Iceland. However, in this new project, she went even further north into Greenland and shot this psychological noir in sub-zero temperatures.
    This was a commendable effort to tell a complex story not often tackled in Filipino films in a technique not commonly used by local filmmakers, particularly for mainstream movies. (Fred Hawson, abs-cbn)

    Share

    New Posts Recently publish post More

    • 20 November 2024
      2 days ago No comment

      Surrey Tree Lighting Festival welcomes Canadian Olympic Gold Medalist Phil Wizard on Nov. 23 Canadian artist and athlete to host breakdance demonstration

      Surrey, B.C. – The City of Surrey is proud to announce that Canadian breakdancer and 2024 Olympic Gold Medalist Philip Kim, also known as Phil Wizard, will host a breakdance demonstration at the 14th annual Surrey Tree Lighting Festival & Holiday Market at 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 23. ...

    • Photo by the Canadian Armed Forces.
      14 November 2024
      1 week ago No comment

      How Filipinos contribute to Canada’s diverse military

      As one of the biggest racialized populations in Canada, Filipinos are helping build a diverse and inclusive society. Filipinos are found in almost every aspect of life in the country, including the military. In the lead-up to this year’s commemoration of Remembrance Day and Veterans’ Week, Statistics Canada on ...

    • 07 November 2024
      2 weeks ago No comment

      Marcos congratulates Trump

      President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. of the Philippines has congratulated Donald Trump for winning the November 5, 2024 U.S. presidential election. “President Trump has won, and the American people have triumphed. I congratulate them on their victory in an exercise that showed the world the strength of American values,” Marcos ...

    • Pope Francis addresses the crowd from the window of the apostolic palace overlooking St. Peter's square during the Angelus prayer on October 27, 2024 in The Vatican.
      04 November 2024
      3 weeks ago No comment

      Pope prays for Kristine victims in Philippines

      MANILA, Philippines — Pope Francis has offered prayers for Filipinos affected by Severe Tropical Storm Kristine. At Sunday’s Angelus address at the Vatican, the 87-year-old pontiff reportedly mentioned praying for the victims of Kristine. “I am close to the population of the Philippines, struck by a powerful cyclone. May ...

    • 04 November 2024
      3 weeks ago No comment

      Duterte: no apology, no excuses for drug war

      Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on October 28, 2024 offered no apologies or excuses for his actions as he faced a Senate investigation into his widely criticized bloody war on drugs for the first time. Before reading his prepared statement during the hearing of the Senate blue ribbon subcommittee, ...