Sid & Aya: A Review

Director: Irene Villamor

Starring: Dingdong Dantes & Anne Curtis

Irene Villamor has a distinct taste for her films. Her movies begin with glitters of hope and happiness but usually ends unapologetically poignant yet reflective. This style of storytelling might not be everyone's cup of tea but its what keep Villamor's film memorable and watchable.

Sid & Aya is Villamor's 4th film and her 3rd solo (directed) film. It follows Sid, an insomniac Stock Broker, who enlist Aya, a barista, to keep him company at night. The setup was, of course, doomed to fail; but Villamor sees a story that will instigate contemplation to our idea of love.

There's a problem with the Philippine mainstream cinema; it's filled with make believe love story. It depicts romantic love as the pre-requisite of a good life and the gateway to happiness but, in reality, there is so much more that constitute contentment than love.

Sid & Aya strikes an interesting take on the typical love story by explicitly inscripting the words "not a love story" to its title. Given the premise of the film, its easy to see the film as romantic, but upon watching it, its definitely not. Sid & Aya is not a love story rather its a story of relationship. It shows how limitless we can be just to fulfill our cravings for connection. It showed how power can create an illusion of love and belonging and subtlely draws a line between the poor and the rich.

Villamor did more than just deconstructing a love story. She also illustrates the hardship Filipino workers undergo through just to provide for their family. She showed how going abroad doesn't equate to a better life and that family weighs more than expensive rings. Villamor grounded her characters on reality and did not sugarcoat or romanticize their struggles. This what makes Sid & Aya pertinent and pensive.

To summarize, Sid & Aya excels by being genuine to its characters and their situation. It was well-written and well-delivered, and most importantly - it was not a love story but a life story.