Nora Aunor delivers another indelible portrayal in Cannes-winning drama

NORA Aunor feels it’s important for the world to know what happened in Tacloban. TROY ESPIRITU

Is faith or religious patronage earned? The recurring question hovers over “Taklub (Trap),” Brillante Mendoza’s Cannes-winning drama about Yolanda survivors, starring Nora Aunor, as it trots out true-to-life tales of anguish, desolation, acceptance and slow reconstruction one year after the super typhoon struck Tacloban—and left more than 6,200 people dead in its wake!

The devastation leaves gaping holes in survivors’ lives: The nightmares that hound fisherman Renato (Lou Veloso, in fine dramatic form) continue to unravel when he loses more members of his family to a fire accident in Tent City, where he and 2,500 other homeless survivors have been living in deplorable conditions since 2013.

As he struggles to make some sense of his life’s tattered remains, Renato discloses his wish to be swallowed by the sea that feeds him.

Even more telling is the story of Larry (the memorably stirring Julio Diaz), a devout Catholic who walks away from the cross he carries during a religious procession when he finds it too heavy. —Get it?

Recalling Mendoza’s “Kaleldo” heyday, these subtle shades of metaphor and religious symbolism aren’t treated with a heavy hand, and allow the film to eschew schmaltzy melodrama for something more thoughtful and provocative.

The stories of Renato and Larry may seem random, but the thespically resplendent Nora Aunor, who comes off with the finest portrayal we’ve seen so far this year, strings them all together with indelible reactions devoid of the overwrought theatricality of her characterization in Joel Lamangan’s “Hustisya” or the contrived excesses of Perci Intalan’s overrated “Dementia.”

As Aunor’s Mater Dolorosa character, Leonora Lariosa aka Bebeth, aptly muses, each victim has his/her own burden to bear—as does she, who tirelessly walks the rough roads and ruins of San Jose, one of Tacloban’s 138 barangays, to help those who can’t help themselves. Bebeth bottles up her grief as she mulls over her missing kids and broken marriage.

“Taklub” faces its grim subject matter head on, but treats its characters, a reflection of the Filipino people’s resilience, with the dignity they deserve: You won’t see its judicious actors succumbing to ululations of overwhelming grief—which is a feat in itself!

It’s hard to think about tragedy/poverty “porn” when you watch how Aunor eloquently limns her indelible performance and enables the film to transcend the inherent bleakness of its themes.

Hers is as poignant and fragile a portrayal as we’re ever likely to see about coming to terms with the horrifying devastation wrought by Yolanda—and a master class in restraint and thespic grace!

There’s a perception that the Superstar’s prodigious acting chops may have been underutilized here—and, while we agree that she could have been used in more sequences, we also think that histrionic displays of her dramatic brilliance would undermine the movie’s understated allure, and serve Nora more than the film itself.

Yes, those soulful orbs work their wonders, as they always do—but, so does the rest of the legendary actress’ body: In one acutely staged death scene, Bebeth refuses to see more of Renato’s grief and despair.

As she walks out of the hospital (with Nora’s back facing the camera), we notice Bebeth’s weary shoulders slump in resignation as she silently wipes her tears away. —So, who needs more screen time?