"Liway" is the kind of story that you feel that it's too absurd to be real. A child being born in prison, that said prison allowing the child to be there, and that child never been able to see the outside world. It's a story designed to be dramatic and emotional. But sadly, "Liway" isn't fiction and it is based on a true story. A maddening testament to the ills that happened in our country decades ago. An era that should never be forgotten or forgiven. And "Liway" was one of the most impactful ways to tell these ills.
A young mother Day (Glaiza de Castro) is in prison with her husband (Dominic Roco) and son Dakip (Kenken Nuyad). Being rebels, there is literally no hope for them to get out and to protect Dakip from the injustices around him, Day begins to tell fairy tales to him. But when the child gets a glimpse of what's outside their walls, he starts to question the stories of his mother. Day is forced to tell her real story and why the perfect life she has been telling Dakip is far from reality.
With "Liway", Glaiza de Castro delivers a stellar performance as Commander Liway - a rebel leader, a mother, a prisoner who struggled to take care of her son inside a prison. Dominic Roco as her husband was not so convincing and we actually found his character rather apathetic and disengaged. The biggest surprise of all though was the youngest actor in the cast as Kenken Nuyad was our easy favorite as the happy-go-lucky, naive, and innocent Dakip. The film's strongest asset was its ability to engage you as a viewer and while its not perfect in terms of pacing, the film still found a way to be impactful in its most climactic scenes. The film starts off roughly but improves once Dakip questions his mother's lies. This was a film that was subtle in its take on the ills of Martial Law. There was rarely a violent scene except for an inescapable need to show a shoot out. The film didn't need to show torture because part of our characters anguish was simply not knowing what happened, being forced to comply, or having no idea when their time will come. "Liway" is a must-see for those who still question history and who still think abusing others is simply okay as long as they are okay.
Rating: 4 and a half reels
Why you should watch it:
- stellar performances from Glaiza de Castro and Kenken Nuyad
- subtle but impactful and dramatic
Why you shouldn't watch it:
- starts off slowly
- has some pacing issues and unexplained time jumps
Liway Movie Review: Subtlety at its Finest
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