TITLE: SANGLAAN (THE PAWNSHOP)

Director: Milo Sogueco

STORY:

While a pawnshop’s appraiser makes a bid for independence and love, its owner is in dire straits, just like the security guard and the pawnshop’s customers.

As they seek ways to repay what they “borrowed,” one question arises: “Will they redeem themselves or will they lose what they value the most?”

Sanglaan (The Pawnshop) is a reflection on financial disasters, romantic mishaps, angst and desperation. It is a peek into permanent interests and fleeting fortunes. Sanglaan (The Pawnshop) is about holding on and letting go, about endings and new beginnings.

Finalist, 5^th Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival (July 17-26, 2010)

AWARDS:

Best Actress – Ina Feleo, 2009 Cinemalaya

Best Supporting Actress – Tessie Tomas, 2009 Cinemalaya

2^nd Prize, New Asian Cinema, 2009 Lyon Asian Film Festival

3^rd Prize, Audience Choice,  2009 Lyon Asian Film Festival

Inalco Jury Award (granted b the National Institute of Oriental Languages and Civilisations, Paris), at the 2010 Vesoul International Film Festival of Asian Cinema

CAST:

Tessie Tomas………………………. Olivia

Ina Feleo ……………………………… Amy

Joem Bascon ….……………………. David

Jess Evardone ……………………… Kanor

Flor Salanga .……………………….. Esing

Neil Ryan Sese …………………….. Henry

Mica Torre ….….…………………… Beggar

Carme Sanchez ……………………. Etang

Karla Pambid ..……………………… Rosa

Giovanni Baldesseri …………….. Temporary Guard

REVIEWS

“I like ‘Sanglaan’s’ simplicity the first time I ever saw its face. Like a simple face, it becomes more beautiful the more you look at it! It’s got a true soul!” – LILIT REYES: Palanca winner, creative director, writer & film reviewer

“Sogueco painstakingly paints various waiting lives who are seemingly stuck in an uncomfortable stasis caused by routine, hopelessness, hopefulness, and expectations blanket their lives.Sanglaan’s pensive mood is sometimes broken by moments of intense emotionality… [the] film suddenly evokes a beautiful melancholy, knowing that life can be both simple and complicated, relieving and agonizing as the many transactions that happen daily in the pawnshop…” – OGGS CRUZ: lawyer & film review

“The acting is impeccable, the cinematography is commendable, the story relatable. The cast was perfectly chosen, each embodying their characters flawlessly. Two-time Cinemalaya Best Actress winner Ina Feleo plays the innocent Amy, and easily convinces the audience that she is indeed the girl constantly lost in romance novels and quixotic ideas of love. Veteran actress Tessie Tomas follows her lead, delivering a credible portrait of Olivia the widow that earned her the festival’s Best Supporting Actress award.” – GMA NEWS TV

“[In all] this, (director) Milo, searchers for, and finds poetry, humor and grace… Milo’s Sanglaan is a fine achievement, a story that would never have gotten the green light from big production houses… one can’t fault the sincerity of vision, and the evident love he has for the story and the subject matter. In spiritual wealth, Milo can take this first film of his straight to the bank… and bypass the pawnshop.” – from the review entitled “The lonely business of dreaming” by PHILLIP CU-UNJIENG, published on July 29, 2009 in The Philippine Star
“…The well-written characters are portrayals of people we ordinarily bump into in the streets of Metro Manila… Director and co-scriptwriter Milo Sogueco has an observant eye. He knows the aspirations and dreams of ordinary Filipinos. He essays their close family relationships and their fondness for eating. The film’s most memorable scene involves Olivia preparing a snack called ginataang bilo-bilo. When Amy arrives, Olivia serves her a bowl of the snack. Audience starts to expect something like an apology because of an earlier rift, or a chat about Olivia’s possible departure for the USA. Sogueco brilliantly turns the scene into a priceless portrait of family bonding. Amy gets confirmation that she is not just an ordinary employee. She is a well-loved member of Olivia’s family.” – cinefilipinas.blogspot.com

Ang Sanglaan ay uminog sa buhay ng mga tao sa loob ng isang simple at paluging Olivia’s Pawnshop. Well-written siya. Maganda’t malinis ang photography. Mahusay ang lead performances from Tessie Tomas,to Ina Feleo and Joem Bascon, even with the support of Flor Salangga and Neil Ryan Sese. Siyempre, mahusay ang timpladong direksiyon ng very young filmmaker na si Milo Sogueco. Alam mong galing sa puso. Very interesting abangan kung anong buhay naman ang kanyang tatalakayin sa susunod niyang pelikula. – RONALD CARBALLO, writer

“I have watched the film, and it’s quite good – there’s lots to admire about it, from the quiet storyline about the sacrifice for love and its ‘worth’ to the slow way the relationships all build together. It’s hard to do control a story with multiple strands but Milo controlled it quite well… It’s not perfect, but at the same time the film shows a director with promise…I really think it’s a good work and I look forward to Milo’s next film, which I expect to be even better.”  – RAYMOND PHATHANAVIRANGOON, Toronto Film Festival Programmer

“Lyrical… [Works such as this] deserve bigger audiences via more exhibitions. It would be a crime for such works to be confined to special screenings for the same exclusive audiences.” – JOSE JAVIER REYES, screenwriter and director, award-winning filmmaker

“It’s refreshing to see an independent movie that is not as emotionally draining as most movies in the same category… Milo Sogueco’s Sanglaan makes Manila a beautiful sight to see and will make you feel (as the movie’s description says) light… The story seems simple and at times seems boring and dragging but I guess as in real life, the most important things hide themselves in simplicity and in quiet, seemingly uneventful experiences… I love the movie for the ways the characters are made to relate to each other, the subtle ways meanings get across without too much sentimentality and the way the movie captured familiar Manila sights in a ‘defamiliarizing’ way.” – ALUNSINA’S PHILIPPINE LITERATURE BLOG

“Congratulations to your team on ‘Sanglaan.’ I enjoyed watching how the lives of the characters slowly unraveled around treasures they hold dear and the dilemma of having to give it up in exchange for other priorities.”  – BUTCH JIMENEZ, film producer – Jose Rizal